3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6-CF vs PET-CF
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PA | Carbon-fibre PET (PET-CF)PETG |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings | $39.99/kg median; $26.00–$49.98/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2] | Semi-crystalline PET reinforced with carbon fibre — a different polymer from PETG-CF, with the glycol modifier removed so the matrix can crystallise[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][5] | 1.29 (Bambu Lab) and 1.34 (Fiberon PET-CF17), ISO 1183[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 spools cluster near 45[3][6] |
| 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][9][10][7][8] | 26–50 across brands; ELEGOO 26 in a 5 kg pack, Bambu Lab 45, Fiberon 50[11][3][6] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][6][10][9][7][8] | Available from several mainstream brands[3][6][11] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[6][10][2] | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[6][3] |
| Typical applications | Load-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1] | Load-bearing parts that must survive above PETG's 70 °C ceiling without moving to PA or PC[3][4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 260–290 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | 80–100 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1] | Enclosure recommended — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–60 % (Bambu Lab)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Engineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2] | Textured PEI, satin or powder-coated sheets; on smooth PEI a glue stick acts as a release agent[12][13] |
| 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] | 8 at Bambu Lab's 100 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — half the speed it allows for PETG-CF[3][14] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2] | Needs the right surface or a thin adhesive — the problem is releasing the part, not sticking it[12][13] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[15] | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker names stringing as PETG's common quirk[13] |
| 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] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[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] | Hardened steel required[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1] | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite[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] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for carbon-filled composites[17] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[18] | Slightly sensitive[19] |
| Hotend requirement | Hardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2] | No special hot-end required[19] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Moderate — 0.37 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.53 % equilibrium (Fiberon)[3][4] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | 0.37 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.53 equilibrium (Fiberon PET-CF17)[3][4] |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab) — the longest and hottest dry in the polyester family; Fiberon specifies 100 °C for 10 h[3][4] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[20] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[16] |
| 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][20] | Bambu Lab publishes its whole mechanical table under the heading "Mechanical Properties (Dry state)" — the quoted figures apply only to dried filament[3] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[16] | Sealed with desiccant; Polymaker groups PETG with the highly hygroscopic materials[16][13] |
| 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][21] | The 80–100 °C dry both suppliers mandate is far above the 55–65 °C used for PETG, consistent with a melt-hydrolysis risk in the semi-crystalline PET matrix; neither publishes a molecular-weight loss figure[3][4] |
| 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] | 65.9 (Fiberon) to 74 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527[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] | 4730 ± 260 (Bambu Lab) and 5481 ± 224 (Fiberon) printed XY, ISO 527[3][4] |
| Elongation at break% | 5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][5] | 2.4 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (Fiberon PET-CF17)[4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][5] | 109.3 ± 2.0 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-CF17)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][5] | 4744 ± 136 printed XY, ISO 178 (Fiberon PET-CF17)[4] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 11.0 ± 0.3 printed XY dry and 35.6 ± 1.2 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | 5.1 ± 0.2 printed XY, ISO 179 notched (Fiberon PET-CF17); unnotched 25.1 ± 2.8[4] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| 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] | 27.9 (Fiberon) and 35 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) printed Z, ISO 527[3][4] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[2][1] | Very brittle — elongation at break 2.4 % in XY and 0.8 % in Z[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[22] | Not documented |
| 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[23][20] | Good — no creep test found; annealed PET-CF holds a 105 °C HDT at 1.8 MPa and a 4730–5481 MPa modulus against 1500–2311 for PETG[4][3] |
| 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[23] | Below average — no S-N curve; elongation at break is 2.4 % in XY and 0.8 % in Z, against 5.2–9.3 % for unfilled PETG[4] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1] | 42 (Fiberon) to 47 (Bambu Lab), printed[3][4] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1] | 147.5 (Fiberon) and 205 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[3][4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1] | 105 (Fiberon) and 182 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[3][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1][5] | 75 (Bambu Lab) and 79.3 (Fiberon), DSC[3][4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2] | 241.3 (Fiberon) and 250 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 226–238[3][4] |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Annealing response | 100 °C for 16 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | The PET matrix crystallises on annealing, which is what separates this grade from PETG-CF[4][3] |
| 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[24] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1] | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for standard grades[25] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[15] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[15] | Withstands acids, alkalis, oils and UV exposure[13] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[20] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified[15] | Not certified for food contact as filament[13] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[15] | Not biodegradable[13] |
| Recyclability | Fibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[15] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[13] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[5] | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Fiberon PET-CF17, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[26] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[26] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[26] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[26] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[26] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[26] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[26][3] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1] | Carbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[4] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[18] | Sands poorly — the material is tough and gums rather than powders[19] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[18] | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds PETG cleanly[19] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[18] | No practical vapour smoothing[19] |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | Prints its own supports; Polymaker rates PolyDissolve S1 for PETG[19] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Conditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[20] | Bambu Lab markets it on low warping and shrinkage relative to other high-temperature composites[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[27] | None common; fluorinated solvents such as hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve linear polyester at 23 °C. Laboratory only.[28][29] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[27] | Ensinger rates polyester not resistant to chloroform or dichloromethane and only conditionally resistant to acetone and MEK.[29] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[27] | Dichloromethane attacks polyester and can be brushed on, but the carbon fibre blocks any useful surface flow.[29][30] |
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
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PET-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Fiberon PET-CF17 Technical Data Sheet V1.0 Polymaker · 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
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusament PETG Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- PETG — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PET and PETG — 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
- Prusament PETG V0 Technical Datasheet Prusa Polymers · 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
- Resistance of Ultramid, Ultraform and Ultradur to chemicals (TI-KTU/AS-28 e) BASF · 2000-10 · tds
- Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc