3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

ABS-FR vs PA aramid

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Flame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS) guideAramid-fibre nylon guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ABS-FR comparisonsMore PA aramid comparisons
ABS-FR vs PA aramid — documented properties and sources
PropertyFlame-retardant ABS (FR-ABS)ABSAramid-fibre nylonPA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$52.00/kg median; $44.99–$120.00/kg across 5 dated product listingsNot documented
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryABS with a flame-retardant package; 3DXTech rates the base resin UL 94 V-0[1]Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[2]
Densityg/cm³1.18 (ISO 1183) — above unfilled ABS at 1.05 because of the retardant loading[1][3]Not documented
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 45–120; the middle of the market is about 52[4][5][6][7]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg45–120 across brands; SUNLU 45, YXPOLYER 50, Coex 3D 52, 3DXTech 107 at 750 g pricing; the FR PC/ABS grade runs 120[4][5][6][7]Not documented
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no aramid-filled nylon filament was found in any catalogue searched; the aramid filaments that do exist in the retail market use an ASA matrix[8][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]Not documented
Typical applicationsElectrical enclosures and transport interiors that must meet a flammability rating[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended[9]Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidClean the plate and apply glue; Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ABS slurry[9][10]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[9]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[11]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[9]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[9]Hardened steel required — no aramid-filled nylon datasheet was obtainable; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its fibre-filled nylons[12]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[12]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for its FR-ABS, only an 80 °C pre-dry[13]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; nylon already needs a drybox and Prusa names kevlar among the fibres that raise nozzle-clogging risk[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Slightly sensitive[10]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[10]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the ABS matrix takes up 0.51–0.65 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 80 °C, 4 h pre-dry[3][15][13]Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[16]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam in the hotend and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[16]Polymaker's printed dry-versus-wet blocks for its CoPA nylon show what conditioning does to the family: tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa and modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, with notched Charpy rising 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m². Fibre reinforcement reduces but does not remove the effect[17][18]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates ABS moderate-sensitivity[16]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa45 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa1990 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%4 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — well below the 10 % of unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][19]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa80 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2250 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate — elongation at break falls to 4 % from 10 % for the unfilled grade[1][19]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate — no creep test found; Tg of 105 °C keeps room-temperature service far below softening[1][19]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve found; elongation at break falls to 4 % against 10 % for unfilled 3DXTech ABS[1][19]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin rather than the printed part[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[20]Not documented
Food contactNot food safe — Polymaker cites potential chemical leaching[11]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[11]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[11]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[21][9]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[21]
VOC emission rateµg/min12–113 styrene, the dominant VOC from every ABS and HIPS combination tested[21]Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[21]
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min2 × 10¹⁰ to 9 × 10¹⁰ median across all ABS printers, two orders of magnitude above PLA's ≈1 × 10⁸[21]≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[21]
Hazardous species emittedStyrene dominates. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea[21][9]Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[21]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration — an enclosure alone cut measured UFP by only about 35 %[21][9]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[21]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands well and takes filler before painting[11]Not documented
Painting & finishingPaints readily after light abrasion[11]Not documented
Support material pairingHIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a dedicated Support for ABS[22][9]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inAcetone dissolves it — the basis of ABS slurry; so do MEK, THF, ethyl acetate, chloroform, dichloromethane and toluene.[23][20]Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24]
Softened or crazed byPetrol and perchloroethylene soften it and benzene attacks it; d-limonene disrupts layer adhesion in some ABS and ASA grades.[23][25]Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentAcetone: about 20 min of vapour at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid. Prusa measured layer adhesion more than doubled.[26]None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Firewire Flame Retardant ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ABS Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. SUNLU ABS-FR (ABS Flame Retardant) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER ABS Flame-Retardant product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Flame Retardant Black ABS Coex 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. ABS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. ABS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  13. FIREWIRE FR-ABS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Polymaker ABS Pro Technical Data Sheet V1 (2026-05-29) Polymaker · 2026-05 · tds
  16. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  18. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. 3DXMAX ABS Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. PolyLite ABS Technical Data Sheet (V5.5 served at this URL) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  22. HIPS — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc