3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6-CF vs PE
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PA | Polyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings | $87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2] | Polyethylene — the simplest polyolefin, non-polar and highly crystalline. The one retailed filament grade, Spectrum HDPE, uses what Spectrum calls Low Warp technology and is denser and stiffer than plain HDPE[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][5] | 1.10 (Spectrum HDPE filament, ISO 1183) against 0.95 for extruded HDPE stock — the filament is a modified formulation[3][4] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[2][6][7][8] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 39–133 across brands; IEMAI 3D 39, Bambu Lab 43, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon 80, 3DXTech CarbonX 83, Obsidian 133[2][6][10][11][7][8] | 87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[9] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][6][11][10][7][8] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands — Spectrum HDPE in six colours is the only PE filament in the 3DJAKE and igo3d product sitemaps, at MatterHackers or at Printed Solid, but it is a normal stocked item rather than a special order[12][13][10][9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[6][11][2] | 1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[9][12] |
| Typical applications | Load-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1] | Chemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | 80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1] | Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Engineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2] | Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[3] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 8 at Bambu Lab's 100 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Polymaker rates its grade to 300 mm/s[2][1][14] | Not documented |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — needs adhesion aid or draught shield. Spectrum's low-warp grade is sold as printable on desktop machines, which is not true of plain polyethylene[3] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2] | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive; Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary but recommends a closed chamber for large parts[3] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[15] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Expert / industrial hardware only — enclosure, hardened nozzle, an 80 °C dry and a printer that can hold the filament dry throughout[2][1][16] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[3] |
| Extruder requirement | 0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[2] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA6-CF20 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1] | Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[16][1] | Low — Spectrum lists no drybox and no ruby or hardened nozzle for HDPE, and very low moisture absorption[3] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[17] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | Hardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[3] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | No drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[18] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA6-CF20 itself: at 5.30 % moisture tensile falls 109.3 → 54.7 MPa and modulus 8636 → 2508 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 11.0 → 35.6 kJ/m². Fibre reinforcement reduces but does not remove the effect[1][18] | Not applicable in practice — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no drybox requirement for HDPE[3] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[16] | Store dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[3] |
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker 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[1][19] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 102 ± 7 (Bambu Lab) and 109.3 ± 2.4 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; the Fiberon grade falls to 54.7 ± 1.1 conditioned to 5.30 % moisture; 3DXTech quotes 63 at break[2][1][5] | 29 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527; specimen type not stated) against 25.5 at yield on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 3700 psi)[3][4] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 4430 ± 310 (Bambu Lab) and 8636 ± 211 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 2508 ± 83 conditioned; 3DXTech quotes 3800[2][1][5] | 3500 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against 965 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D638, from 140,000 psi) — the filament grade is nearly four times stiffer than plain polyethylene[3][4] |
| Elongation at break% | 5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][5] | 18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][5] | 27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][5] | 3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[3][4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 11.0 ± 0.3 printed XY dry and 35.6 ± 1.2 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 24.0 ± 1.0 printed XY dry and 73.0 ± 2.0 conditioned, 7.5 ± 2.7 printed Z dry (Polymaker Fiberon); Bambu Lab 40.3 ± 2.5 unnotched, 13.4 ± 1.7 notched[1][2] | Charpy 10 kJ/m2 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 179-1; notch condition not stated); Izod 104 J/m on extruded stock, converted from 1.94 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[3][4] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 48 ± 6 (Bambu Lab) and 54.0 ± 5.2 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed Z, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 25.5 ± 1.2 conditioned[2][1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[2][1] | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking; 18 % elongation at break on the filament and above 100 % on extruded stock[3][4] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre nylon filament[20] | Shore D 67 and Rockwell R54 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D2240, D785); Spectrum quotes Rockwell 80 HRM for its filament (ISO 2039-2)[4][3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 injection-moulding compound for exceptional performance under both static and dynamic loading with 110 °C continuous service; in a printed part the fibre restrains the matrix, but conditioning to equilibrium moisture still softens it[21][18] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Good. Ensinger states its PA66-CF30 compound has improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression against unfilled and glass-filled PA66[21] | Good — Spectrum lists outstanding abrasion and crack resistance for its HDPE, but no repeated-flex or fatigue test data was found for any PE filament[3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Slightly flexible in thin sections — Spectrum's low-warp grade has a 3.5 GPa tensile modulus; plain extruded HDPE at 965 MPa is genuinely semi-flexible[3][4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1] | 75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1][5] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Bounded by heat deflection of 164–173 °C at 1.8 MPa; no loaded-bar service figure is published[2][1] | 110 stated as heat resistance by Spectrum with no test standard given; extruded stock is rated 120 long-term maximum (converted from 248 °F) and brittle below -76[3][4] |
| Annealing response | 100 °C for 16 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 94 in the XY direction and 180 in Z, measured on XY-built specimens (79 and 148 on XZ/ZX-built specimens), room temperature to 60 °C, ASTM E831. From Stratasys FDM Nylon-CF10, a blended-nylon matrix with 10 wt% carbon fibre — the closest published printed CTE for a carbon-fibre nylon[22] | 117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[15] | Moderate — a season or two. Spectrum describes its HDPE as UV-stable and weather-resistant but publishes no exposure data[3] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[15] | Excellent chemical resistance to acids, bases, oils and solvents (Spectrum); Ensinger lists broad chemical compatibility for HDPE stock[3][4] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[18] | Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[3][4] |
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified[15] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[15] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Fibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[15] | Spectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[3] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[5] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[23] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[23] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[23] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23] | Not documented |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[17] | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[4] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[17] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[17] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Conditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[18] | Spectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24] | None at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[25][26] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24] | Toluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[26] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24] | None — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[26][25] |
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
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
- TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- CarbonX Carbon Fiber Nylon (Gen3) Technical Data Sheet v3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER PA6 CF-Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D CF-PA6 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- FDM Nylon-CF10 — Material Data Sheet (blended nylon, 10 wt% carbon fibre) Stratasys · 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
- US 5,278,282 Polymer recycling by selective dissolution — xylene dissolution temperatures Nauman & Lynch, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 1994-01 · paper
- HDPE Chemical Resistance Guide (21 °C and 60 °C) INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA · 2026-08 · tds