3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA11 vs PLA Silk

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

PA11 (Nylon 11) guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA11 comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PA11 vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA11 (Nylon 11)PASilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.02 (ISO 1183)[1]1.27 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[4][5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[7][8][9][10][11]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2]Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][7][12]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[13][14]
Typical applicationsTough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.02 (Prusament)[1]±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[15]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1]Open frame is fine[3][16]
Recommended chamber temperature°C55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[17]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][18]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Extruder requirementPrusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[18]Brass fine indefinitely[16]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[18]Non-abrasive[19][16]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[20]Very low[16]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[21]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[17]
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][20]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1]0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][22]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[23]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[20]
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[23][24]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[20]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[20]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[25][17]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][26]
Young's modulusMPa1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Elongation at break%5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][25]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1]2460 (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]10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1]25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[3][26][27]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[28][29]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[18]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[30][21]
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]76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[27]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[25][31]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[21][32]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[31][21]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[23]Good — insoluble in water[25]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[21]
Biodegradability / compostabilityBio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[33][21]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[33]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[34]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[34]
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[34]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[34]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[34]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[34]None needed in a normal room[34]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[32][21]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[21][35]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[21]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[36][37]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[38]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[36]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[38][39]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[36]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[40][39]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  25. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  26. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  27. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  28. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  29. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  31. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  32. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  33. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  34. 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
  35. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  36. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  37. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  38. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  39. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  40. 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