3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA-CF ESD vs PLA-PHA

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

ESD-safe CF nylon guidePLA/PHA blend guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA-CF ESD comparisonsMore PLA-PHA comparisons
PA-CF ESD vs PLA-PHA — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe CF nylonPAPLA/PHA blendPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$129.98/kg median; $129.98–$129.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryCarbon-filled polyamide compounded to a static-dissipative resistivity — Polymaker's grade uses a PA612 matrix[1]PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[2]
Densityg/cm³1.10 (ISO 1183)[1]1.2 (ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 130[3]Not documented
Price range across brandsUSD/kg130 at Polymaker's 0.5 kg pricing[3]Not documented
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[3]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.5 kg spools[3]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[2]
Typical applicationsElectronics jigs and trays that also need nylon toughness and heat resistance[1]General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented195–220 (colorFabb)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented50–60 (colorFabb)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[5]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documented0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[2][6]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[7][5]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[6][8]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[7]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[5]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[5][9]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA612-ESD and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — carbon-filled nylon composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-ESD[1]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[9]Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[10]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[7]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[7]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — the PA612 matrix sits between PA6 and PA12[11][12]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[13][14]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA612-ESD itself: at 4.64 % moisture tensile falls 84.3 → 73.6 MPa and modulus 4294 → 3731 MPa[1][12]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[9]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[9]Not documented
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[15][16]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa84.3 ± 2.3 printed XY dry (annealed 100 °C/16 h), 73.6 ± 2.3 conditioned to 4.64 % moisture, ISO 527[1]62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2]
Young's modulusMPa4293.7 ± 116.4 printed XY dry and 3730.8 ± 156.2 conditioned, ISO 527[1]2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[2]
Elongation at break%3.0 ± 0.1 printed XY dry and 4.2 ± 0.4 conditioned, ISO 527[1]4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[2]
Flexural modulusMPaNot documented2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.9 ± 0.4 printed XY dry and 4.9 ± 0.3 conditioned, ISO 179 notched[1]2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[2]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 24.1 ± 2.4 printed XY and 4.5 ± 0.2 printed Z (ISO 179)[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa21.5 ± 2.7 printed Z dry — only a quarter of XY, the most anisotropic nylon composite here; 19.2 ± 1.6 conditioned[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation 3.0 % in XY and 1.4 % in Z[1]Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a conductive carbon-filled nylon filament[17]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 compound for sustained static and dynamic load at 110 °C continuous service; the PA612 matrix here still takes up 4.64 % moisture at conditioning, which softens it[18][1]Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[19][20][21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[18]Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[22][2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%26 (printed Z against XY tensile)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C157.0 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C125.4 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C41.8 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C187.3 melting (DSC); Vicat 190.0 (ISO 306)[1]Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[2]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[15]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[5]Degrades within weeks outdoors[23]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[5]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[5]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[5]colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[2]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[5]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesStatic-dissipative — the reason the grade exists; Polymaker's insulating nylon composites sit above 10¹² ohm by contrast[1][11]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[24]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[24]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[24]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[24]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[24]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[24]None needed in a normal room[24]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[15]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[7]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[7]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[7]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[25]Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[25]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[26][27]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[25]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[28][27]

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. Fiberon PA612-ESD Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 2025-06 · tds
  2. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  5. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  6. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  8. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  12. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  14. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  21. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  22. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. 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
  25. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  27. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  28. 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