3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA-CF ESD vs TPU soft

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

ESD-safe CF nylon guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA-CF ESD comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PA-CF ESD vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyESD-safe CF nylonPASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$129.98/kg median; $129.98–$129.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryCarbon-filled polyamide compounded to a static-dissipative resistivity — Polymaker's grade uses a PA612 matrix[1]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[2]
Densityg/cm³1.10 (ISO 1183)[1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 130[3]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg130 at Polymaker's 0.5 kg pricing[3]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[4][6][5]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[3]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][7][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.5 kg spools[3]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[2][4][8][5]
Typical applicationsElectronics jigs and trays that also need nylon toughness and heat resistance[1]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[2]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[9]Open frame is fine[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[10][9]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[11][12]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[9]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[9][13]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[8][12]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[8][7]
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[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — carbon-filled nylon composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-ESD[1]Non-abrasive[14]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[13]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[11][12][13]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[10]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[12]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[10]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[11]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — the PA612 matrix sits between PA6 and PA12[15][16]Moderate[13]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[13]
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][16]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[13]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[13]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[13]
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[17][18]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]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa4293.7 ± 116.4 printed XY dry and 3730.8 ± 156.2 conditioned, ISO 527[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%3.0 ± 0.1 printed XY dry and 4.2 ± 0.4 conditioned, ISO 527[1]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.9 ± 0.4 printed XY dry and 4.9 ± 0.3 conditioned, ISO 179 notched[1]Not documented
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]Very ductile — bends far before failing[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[19]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[2]
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[20][1]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[21]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[20]Excellent — living hinges viable[12]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[2]
Z strength as % of XY%26 (printed Z against XY tensile)[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[2]
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]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[2]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[17]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[9]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[12]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[9]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[12]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[9]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[12]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[9]Not biodegradable[12]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[9]Not accepted in household plastic collection[12]
Electrical & ESD propertiesStatic-dissipative — the reason the grade exists; Polymaker's insulating nylon composites sit above 10¹² ohm by contrast[1][15]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[22]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[22]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[22]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[17]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[10]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[12]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[10]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[12]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[10]No practical vapour smoothing[12]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[12]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[23]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[24]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[23]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[24]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[23]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[24]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  9. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  15. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  18. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  19. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  20. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  22. 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
  23. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds