3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PCTG
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | PCTGPETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $34.99/kg median; $14.00–$50.67/kg across 5 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Poly(cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate) glycol — a copolyester with a higher cyclohexanedimethanol content than PETG[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.23 (Extrudr, ASTM D792; 3DXTech, ISO 1183)[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 34[5][4][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 14–51 across brands; CHCKX 14 in a 10-roll bundle, Push Plastic 30, Proto-pasta 35 at 1 kg, 3DXTech 51[5][4][7] |
| 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[8][9] | Available from several mainstream brands[5][4][6][10] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1, 3 and 5 kg spools[5][6][4] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Transparent covers, guards and impact-loaded parts where PETG cracks[2][3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 250–270 (Spectrum, Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 60–100 (Spectrum)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Open frame is fine — Spectrum and Extrudr both say a closed chamber is not necessary, Extrudr adds it helps on larger parts[2][3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Up to 100 % (Spectrum); 20–50 % (Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[11][12] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 1.6–16 at the 20–200 mm/s Extrudr rates the material for, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][13] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[11][12] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[12] |
| Shrinkage% | Not documented | 0.2–0.5 (Extrudr, ASTM D955)[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Easy — minor profile tuning[2][3] |
| 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[14] | Brass fine indefinitely — Extrudr explicitly states no hardened nozzle is needed[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[14] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| 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[15] | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns and no minimum layer height for PCTG, only a 65 °C pre-dry[16] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[17] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | No special hot-end required[17] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[18] | Moderate (0.3–0.8 %) — the copolyester matrix reaches 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH and 3DXTech specifies a 65 °C, 4 h pre-dry[11][16] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18] |
| 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] | Polymaker groups PETG with nylon, PVA and TPU as highly hygroscopic; no dry-versus-conditioned strength figures are published for this grade and the loss shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[18] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[18][12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 43–44 at yield and 45–46 at break (ISO 527, injection-moulded resin data from Spectrum and Extrudr); 48 on My Tech Fun printed bars[2][3][21] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 215–220 at break on moulded specimens (ISO 527); 4.3–4.4 at yield[2][3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 93–94 notched Izod at 23 °C on moulded specimens (ISO 180); 3DXTech quotes 8 by ISO 180/A[2][3][4] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 4.14 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars, against 3.37 for PETG on the same rig[21] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 21.6 on My Tech Fun 4×4 mm printed bars, against 32.9 for PETG[21] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2][3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 69 Shore D measured by My Tech Fun, against 72 for PETG[21] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Below average — a 12 mm bar sagged to 19.4 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, slightly worse than PETG's 18.2[21] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — 215 % elongation at break and 94 kJ/m² notched Izod on moulded specimens (Extrudr, Spectrum)[2][3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Slightly flexible in thin sections[21] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 78 (3DXTech, DSC)[4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 88 (Spectrum, Extrudr)[2][3] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 68 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature, against 65 for PETG[21] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[22] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[12] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — minor absorption; Spectrum describes the polymer as hydrophobic[2] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not certified for food contact as filament[12] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[12] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[12] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[4] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| 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] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[23] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[17] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[17] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[17] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[17] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Optical clarity is the selling point; Extrudr recommends a layer height at most 50 % of nozzle diameter[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24] | No common workshop solvent; Eastman's CHDM copolyester data shows 1,2-dichloroethane destroying it within a week.[25] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24] | Acetone, ethyl acetate, toluene and DMF swell and soften the copolyester; methanol crazes it (Eastman, 1 y at 23 °C).[25] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24] | Dichloromethane brushed on is the only agent that smooths PETG — a controlled carcinogen, not workshop stock.[26] |
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
- Spectrum Premium PCTG Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2026-08 · tds
- Extrudr PCTG technical data Extrudr · 2026-08 · tds
- MAX-G PCTG Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- CHCKX 10KG Multicolor PCTG Filament bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Atomic Filament product catalogue Atomic Filament · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 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
- MAX-G PCTG — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — 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
- PCTG vs PETG comparison — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Eastman Spectar copolyester — Chemical resistance (unstressed bars, 1 year at 23 °C) Eastman Chemical Company · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc