3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA aramid vs PLA-GF

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Aramid-fibre nylon guideGlass-fibre PLA (PLA-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA aramid comparisonsMore PLA-GF comparisons
PA aramid vs PLA-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyAramid-fibre nylonPAGlass-fibre PLA (PLA-GF)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$44.99/kg median; $29.99–$59.99/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryAramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1]PLA filled with chopped glass fibre — 12 wt% (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF), 15–20 wt% (eSUN PLA-GF). Bambu Lab PLA Galaxy uses glass microspheres, not fibre, and is not equivalent[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.31 (eSUN) to 1.337 (Polymaker), ISO 1183 / GB/T 1033[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools cluster near 30[5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented30–60 across brands; Polymaker 30, Proto-pasta 60[5][6]
Market availability1–5Special 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[7][8]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][3]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[6][7]
Typical applicationsNot documentedStiff brackets and fixtures; the Polymaker grade is aimed at parts annealed for heat resistance[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–230 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on — eSUN specifies 100 %[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented28 at Polymaker's stated 350 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; eSUN prints its specimens at 60 mm/s[2][3][9]
Shrinkage%Not documented0.05 in X-Y and Z, 0.10 diagonal (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedIntermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — no aramid-filled nylon datasheet was obtainable; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its fibre-filled nylons[10]Hardened steel required[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[10]Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; nylon already needs a drybox and Prusa names kevlar among the fibres that raise nozzle-clogging risk[11]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[11]
Hotend requirementNot documentedHardened steel or ruby nozzle; Polymaker's own slicer preset sets a minimum nozzle hardness of 40 HRC[2]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[12]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; no glass-filled grade publishes its own figure[13][14]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented60 °C for 6 h (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker'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[15][16]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[12]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented50.1 as printed and 50.2 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 59.3 by GB/T 1040[2][3]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented3794 as printed, 4207 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Elongation at break%Not documented2.77 as printed, 2.3 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 7.99[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented86.4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented3685 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 4415 flexural modulus by GB/T 9341[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented5.31 ± 0.46 as printed and 4.92 ± 0.50 annealed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); Z 4.28 ± 0.18[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 10.16 kJ/m² (eSUN, GB/T 1843)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented23.7 as printed, 22.5 annealed, printed Z, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery brittle — elongation at break 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no GF-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17][18][19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedPoor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and elongation at break falls to 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[20][2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented47 as printed (23.7 Z against 50.1 XY), printed[2]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedeSUN describes high wear resistance and positions the grade for wear parts[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented75.5 as printed, 114.7 after annealing (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the point of the material[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented59.7 as printed, 84 after annealing (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented59.8 (DSC)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented174.9 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 148.9 as printed, 148.3 annealed[2]
Annealing responseNot documentedAnnealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 75.5 to 114.7 °C and modulus from 3794 to 4207 MPa[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[21]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[22]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[22]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]None needed in a normal room[22]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[23]
Post-Processing
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedNear-zero shrinkage — 0.05 % in X-Y and Z (Polymaker)[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[25]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[25][26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[27][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

  1. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  2. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  3. eSUN ePLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.0 (Nov 2023) eSUN (copy hosted on 3d.nice-cdn.com) · 2023-11 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Galaxy Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  11. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  14. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. 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
  23. StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
  24. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper