3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA11 vs PPA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PA11 (Nylon 11)PA | PPA (polyphthalamide)PA |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $194.98/kg median; $194.98–$194.98/kg across 1 dated product listings | $45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyamide 11, polymerised from castor-oil-derived aminoundecanoic acid — a bio-based nylon[1][2] | Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.02 (ISO 1183)[1] | 1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[2] | 1.75 mm, 1 kg[6] |
| Typical applications | Tough, chemically resistant functional parts; Prusa targets it at impact-loaded and vibration-loaded components[2] | Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | ±0.02 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 275 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Bed temperature°C | 100 ± 10 (Prusament)[1] | 70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Prusament specifies a 55 ± 5 °C chamber[1] | Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 55 ± 5 (Prusament)[1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PA nylon sheet (Prusament)[1] | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1][7] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5] |
| Extruder requirement | Prusa printed its test specimens with a high-flow CHT nozzle[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[7] | Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[7] | Non-abrasive when unfilled[5] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[8] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[5] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | High (0.8–2 %) — Prusa measures 0.46 % after 7 days at 22 % RH, but PA11 sits between PA12 and PA6 in the family[1][8] | High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[5][4][9] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 0.26 after 24 h and 0.46 after 7 days (Prusa Polymers method)[1] | 2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[5] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[10] | Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Prusa publishes no dry-versus-conditioned columns; the CoPA reference shows the PA-family response — stiffness and strength fall sharply, impact and elongation rise[10][11] | Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[5][6] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[8] | Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 38.3 ± 0.8 printed horizontal and 39.5 ± 0.5 printed vertical at yield, ISO 527-1[1] | 72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][6] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 1200 printed, both orientations, ISO 527-1[1] | 3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Elongation at break% | 5.6 ± 0.1 at yield, printed, ISO 527-1[1] | 10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][6] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 1100 printed horizontal and 1000 printed vertical, ISO 178[1] | 3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 12.9 ± 2.1 printed horizontal and 11.7 ± 1.2 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched[1] | 10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 32 ± 1 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test) — the highest interlayer figure Prusa publishes for any of its filaments[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1] | Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[5] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | 70 Shore D (Prusa Polymers method)[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[7] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[1] | Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 84 — Prusa publishes a tensile anisotropy coefficient of 0.84, the ratio of Z to XY tensile strength[1] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Siraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][6] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 58.7 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1] | 81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 49.9 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1] | 73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[5][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Not documented | 231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5] |
| Annealing response | Not documented | Siraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[5][6][12] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[5][4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[10] | Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][6] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Bio-based — the monomer comes from castor oil[2] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[13] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[13] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[13] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[13] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[13] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[14][15] | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[14] |
| Softened or crazed by | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not (BASF, PA6/66).[14] | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[14] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[14] | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[14] |
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
- Prusament PA11 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2026-07 · tds
- Prusament PA11 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
- Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds