3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
ASA Aero vs PA aramid
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Foaming ASA (ASA Aero)ASA | Aramid-fibre nylonPA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | Not documented |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | ASA with a heat-activated blowing agent that expands at the nozzle[1][2] | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 0.99 filament (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183); Formfutura's grade reaches 0.33 g/cm³ fully expanded[1][2] | Not documented |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 50[4] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 50 at Bambu Lab's 1 kg listing[4] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4][2] | 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[5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[4] | Not documented |
| Typical applications | Drone airframes, RC parts and floating or outdoor applications where mass matters and UV exposure rules out LW-PLA[2] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 240–280 (Bambu Lab); 220–285 (Formfutura), with foaming activating near 230 °C and peaking between 270 and 285 °C[1][2] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 80–90 (Bambu Lab); 50–90 (Formfutura)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[1][7] | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | 0–80 % (Bambu Lab); 0–50 % (Formfutura)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet, BuildTak or an adhesion aid such as Magigoo (Polymaker); Simplify3D also lists Kapton tape and ASA slurry[8][9] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 12 at Bambu Lab's 150 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][10] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Slight — Polymaker advises 1–2 mm retraction at 20–30 mm/s[8] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; flow has to be cut to match the expansion and the density follows nozzle temperature[2][1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[7] | Hardened steel required — no aramid-filled nylon datasheet was obtainable; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its fibre-filled nylons[11] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[7] | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[11] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Not documented | 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[12] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Slightly sensitive[9] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | No special hotend required[9] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | High — 0.80 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, nearly double unfilled Bambu Lab ASA[1][13] | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[14] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.80 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[14] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; Polymaker groups the styrenics as moderate-sensitivity and absorbed water shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14] | 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[15][16] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker rates the styrenics moderate-sensitivity[14] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 32 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2010 ± 260 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 5.1 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 58 ± 6 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1510 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 8.2 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 32.0 ± 2.5 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 21 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 24 against 58 in XY[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Below average — no creep test found; the foamed structure drops modulus to 2010 MPa and load is carried by a lower solid fraction[1][13] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Moderate — no foamed-grade S-N curve; unfilled printed ASA holds a fatigue limit at 25 % of tensile strength[1][17] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 66 by tensile, 41 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 85 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Bambu Lab) against 100 for unfilled Bambu Lab ASA[1][13] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 78 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Bambu Lab) against 92 for unfilled Bambu Lab ASA[1][13] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 93 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament ASA[18] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[13] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Excellent — designed for permanent outdoor use; Formfutura states the foaming grade retains ApolloX's UV resistance[2][19] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Good against weak acids, weak alkalis, oils and grease; dissolved by acetone[20] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food safe[8] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[8] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[8] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | High — hazardous VOC such as styrene; enclosure and filtration needed[21][7] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[21] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Not documented | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[21] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | Not documented | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[21] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Styrene. Bambu Lab states ABS and ASA release harmful gases such as styrene at printing temperature, which can be toxic and cause dizziness or nausea. Azimi et al. measured styrene from every styrenic filament tested but did not test ASA itself[7][21] | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[21] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Enclosure with carbon and HEPA filtration[21][7] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[21] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands well and takes filler before painting[8] | Not documented |
| Painting & finishing | Paints readily; ASA holds colour outdoors so many parts are left unpainted[8] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Solvent-welds with acetone[20] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Acetone vapour smoothing works[20] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | HIPS breaks away or dissolves in d-limonene; Bambu Lab sells a Support for ABS that also serves ASA[7] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Matte, textured surface that hides layer lines; colour lightens as the foaming degree rises, which doubles as a visual density cue[2] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Acetone dissolves it (Polymaker); MEK, THF, ethyl acetate and the chlorinated solvents dissolve the styrenic backbone.[22][20] | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[23] |
| Softened or crazed by | Limonene attacks some grades — Prusa reports Prusament ASA Orange flaking apart as layer adhesion fails.[24] | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[23] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Acetone vapour, ~20 min at 80 °C over 5 mm of liquid; the foamed wall absorbs solvent, so cut the exposure well short.[25] | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[23] |
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
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — ASA Aero Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- ApolloX Foaming Technical Data Sheet Formfutura · 2025-07 · tds
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ASA Aero — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ASA — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- ASA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — ASA Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Mechanical, Fatigue, and Thermal Characterization of ASA, Nylon 12, PC and PC-ABS Manufactured by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) Polymers 18(2):302 · 2026-01 · paper
- Prusament ASA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- ASA — FDM Material Data Sheet (includes 1000 h QUV exposure results) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite ASA Technical Data Sheet Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- 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
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- HIPS — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc