3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12-GF vs PVDF

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

Glass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF) guidePVDF guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12-GF comparisonsMore PVDF comparisons
PA12-GF vs PVDF — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF)PAPVDFENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$130.67/kg median; $46.00–$140.18/kg across 3 dated product listings$250.67/kg median; $250.67–$250.67/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA12 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 30 wt%[1]Polyvinylidene fluoride — a semi-crystalline fluoropolymer[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183)[1]1.71 (ISO 1183) — the densest unfilled filament in the dataset[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 46–140; the middle of the market is about 88[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 251[4]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg46–140 across brands; IEMAI 3D 46, 3DXTech 131 at 750 g and 130 at 2 kg, PrimaCreator NylonPower Glass Fiber 140 at 500 g[4][5][6]251 at 3DXTech's 750 g pricing — the most expensive material in the whole dataset[4]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[4][5]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[4][7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools[4][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g spools[4]
Typical applicationsStiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift[1][8]Chemical-plant fittings, semiconductor handling and parts needing outstanding UV and chemical resistance[2]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented70–110 (3DXTech FluorX)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[9]Enclosure required (passive)[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[10][9]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedHigh — enclosure needed for reliable large parts[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[9]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[9]Expert / industrial hardware only[2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — no nozzle-life figure is published for a PA12-GF30 grade; Polymaker measures about 9 h of brass nozzle life on its comparable fibre-filled nylons[11]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[11]Non-abrasive when unfilled[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[12]Low — 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns, no minimum layer height and states drying is not required[7]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[10]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[10]Not documented
Other hardware wearNot documentedHydrogen fluoride released on overheating is extremely corrosive and will attack hotend and enclosure metalwork as well as people[3]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — the PA12 matrix takes up far less than PA6, on the evidence of Polymaker's 1.5 % for PA12-CF10 against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25[13][14]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — fluoropolymers are essentially non-hygroscopic[2]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker's PA12 grades change little between wet and dry, unlike PA6; the CoPA dry-to-wet blocks show the PA6-type response[8][15]Not applicable in practice — 3DXTech states drying is not required for PVDF, so there is no moisture-driven strength loss to measure[7]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[12]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[11][15]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa82 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]51 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Young's modulusMPa7800 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]2450 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Elongation at break%4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — nearly double the 2.4 % of Polymaker's PA6-GF25[1][14]25 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa94 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]50 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa7550 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]1800 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod 133 J/m on extruded PVDF stock, converted from 2.49 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[16]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[17]Rockwell M79 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D785)[16]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance for extruded PA66-GF30 stock, and the PA12 matrix absorbs far less water than PA6, so a PA12-GF part holds load better in a humid environment[17][9]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[17]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Slightly flexible in thin sections[2]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented149 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 300 °F)[16]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented113 on extruded PVDF stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 235 °F)[16]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented170 melting (ISO 11357)[2]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented149 long term and short term on extruded PVDF stock (converted from 300 °F)[16]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F) — no figure is published for a glass-fibre PA12 filament[17]127.8 (extruded PVDF stock, ASTM D696; source states 7.1e-5 in/in/°F) — the highest thermal expansion of any engineering polymer in this dataset[16]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[11]UL 94 V-0 on extruded PVDF stock; Ensinger lists inherent flame resistance[16]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[9]Excellent — designed for permanent outdoor use; Ensinger lists good UV and weather resistance and high gamma radiation resistance for PVDF stock[2][16]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[9]Outstanding — resistant to most acids, solvents and oxidising agents, which is the reason to use it[2]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption relative to PA6-based composites[8]Excellent — essentially unaffected[2]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[9]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[9]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[9]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — insulating (ASTM D257)[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[18]Very high — toxic decomposition products; local exhaust mandatory. Above 315 °C thermal decomposition yields hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide[3]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[18]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[18]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[18]Above 315 °C: hydrofluoric acid, hydrogen cyanide, phenols, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and dense smoke. HF is extremely corrosive, its skin burns may not be immediately visible or painful, and exposure can be fatal by skin absorption, inhalation or ingestion[3]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]Local exhaust to outside / fume hood — the SDS states local exhaust is preferred[3]
Dust & fibre handling hazardGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Molten polymer causes thermal burns and must not be pulled off the skin. If HF is detected during a decomposition event, cut the heat but keep the extraction running, ventilate, and clear non-essential people from the area[3]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[10]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[10]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[10]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedThe processing window sits well below the 315 °C decomposition threshold, so nozzle temperature must be controlled rather than raised to chase flow[2][3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[19]THF, MEK, DMF, DMAc, NMP, DMSO and trimethyl phosphate dissolve 5–10 wt% at ambient — Arkema's active solvents, all lab reagents.[20]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[19]Acetone, MIBK, cyclohexanone, butyl acetate and glycol ethers swell it; alkalis above pH 12 attack the homopolymer.[20][21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[19]None for the workshop — the active solvents (NMP, DMAc, DMF) are laboratory reagents used for casting membranes, not joints.[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. FibreX PA12-GF30 Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  2. FluorX PVDF Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. FluorX PVDF Safety Data Sheet v1.1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · msds
  4. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. IEMAI 3D GF-PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower Glass Fiber product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. FluorX PVDF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Fiberon PA12-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-02 · tds
  14. Fiberon PA6-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  15. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. TECAFLON PVDF natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  17. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  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. Kynar PVDF — Design properties: solubility and irradiation (active and latent solvents) Arkema · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Kynar PVDF resin — chemical and fuel resistance Arkema · 2026-08 · tds