3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA aramid vs PLA Silk

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

Aramid-fibre nylon guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA aramid comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PA aramid vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyAramid-fibre nylonPASilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryAramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[2]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.27 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[3][4][5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[6][7][8][9][10]
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[11][12]Stocked by most mainstream brands[3][6][13]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[14][15]
Typical applicationsNot documentedDecorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[2]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[16]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1]Open frame is fine[2][17]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedCool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[2]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[18]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedEasy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[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[19]Brass fine indefinitely[17]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[19]Non-abrasive[20][17]
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[21]Very low[17]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[22]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[18]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[23]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[2][24]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[23]
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[25][26]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[23]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[27][18]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[2][28]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Elongation at break%Not documented2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[2][27]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[2][28][29]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[2]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[30][31]
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)[32][22]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented57 (DSC)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[2]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[29]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[2]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[27][33]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[22][34]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[33][22]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[27]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[22]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[35][22]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[35]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[36]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[36]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[36]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[36]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[36]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[36]None needed in a normal room[36]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[34][22]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[22][37]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[22]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[38]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[39]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[38]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[39][40]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[38]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[41][40]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  20. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  26. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  28. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  29. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  33. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  34. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  35. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  36. 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
  37. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  38. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  39. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  40. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  41. 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