3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs PA-CF ESD
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | ESD-safe CF nylonPA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | $129.98/kg median; $129.98–$129.98/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | Carbon-filled polyamide compounded to a static-dissipative resistivity — Polymaker's grade uses a PA612 matrix[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.10 (ISO 1183)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[3] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 130[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[3] | 130 at Polymaker's 0.5 kg pricing[4] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[3] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 kg spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Electronics jigs and trays that also need nylon toughness and heat resistance[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 192 (Proto-pasta)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 60 (Proto-pasta)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Enclosure required (passive)[5] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[6][5] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 1.6–2.4 at Proto-pasta's 20–30 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1] | Not documented |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[6] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[5] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[1] | Expert / industrial hardware only[5][7] |
| Extruder requirement | Proto-pasta advises an extrusion width 0.05 mm larger than the nozzle and warns feeding is inconsistent below 0.4 mm and on Bowden machines[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work[1] | Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA612-ESD and recommends hardened steel or ruby[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Highly abrasive — carbon-filled nylon composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-ESD[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists metal-filled composites as a higher clogging risk and recommends a 0.6 mm nozzle minimum[8] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[7] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[6] |
| Hotend requirement | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[1] | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[6] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | High (0.8–2 %) — the PA612 matrix sits between PA6 and PA12[9][10] |
| 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[7] | Polymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA612-ESD itself: at 4.64 % moisture tensile falls 84.3 → 73.6 MPa and modulus 4294 → 3731 MPa[2][10] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[7] |
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Not documented | Polymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[11][12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 84.3 ± 2.3 printed XY dry (annealed 100 °C/16 h), 73.6 ± 2.3 conditioned to 4.64 % moisture, ISO 527[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 4293.7 ± 116.4 printed XY dry and 3730.8 ± 156.2 conditioned, ISO 527[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 3.0 ± 0.1 printed XY dry and 4.2 ± 0.4 conditioned, ISO 527[2] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 5.9 ± 0.4 printed XY dry and 4.9 ± 0.3 conditioned, ISO 179 notched[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Charpy unnotched 24.1 ± 2.4 printed XY and 4.5 ± 0.2 printed Z (ISO 179)[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 21.5 ± 2.7 printed Z dry — only a quarter of XY, the most anisotropic nylon composite here; 19.2 ± 1.6 conditioned[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation 3.0 % in XY and 1.4 % in Z[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a conductive carbon-filled nylon filament[13] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 compound for sustained static and dynamic load at 110 °C continuous service; the PA612 matrix here still takes up 4.64 % moisture at conditioning, which softens it[14][2] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[14] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 26 (printed Z against XY tensile)[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 157.0 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 125.4 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 41.8 (DSC)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 187.3 melting (DSC); Vicat 190.0 (ISO 306)[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[11] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[5] |
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[5] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food-contact certified as filament[5] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[5] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[5] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Static-dissipative — the reason the grade exists; Polymaker's insulating nylon composites sit above 10¹² ohm by contrast[2][9] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[15] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[15] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Not documented | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[15] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | Not documented | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[15] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Not documented | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[15] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Sands poorly — gums rather than powders[6] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[6] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[6] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[16][1] | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[16][1] | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[16] | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[17] |
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
- Magnetic Iron PLA — product page and technical data Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · tds
- Fiberon PA612-ESD Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2025-06 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds