3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PP-GF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | Glass-fibre PP (PP-GF)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $49.09/kg median; $46.27–$86.01/kg across 3 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polypropylene reinforced with chopped glass fibre[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.12 (Prusament PP Glass Fiber, ISO 1183) — the glass lifts it above water[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 49[4][5][6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 46-86 across brands; BCN3D PP GF30 46 at 700 g, BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 49 at 2.2 kg, Prusament PP Glass Fiber 86 at 850 g[4][5][6] |
| 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[7][8] | Available from several mainstream brands[4][5][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 700 g, 850 g and 2.2 kg spools[4][5][6] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Stiff, chemically resistant parts where PP-CF's cost or conductivity is unwanted[3] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.04 (Prusament)[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 245 ± 10 (Prusament) — 25 °C below the carbon-fibre grade[2][9] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 95 ± 10 (Prusament)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Enclosure recommended — Simplify3D lists an enclosure as a hardware requirement and Polymaker advises one below 70 °C ambient to stop warping and cracking[10][11] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Off — Prusa runs 0 % except 100 % on bridges[2] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 4 at Prusa's 50 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][12] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts; Prusa recommends a brim[2] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; hardened nozzle mandatory[2] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Prusa states a hardened nozzle is necessary and recommends a brim[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[13] | Hardened steel required[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[13] | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[2] |
| 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[14] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[14] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[15] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.11 % at both 24 h and 7 days, higher than the carbon-fibre grade's 0.04 % but still very low[2][9] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 0.11 after 24 h and 0.11 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa Polymers)[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[16][17] | Not applicable in practice at 0.11 % equilibrium uptake[2] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | No special storage needed[2] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 46.6 ± 1.3 filament tensile yield (Prusament, ISO 527) — more than double the carbon-fibre grade's 21[2][9] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 7.9 ± 0.4 printed horizontal and 9.9 ± 0.8 printed vertical XZ (ISO 179-1, notched)[2] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Moderate[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell R102 (and M95) on extruded unfilled PP stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PP filament[18] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Rigid[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 138.3 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[2] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 112.6 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Excellent against acids, alkalis and most solvents[11] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[19] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission. Inferred: no polyolefin was among the nine filaments in the Azimi chamber study, so this is a family-level judgement rather than a measurement[19] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[19] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[19] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[19] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[19] | Open a window / occasional ventilation. Inferred — no polyolefin was measured in the chamber study[19] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[2] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[20] | None at room temperature; chloroform dissolves the matrix at 60 °C and xylene at about 118 °C, leaving the fibre.[21][22] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[20] | Xylene, decalin, CCl4 and chlorobenzene are heavily absorbed at 20 °C; oleum, chlorosulphonic acid and bromine destroy it.[21] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[20] | None — nothing softens PP at room temperature, so joints have to be welded thermally rather than chemically.[21] |
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
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Prusament PP Glass Fiber — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- BASF Ultrafuse PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 2.200 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- BCN3D PP GF30 Black 2.85 mm 700 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Prusament PP Glass Fiber Natural (NFC), 1.75 mm / 850 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PP Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-11 · tds
- Polypropylene — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PP — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- TECAFINE PP natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Pro-fax and Moplen polypropylene — Chemical Resistance Guide (20, 60 and 100 °C) LyondellBasell · 2026-08 · tds
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper