3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA aramid vs PVDF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Aramid-fibre nylonPA | PVDFENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $250.67/kg median; $250.67–$250.67/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Aramid-fibre reinforced polyamide[1] | Polyvinylidene fluoride — a semi-crystalline fluoropolymer[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | Not documented | 1.71 (ISO 1183) — the densest unfilled filament in the dataset[2] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 251[4] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 251 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in the whole dataset[4] |
| 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[5][4] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Chemical-plant fittings, semiconductor handling and parts needing outstanding UV and chemical resistance[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 70–110 (3DXTech FluorX)[2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — as for every nylon[1] | Enclosure required (passive)[2] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | High — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[2] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Expert / industrial hardware only[2][3] |
| 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[7] | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[2] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — fibre-reinforced nylon composite[7] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[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[8] | Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns, no minimum layer height and states drying is not required[6] |
| Other hardware wear | Not documented | Hydrogen fluoride released on overheating is extremely corrosive and will attack hotend and enclosure metalwork as well as people[3] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — the polyamide matrix governs uptake[9] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — fluoropolymers are essentially non-hygroscopic[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[10][11] | Not applicable in practice — 3DXTech states drying is not required for PVDF, so there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure[6] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | Not documented | 51 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2] |
| Young's modulusMPa | Not documented | 2450 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2] |
| Elongation at break% | Not documented | 25 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 50 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | Not documented | 1800 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2] |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 133 J/m on extruded PVDF stock, converted from 2.49 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[12] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | Rockwell M79 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D785)[12] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Not documented | Slightly flexible in thin sections[2] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 149 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 300 °F)[12] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | Not documented | 113 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 235 °F)[12] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 170 melting (ISO 11357)[2] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 149 long term and short term on extruded PVDF stock (converted from 300 °F)[12] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | Not documented | 127.8 (extruded PVDF stock, ASTM D696; source states 7.1e-5 in/in/°F) — the highest thermal expansion of any engineering polymer in this dataset[12] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-0 on extruded PVDF stock; Ensinger lists inherent flame resistance[12] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — designed for permanent outdoor use; Ensinger lists good UV and weather resistance and high gamma radiation resistance for PVDF stock[2][12] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Outstanding — resistant to most acids, solvents and oxidising agents, which is the reason to use it[2] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — essentially unaffected[2] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[13] | Very high — toxic decomposition products; local exhaust mandatory. Above 315 °C thermal decomposition yields hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide[3] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[13] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[13] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[13] | Above 315 °C: hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide, phenols, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and dense smoke. HF is extremely corrosive, its skin burns may not be immediately visible or painful, and exposure can be fatal by skin absorption, inhalation or ingestion[3] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[13] | Local exhaust to outside / fume hood — the SDS states local exhaust is preferred[3] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Not documented | Molten polymer causes thermal burns and must not be pulled off the skin. If HF is detected during a decomposition event, cut the heat but keep the extraction running, ventilate, and clear non-essential people from the area[3] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | The processing window sits well below the 315 °C decomposition threshold, so nozzle temperature must be controlled rather than raised to chase flow[2][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[14] | THF, MEK, DMF, DMAc, NMP, DMSO and trimethyl phosphate dissolve 5–10 wt% at ambient — Arkema's active solvents, all lab reagents.[15] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[14] | Acetone, MIBK, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate and glycol ethers swell it; alkalis above pH 12 attack the homopolymer.[15][16] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[14] | None for the workshop — the active solvents (NMP, DMAc, DMF) are laboratory reagents used for casting membranes, not joints.[15] |
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
- FluorX PVDF Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- FluorX PVDF Safety Data Sheet v1.1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · msds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- FluorX PVDF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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
- TECAFLON PVDF 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
- Kynar PVDF — Design properties: solubility and irradiation (active and latent solvents) Arkema · 2026-08 · tds
- Kynar PVDF resin — chemical and fuel resistance Arkema · 2026-08 · tds