3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA blend vs PA6/66
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PA6/66 copolymer blendsPA | PA66 (Nylon 66)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $65.62/kg median; $62.00–$113.33/kg across 4 dated product listings | Not documented |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA6/66 copolymer — a nylon alloy that lowers the melting point and improves printability against straight PA6[1][2] | Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.12 (ISO 1183, Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 65[5][6][7] | Not documented |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 62–113 across brands; add:north Adura 62, PrimaCreator NylonPower PA6/66 65 at 500 g, Polymaker CoPA 67, 3DXTech AmideX Nylon 6-66 113[5][8][6][7] | Not documented |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[5][8] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no unfilled PA66 filament appeared in any catalogue searched, and the 3DXTech nylon range offers PA6, PA12 and a 6/66 copolymer but no straight PA66[8][5] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][8][6][7] | Not documented |
| Typical applications | General-purpose nylon parts and, unusually, CoPA can support itself if the support is removed before it absorbs moisture[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 250–270 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 25–50 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker specifies a chamber at ambient temperature[1] | Enclosure required (passive)[3] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 16 at Polymaker's 200 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][9] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; must be kept below 20 % RH throughout[1][10] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[3] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[3] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[11][10] | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[11][10] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker's own wet-state specimens reached 6.16 % moisture content after 48 h immersion at 60 °C[1][10] | Very high (>2 %)[10] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | Not documented | 8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[4] |
| Drying temperature & time | 100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[11] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[1][11] | Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[1][11] |
| Storage requirement | Polymaker states CoPA must always be stored and used below 20 % relative humidity[1] | Not documented |
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker requires a 100 °C dry for 8 h and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the published wet data is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[1][12] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 78.0 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 34.3 ± 2.5 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 82.7 at yield and 84.8 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 12,000 and 12,300 psi) — no printed figure exists because no unfilled PA66 filament was found[4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2703 ± 259 printed XY dry and 724 ± 61 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4] |
| Elongation at break% | 12.7 ± 2.1 printed XY dry and 13.2 ± 2.3 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 109.8 ± 1.3 printed XY dry and 22.6 ± 0.5 wet, ISO 178 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2510 ± 25 printed XY dry and 636 ± 11 wet, ISO 178 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 6.9 ± 1.4 printed XY dry and 27.7 ± 1.2 wet, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker CoPA) — impact quadruples when conditioned[1] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Not documented | Izod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 45.8 ± 1.5 printed Z dry, falling to 13.7 ± 1.2 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4] | Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[3] | Excellent — living hinges viable[3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[11] | Semi-flexible[11] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 59 dry (45.8 Z against 78.0 XY) and 40 wet, printed[1] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Wear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 111 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 70 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 90 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 194 °F) — the gap to the 0.45 MPa figure is the widest in the dataset[4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 66 (DSC, Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 189 melting (DSC); Vicat 180, crystallisation 148, decomposition 370 (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | 255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4] |
| Annealing response | 80 °C for 6 h (Polymaker CoPA)[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 81.0 on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F) — the same chemistry as a PA6/66 copolymer[4] | 81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Not documented | UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift — 6.16 % uptake cost 56 % of tensile strength and 73 % of modulus[1] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Not documented | Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[13] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[13] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[13] | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[13] |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[13] | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[13] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[13] | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[13] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[13] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[13] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | CoPA can support itself, but Polymaker warns the support bonds permanently if it absorbs moisture before removal[1] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[14] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[14] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[14] | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[14] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[14] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[14] |
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
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- AmideX Nylon 6-66 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- add:north Adura product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
- PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower PA6/66 product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 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