3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PC-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | Glass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 71[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[3][2] |
| 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[4][5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[3][2][4][5] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[2] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Functional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | +/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[6][7] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Perforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Owens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[2] |
| 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[8] | Hardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[8] | Highly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[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[9] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[9][10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[11] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[2] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | Below 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| 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[12][13] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14][11] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[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 glass-fibre grade[15] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[16][2] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[2] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[2] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[2] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[2] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[17] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[17] | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[17] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[17] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17][7] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Owens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[2] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | High dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[18] | Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[19] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[18] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[19] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[18] | Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[20] |
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
- XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
- BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab 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
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 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
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics 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
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds