3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA11 vs PEEK

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

PA11 (Nylon 11) guidePEEK guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA11 comparisonsMore PEEK comparisons
PA11 vs PEEK — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA11 (Nylon 11)PAPEEKHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$531.87/kg median; $296.14–$770.00/kg across 5 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2]Polyether ether ketone — a semi-crystalline polyaryletherketone[3]
Densityg/cm³1.02 (ISO 1183)[1]1.30 (ISO 1183)[3][4]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools span 296–770; the middle of the market is about 532[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented296-770 across brands and spool sizes; 3D4Makers recycled R-PEEK 296 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 420 at 1 kg, LEHVOSS Luvocom 3F PEEK 9581 532 at 2 kg, 3DXTech ThermaX PEEK 770 at 500 g[5][6][7]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][4]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools[5][6][4]
Typical applicationsTough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2]Aerospace brackets, semiconductor handling, sterilisable medical tooling and downhole parts[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.02 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]380-400 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); Victrex quotes a 340-450 melt range for AM 450 FIL[3][4]
Bed temperature°C100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]130–140 (3DXTech)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1]Actively heated chamber required[8][9]
Recommended chamber temperature°C55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1]Not less than 150 for semi-crystalline printing (Victrex AM 450 FIL); bed above 150[4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedSevere — heated chamber needed[8]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedVery difficult — special plates or slurry required[8]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][10]Expert / industrial hardware only[8][9]
Extruder requirementPrusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[1]An all-metal hot end rated above 400 °C and a heated chamber; 3DXTech tests at 0.25 mm layer height on a 0.4 mm nozzle[3][8]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[10]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[8]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[10]Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[11]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[12]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — Prusa measures 0.46 % after 7 days at 22 % RH, but PA11 sits between PA12 and PA6 in the family[1][11]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1]0.45 at saturation, 23 °C (ISO 62); 0.55 at 100 °C[4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented120 °C for 5 h, target below 0.020 % moisture (Victrex AM 450 FIL)[4]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[13]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPrusa publishes no dry-versus-conditioned columns; the CoPA reference shows the PA-family response — stiffness and strength fall sharply, impact and elongation rise[13][14]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[12]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[11]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1]60-100 (printed XY): Victrex AM 450 FIL 60-80 at yield and 3DXTech 100, both ISO 527; 98 at yield injection-moulded[3][4]
Young's modulusMPa1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1]3000-4000 (printed XY, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 3720 (3DXTech); 4000 injection-moulded[3][4]
Elongation at break%5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1]28 (printed XY, ISO 527) — remarkably ductile for a high-temperature polymer[3]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented130 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1]2700 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1]6.0 (injection-moulded, ISO 179/1eA); unnotched does not break[4]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 7.0 kJ/m2 injection-moulded (ISO 180/A). Printed anisotropy is extreme: VICTREX AM 200 on a Stratasys F900 gives Izod notched 1380-1530 J/m XZ against 30-62 J/m ZX (ASTM D256)[4][15]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1]20-85 at yield (printed ZX, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); the spread is set by chamber temperature and weld quality[4]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1]Shore D 84.5 (injection-moulded, ISO 868); Rockwell M100 / R125 on extruded PEEK stock (ASTM D785)[4][16]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term creep; injection-moulded flexural stress at 3.5 % strain falls only from 125 MPa at 23 °C to 85 MPa at 125 °C, and extruded stock is rated to 249 °C continuous[17][4][16]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[10]Excellent — living hinges viable. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term fatigue as well as creep[17]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[1]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1]71-84 (VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK printed on the Stratasys F900 and Fortus 450mc, ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638); unfilled PEEK's own ZX spread is wider[15]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]140 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]152 (unannealed, ISO 75-2/Af, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 160 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[4][16]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented143 (DSC, 3DXTech); Victrex gives onset 143 and midpoint 150 (ISO 11357-2)[3][4]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented343 melting (ISO 11357-3, Victrex); VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK melts at 303[4][15]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented240 UL 746B relative thermal index, strength (RTI electrical 260, impact 180); Ensinger rates extruded PEEK stock at 249 long term[4][16]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented37.8 (extruded PEEK stock, 23-60 °C, ASTM E831; source states 2.1e-5 in/in/°F), rising to 41.9 at 60-100 °C and 55.8 at 100-150 °C[16]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin; glow-wire flammability index 960 °C at 2.0 mm (IEC 60695-2-12)[3][4]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceNot documentedOutstanding — resistant to almost all solvents and to steam sterilisation[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[13]Excellent — essentially unaffected; 0.45 % water at saturation and resistant to steam sterilisation[4][3]
Biodegradability / compostabilityBio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[18]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[18]
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[18]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[18]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[18]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[19][20]95–98 wt% sulphuric acid dissolves it — 10 g per 100 mL at 40–70 °C gives a dark red solution. Laboratory route only.[21][20]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[19]Concentrated nitric, hydrofluoric, hydrobromic and hydriodic acids attack it; DCM, DMSO and THF swell thin-walled sections.[22][20]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[19]None — no solvent softens PEEK, so parts are joined thermally or mechanically, never chemically.[22][20]

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. Prusament PA11 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2026-07 · tds
  2. Prusament PA11 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  3. ThermaX PEEK Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. VICTREX AM 450 FIL — datasheet Victrex · 2025-12 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. IEMAI 3D PEEK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  9. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  10. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. ThermaX PEEK — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  15. VICTREX AM 200 — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-04 · tds
  16. TECAPEEK natural (PEEK) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. PEEK polymers — product overview Victrex · 2026-08 · doc
  18. 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
  19. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper
  22. What solvents are not compatible with PEEK? — fluidics technical FAQ IDEX Health & Science · 2026-08 · doc