3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA aramid vs rPLA

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

Aramid-fibre nylon guideRecycled PLA (rPLA) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA aramid comparisonsMore rPLA comparisons
PA aramid vs rPLA — documented properties and sources
PropertyAramid-fibre nylonPARecycled PLA (rPLA)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryAramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1]PLA regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.24 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools run 20–22[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[8][9]
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[10][11]Available from several mainstream brands[3][4][7]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[12][8][3]
Typical applicationsNot documentedGeneral-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[3][4]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[3][2][13]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[2][4]
Bed temperature°CNot documented40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[2][4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1]Open frame is fine[2][14]
Part cooling fanNot documented100 %[2]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone — brim not generally needed[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[15]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedBeginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2][14]
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[16]Brass fine indefinitely[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[16]Non-abrasive[17][14]
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[18]Very low[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[19]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[20]Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[2][13]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[2]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[20]
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[21][22]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[20]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[23][15]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[2][13]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[2][13]
Elongation at break%Not documented3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[2][13]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[2][13]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][13]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[2][13]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[2][13]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[19][17]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[2][13]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[24][25]
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 (R = 0.2)[26][19]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[17]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[2][13]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[2][13]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[4]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[27]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[23][28]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[19][29]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[28][19]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[23]
Food contactNot documentedFilamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[4][19]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[4]
RecyclabilityNot documentedThe feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[4][9]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[30]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[30]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[30]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[30]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[30]Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[3]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[30]None needed in a normal room[30]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[29][19]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedSuperglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[3]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[19]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[31]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[32]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[31]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[32][33]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[31]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[34][33]

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. Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
  3. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  17. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  22. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  24. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  27. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  28. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  29. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  30. 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
  31. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  33. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  34. 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