3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA blend vs TPE SEBS

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

PA6/66 copolymer blends guideTPE (SEBS) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA blend comparisonsMore TPE SEBS comparisons
PA blend vs TPE SEBS — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA6/66 copolymer blendsPATPE (SEBS)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$65.62/kg median; $62.00–$113.33/kg across 4 dated product listings$98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA6/66 copolymer — a nylon alloy that lowers the melting point and improves printability against straight PA6[1][2]Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[3]
Densityg/cm³1.12 (ISO 1183, Polymaker CoPA)[1]1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 65[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg62–113 across brands; add:north Adura 62, PrimaCreator NylonPower PA6/66 65 at 500 g, Polymaker CoPA 67, 3DXTech AmideX Nylon 6-66 113[4][8][5][6]77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[7][9]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][8]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][9][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[4][8][5][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[3][7]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose nylon parts and, unusually, CoPA can support itself if the support is removed before it absorbs moisture[1]Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C250–270 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[3]
Bed temperature°C25–50 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker specifies a chamber at ambient temperature[1]Open frame is fine[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[10][11]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s16 at Polymaker's 200 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][12]0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[3]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; must be kept below 20 % RH throughout[1][13]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedNozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[14]Brass fine indefinitely[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[14]Non-abrasive[15]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[16][13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[10][3]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[10]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker's own wet-state specimens reached 6.16 % moisture content after 48 h immersion at 60 °C[1][13]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[3]
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA)[1]None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[3]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[16]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13]
Effect of moisture on strengthMeasured 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][16]Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[3]
Storage requirementPolymaker states CoPA must always be stored and used below 20 % relative humidity[1]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[13]
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker 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][17]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa78.0 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 34.3 ± 2.5 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2703 ± 259 printed XY dry and 724 ± 61 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%12.7 ± 2.1 printed XY dry and 13.2 ± 2.3 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa109.8 ± 1.3 printed XY dry and 22.6 ± 0.5 wet, ISO 178 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2510 ± 25 printed XY dry and 636 ± 11 wet, ISO 178 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²6.9 ± 1.4 printed XY dry and 27.7 ± 1.2 wet, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker CoPA) — impact quadruples when conditioned[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa45.8 ± 1.5 printed Z dry, falling to 13.7 ± 1.2 wet, ISO 527 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Very ductile — bends far before failing[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[18]89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[3]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[14]Excellent — living hinges viable[11]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[16]Rubbery / highly elastic[3]
Z strength as % of XY%59 dry (45.8 Z against 78.0 XY) and 40 wet, printed[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedAbrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C111 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C70 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C66 (DSC, Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C189 melting (DSC); Vicat 180, crystallisation 148, decomposition 370 (Polymaker CoPA)[1]242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[3]
Annealing response80 °C for 6 h (Polymaker CoPA)[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F) — the same chemistry as a PA6/66 copolymer[18]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[11]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[11]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — 6.16 % uptake cost 56 % of tensile strength and 73 % of modulus[1]Excellent — essentially unaffected[3]
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[11]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[11]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[11]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[20]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[20]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[20]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[20]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20]Open a window / occasional ventilation[20]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[11]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[11]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[11]
Support material pairingCoPA can support itself, but Polymaker warns the support bonds permanently if it absorbs moisture before removal[1]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[11]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[21]Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[22]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[21]Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[21]Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[22]

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. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. AmideX Nylon 6-66 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
  4. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. add:north Adura product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower PA6/66 product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  16. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  18. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  20. 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
  21. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  22. KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds