3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA12-GF vs TPU soft

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

Glass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF) guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA12-GF comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PA12-GF vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlass-fibre PA12 (PA12-GF)PASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$130.67/kg median; $46.00–$140.18/kg across 3 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA12 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — 3DXTech's grade is nominally 30 wt%[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/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183)[1]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 46–140; the middle of the market is about 88[3][4][5]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[6][7][8]
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[3][4][5]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[6][8][7]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[3][4]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[2][9][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools[3][5]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[2][6][10][7]
Typical applicationsStiff, humidity-stable structural parts — the glass gives the modulus, the PA12 matrix limits the moisture drift[1][11]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)[12]Open frame is fine[2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[13][12]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[14][15]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[12]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[10][15]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[10][9]
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[16]Brass fine indefinitely[17]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard GF composite[16]Non-abrasive[17]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[18]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[14][15][18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[13]Very high — softens in the cold zone readily[15]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[13]No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[14]
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[19][20]Moderate[18]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[18]
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[11][21]Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[18]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[18]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[18]
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[16][21]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa82 at break (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa7800 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%4.5 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) — nearly double the 2.4 % of Polymaker's PA6-GF25[1][20]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[2]
Flexural strengthMPa94 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa7550 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[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 glass-fibre PA12 filament[22]81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[2]
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[22][12]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[23]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[22]Excellent — living hinges viable[15]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[2]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[2]
Thermal Properties
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[2]
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[22]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[16]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[12]Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[15]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[12]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[15]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption relative to PA6-based composites[11]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[12]Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[15]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[12]Not biodegradable[15]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[12]Not accepted in household plastic collection[15]
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[24]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[24]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[24]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[24]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[24]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[24]Open a window / occasional ventilation[24]
Dust & fibre handling hazardGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[13]Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[15]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[13]Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[15]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[13]No practical vapour smoothing[15]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[15]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[25]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[26]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[25]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[25]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[26]

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. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  3. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. IEMAI 3D GF-PA12 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. PrimaCreator SELECT NylonPower Glass Fiber product page PrimaCreator · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  11. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  17. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Fiberon PA12-CF10 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2025-02 · tds
  20. Fiberon PA6-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  21. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  22. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  23. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  24. 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
  25. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds