3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PEBA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | PEBA (polyether block amide)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $60.99/kg median; $60.99–$60.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polyether block amide: rigid polyamide and flexible polyether blocks.[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.01 g/cm³ (GB/T 1033; eSUN manufacturer data)[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[3][4] | Not documented |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 mm diameter, 1 kg spool.[5] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Manufacturer applications include footwear, sports equipment and cushioning.[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 230–260 °C; 240 °C recommended.[2] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 60–90 °C[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 10–50% fan recommended; mechanical-test specimens used 50–100%.[2] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | PEI build plate[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 9 mm³/s maximum in eSUN spiral-vase test; mechanical specimens used 2 mm³/s. Linear recommendation 25–110 mm/s is a separate quantity.[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[6] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[6] | Not documented |
| 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[7] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[8] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 70–75 °C for 6–8 h; re-dry after receiving or extended exposure.[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[9][10] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | >16.5 MPa printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound, not an exact measurement.[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | >520% printed XY, GB/T 1040; manufacturer lower bound.[2] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 7.5 MPa printed Z, GB/T 1040 (manufacturer test)[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 90 Shore A nominal grade designation; do not compare numerically with Shore D or Rockwell.[5] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 110 °C Vicat softening (GB/T 1633, 120 °C/h, 10 N); not HDT or a continuous-use rating.[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[11] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[11] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[11] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[11] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[11] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[12] | Not documented |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[12] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[12] | Not documented |
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
- eSUN PEBA-90A Technical Data Sheet v1.0 (Aug 2025), checked 2026-10-17 eSUN · 2025-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- eSUN PEBA-90A official product page: 1 kg price and product identity eSUN · 2026-10-17 · vendor
- 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
- 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
- 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