3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA aramid vs PLA Wood

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

Aramid-fibre nylon guideWood-filled PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA aramid comparisonsMore PLA Wood comparisons
PA aramid vs PLA Wood — documented properties and sources
PropertyAramid-fibre nylonPAWood-filled PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$34.49/kg median; $13.99–$76.40/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryAramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1]PLA filled with wood powder — 10–18 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS); colorFabb woodFill uses a PLA/PHA base with recycled wood fibre[2][3]
Densityg/cm³Not documented1.15 (colorFabb) to 1.23 (Fiberlogy), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.21[4][3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools cluster near 25; counting the 0.5 kg specialty spools the middle of the market is about 34[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented14–76 across brands; SUNLU 14, ELEGOO 19, Bambu Lab 25, Prusament 44, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools, colorFabb 76[7][6][9][10][11][8]
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[12][13]Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][7][10][5]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.85 and 1 kg spools[10][5][6]
Typical applicationsNot documentedDecorative and model-making prints that are sanded and stained like timber[4][3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–240 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb advises 195–220 for its PLA/PHA base[4][3]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–70 (Fiberlogy)[4][5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1]Open frame is fine[4]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[4]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[4]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Not documentedEasy — minor profile tuning; pre-drying is required and the wood content chars if it sits hot[14][4]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzles below 0.4 mm are not compatible; Bambu Lab does not recommend the AMS lite[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[15]Brass acceptable; hardened steel for volume work — Bambu Lab's PLA compatibility table lists no hardened-nozzle requirement, but its nozzle guide names wood among the abrasive filaments hardened steel exists for[14][16]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[15]Moderately abrasive — wood fill[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[17]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; wood particles char and block small nozzles[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[18]High — 1.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH, the highest in the PLA family[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented1.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer; Bambu Lab lists pre-drying as required[4][14]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBambu Lab flags pre-drying and ventilation as specific requirements for this grade[14]
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[19][20]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. At 1.25 % saturated uptake the practical loss shows as poor layer adhesion, rough surface and weak layers[18][4]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPaNot documented26 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 28.4 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy quotes 35 at yield[4][3][5]
Young's modulusMPaNot documented2360 ± 190 (Bambu Lab) and 2479 (colorFabb) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 2950[4][3][5]
Elongation at break%Not documented4.5 (colorFabb) to 15.3 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberlogy 6.5[4][3][5]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented55 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2780 ± 120 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented3.81 (colorFabb) and 6.3 ± 2.2 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 179, notched[4][3]
Other impact dataNot documentedCharpy unnotched 12.28 (colorFabb) and 15.7 (Bambu Lab), printed, ISO 179[4][3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented15 ± 4 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z falls to 28 against 55 in XY[4]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no wood-filled creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21][22][23]
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 the wood filler cuts elongation and the parts snap without warning[24][4]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Not documentedRigid[4]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented58 by tensile, 51 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented57 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented54 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Fiberlogy quotes 55–60[4][5]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented156 peak melt (DSC)[4]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[25]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[26]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[26]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[26]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[26]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[26]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[26]None needed in a normal room; Bambu Lab specifically advises ventilation for this grade[14]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedSands and stains like timber — the usual reason for choosing it[3]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedWood grain hides layer lines; colour darkens with nozzle temperature[4][3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[27]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[28]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[27]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[28][29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[27]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[30][29]

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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20250723SA16 — Bambu PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2025-07 · msds
  3. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Wood Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. FiberWood technical data sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PLA Wood — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PLA+ WOODJet - Natur (1,75 mm; 0,5 kg) Filament PM shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. woodFill — product page colorFabb US · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. SUNLU Optimized Wood PLA 3D Printer Filament 1 kg SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  20. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  25. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  26. 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
  27. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  28. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  29. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  30. 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