3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Conductive vs PPA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Conductive filamentSPECIALTY | PPA (polyphthalamide)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $170.36/kg median; $89.99–$796.00/kg across 4 dated product listings | $45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | A carbon-filled compound conductive by volume rather than merely dissipative; Proto-pasta's is PLA-based, Recreus's and NinjaTek's are TPU, and add:north's Koltron G1 does not state its base polymer[1][2][3][4] | Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[5][6] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[7] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 90–181 for the carbon-filled grades; add:north's Koltron G1 sits far above at 796 because it is sold only in 100 and 250 g coils[8][9][10] | One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[11] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 90–796 across brands; Proto-pasta conductive PLA 90 at 1 kg, Recreus Conductive Filaflex 160 at 500 g, NinjaTek Eel 181 at 1 kg, add:north Koltron G1 796 at 250 g[8][2][9][10] | 45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[11] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][2] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[8][2][9][10] | 1.75 mm, 1 kg[11] |
| Typical applications | Capacitive touch surfaces, low-current traces, EMI shielding and static-safe fixtures[1] | Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[7] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 280–300 (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 70–80 (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[7] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[7] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[7] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[7] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — conductive carbon filler[1] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[7] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Low — Proto-pasta states the carbon-filled grade prints on standard PLA settings with no special nozzle required[1] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[7] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[7][6][12] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[7] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[13] | Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[7][11] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[7][11] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[7][11] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[7] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; carbon-black loading at conductive levels embrittles PLA[1] | Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[7] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[5] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[7] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Siraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[7][11] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[7] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[7][6] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[7] |
| Annealing response | Not documented | Siraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[7][11][14] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[7][6] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[7][11] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Conductive rather than dissipative — Proto-pasta sells the grade as electrically conductive composite PLA[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Not documented |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Conductive carbon filler is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[7] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves PLA-based grades, leaving the carbon black; TPU-based grades need DMF, NMP or THF. Laboratory reagents.[16][17] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise a PLA-based grade; a TPU-based grade swells in toluene, esters and alcohols.[16][17] | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[18] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — neither PLA nor TPU has a workshop-safe welding or smoothing solvent.[16][17] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[18] |
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
- Electrically Conductive Composite PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel 3D Printing Filament Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- Koltron G1 Technical Data Sheet add:north · 2026-08 · tds
- Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Eel product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
- add:north Koltron G1 product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds