3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
Magnetic vs PA6/66
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Magnetic filamentSPECIALTY | PA66 (Nylon 66)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $64.99/kg median; $64.99–$64.99/kg across 1 dated product listings | Not documented |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA loaded with ferromagnetic iron powder, so printed parts respond to magnets[1] | Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | About 1.85 (Proto-pasta manufacturer figure) — 1.5× standard PLA[1] | 1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg spools cluster near 65[4] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 64–70 across formats; 1 kg spool 65, 500 g 70, 2 kg 70[4] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[4] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no unfilled PA66 filament appeared in any catalogue searched, and the 3DXTech nylon range offers PA6, PA12 and a 6/66 copolymer but no straight PA66[5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[4] | Not documented |
| Typical applications | Sensor targets, magnetic fixtures, and props that need to stick to a magnet or rust deliberately[1] | Not documented |
| 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)[2] |
| 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 |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; slow, and brittle in filament form[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Moderately abrasive — metal fill[1] | Not documented |
| 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[7] | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[8][9] |
| Hotend requirement | Proto-pasta recommends a wear-resistant or larger nozzle for longer service intervals[1] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Not documented | Very high (>2 %)[9] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[3] |
| 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[9] | Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[10][8] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 82.7 at yield and 84.8 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 12,000 and 12,300 psi) — no printed figure exists because no unfilled PA66 filament was found[3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[3] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[3] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — Proto-pasta describes the filament as more brittle than standard PLA and needing extra care in handling[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Semi-flexible[8] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Wear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[3] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 90 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 194 °F) — the gap to the 0.45 MPa figure is the widest in the dataset[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[3] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[3] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[3] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Outdoor durability | Deliberately rustable — Proto-pasta markets the iron content as oxidising when exposed to moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Ferromagnetic: Proto-pasta states it responds to magnets and behaves similarly to pure iron[1] | Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[11] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[11] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Not documented | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[11] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | Not documented | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[11] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Not documented | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[11] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Open a window / occasional ventilation[11] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Polishing and deliberate rusting are the intended finishes[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix and leaves the iron powder behind; laboratory reagent, not workshop stock.[12][1] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[13] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone and ethyl acetate plasticise the matrix rather than dissolving it; water attacks the exposed iron.[12][1] | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[13] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — PLA has no workshop-safe solvent, and the iron loading blocks the surface flow smoothing needs.[12] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[13] |
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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Composite materials with metal or wood particles Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- 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