3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PC-ABS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | PC/ABS blendPC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $45.99/kg median; $34.99–$84.00/kg across 5 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polycarbonate/ABS alloy — PC stiffness and heat resistance with ABS processability[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.10 (Polymaker) and 1.24 (3DXTech FR grade), ISO 1183; Stratasys specific gravity 1.10 (ASTM D792)[2][3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 50[5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 35–84 across brands; Reli3D 35, SUNLU 46, Polymaker 50, 3DXMAX 84[5][6][7][8] |
| Market availability1–5 | 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] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[5][6] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Automotive interior and electronics housings that need PC heat resistance without PC's warping[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 250–270 (Polymaker)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 90–105 (Polymaker)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker specifies a 90–100 °C chamber[2] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 90–100 (Polymaker)[2] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Off (Polymaker)[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI with a glue stick or a commercial adhesive[9] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 20 at Polymaker's 250 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][10] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[2][11] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9][12] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[12] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[2][11] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required — no aramid-filled nylon datasheet was obtainable; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its fibre-filled nylons[13] | Brass fine indefinitely[11] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[13] | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | 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] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 120 °C pre-dry of 4 h or more[15] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[9] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[9] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[16] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — the PC matrix takes up 0.15–0.25 % and 3DXTech specifies a 120 °C, 4 h or more pre-dry[17][18][15] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[2] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | 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[19][20] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[12][16] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 39.9 ± 1.0 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 60 at break for its FR PC/ABS[2][3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 1835 ± 65 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 2250[2][3] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 4.2 ± 0.3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 10 at break[2][3] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 66.3 ± 0.9 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 85[2][3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 2081 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); 3DXTech quotes 2300[2][3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 25.8 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker) — above both unfilled PC and ABS[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Notched Charpy still 13 ± 2 kJ/m² at −30 °C printed XY (Polymaker, ISO 179-1/1eA), against 1.5 in Z. Stratasys prints Izod notched at 241 J/m XZ against 34.0 J/m ZX, and unnotched 655 against 101 J/m (ASTM D256, F900 T16).[2][4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 25.9-30.2 at break printed ZX (Stratasys, ASTM D638 on the F900 and Fortus 450mc); 22.9 +/- 1.2 printed Z, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2][4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a PC/ABS filament[21] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded PC/ABS was still running unbroken at 30 MPa when the experiment was stopped for time; specimens failed within the test window at 39-47 MPa (ASTM D638)[22] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 75-86 (Stratasys ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638) against 57 (Polymaker, printed Z against XY tensile)[2][4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 112 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, Polymaker); Stratasys prints 117.9 in XY and 126.1 in XZ (ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi), against 125.0 moulded[2][4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 106 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa, Polymaker); Stratasys prints 107.5 in XY and 112.0 in XZ (ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi), against 102.9 moulded[2][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 109 (Polymaker) and 137 (3DXTech FR grade), DSC; Stratasys measures 105.3 (ASTM D7426 inflection point)[2][3][4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 135 (Polymaker, ISO 306)[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[18] |
| Annealing response | Not documented | 90 °C for 2 h (Polymaker)[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 59.9 over -50 to 35 °C and 73.0 over -50 to 95 °C (printed XY, ASTM E831)[4] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors[12] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[12] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[12] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[12] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[12] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[23] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[23] | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[23] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[23] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23][11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[9] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[9] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | Acetone attacks the ABS phase, so surface smoothing is partial rather than full[2] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[9] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24] | Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the PC phase; acetone, MEK and THF dissolve the ABS phase.[25][26] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24] | Petrol, esters, ether and 1 % alkali stress-crack the PC phase; aromatics and esters soften the ABS phase.[25][26] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24] | Acetone attacks only the ABS phase, so smoothing is partial; a dichloromethane cement welds the whole section.[2][27] |
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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Polymaker PC-ABS Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- PC-ABS — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2023-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Reli3D PC-ABS Filament, Black, 1000 g spool Reli3D (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU PC-ABS 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 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
- 3DXTech 3DXMAX ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- 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
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds