3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6-CF vs PVB

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

Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF) guidePVB guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6-CF comparisonsMore PVB comparisons
PA6-CF vs PVB — documented properties and sources
PropertyCarbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PAPVBSPECIALTY
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings$66.65/kg median; $49.32–$79.98/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2]Polyvinyl butyral — a printable thermoplastic whose surface can be smoothed with isopropyl alcohol instead of a hot solvent[3]
Densityg/cm³1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][4]1.10 (Polymaker PolySmooth, ISO 1183); Prusament PVB 1.10[3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[2][6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 80[6][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg39–133 across brands; IEMAI 3D 39, Bambu Lab 43, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon 80, 3DXTech CarbonX 83, Obsidian 133[2][6][9][10][7][8]49–102 across brands; Polymaker PolySmooth 49 at 750 g, Prusament PVB 80–102 at 500 g[6][9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][6][10][9][7][8]Available from several mainstream brands[6][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[6][10][2]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[6][9]
Typical applicationsLoad-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1]Display models and light guides where a layer-free surface matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.03 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]215 +/- 10 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed temperature°C40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]75 +/- 5 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1]Open frame is fine[3]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documented100 % part cooling (Prusament PVB)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidEngineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2]Smooth PEI sheet or satin sheet; Prusa states a brim is not generally necessary[5]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s8 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][11]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[12]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only — enclosure, hardened nozzle, an 80 °C dry and a printer that can hold the filament dry throughout[2][1][13]Easy — minor profile tuning; it prints close to PLA[3]
Extruder requirement0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[2]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA6-CF20 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[13][1]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa calls PVB very prone to absorbing moisture and requires a 60 °C, 4 h dry before every print[14][13]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[15]Not documented
Hotend requirementHardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]Very high (>2 %) — 2.36 % equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth), above every PLA and PETG grade here[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2]2.36 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySmooth); 2.09 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB takes up 0.18 in 24 h and 0.35 in 7 days at 24 °C and 22 % RH[3][16][5]
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1]Maximum 60 °C for 4-8 h depending on how wet the filament is (Prusament PVB)[5]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[17]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker 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][17]Polymaker publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures; at 2.36 % equilibrium uptake the material has to be kept dry to print cleanly[3][13]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[13]Sealed with desiccant[13]
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[1][18]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa102 ± 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][4]51.8 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); 53.2 ± 1.1 for PolyCast; Prusament PVB gives 50 +/- 5 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1) and 57 +/- 1 on the filament (ISO 527)[3][16][5]
Young's modulusMPa4430 ± 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][4]2199 ± 43 printed XY and 2010 ± 69 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolySmooth); Prusament PVB gives 1700 +/- 100 in both print directions (ISO 527-1)[3][5]
Elongation at break%5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][4]5.7 ± 0.5 printed XY, ISO 527 (PolyCast)[16]
Flexural strengthMPa161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][4]72 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 73 +/- 3 printed vertical, ISO 178 (Prusament PVB)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][4]2233 ± 106 printed XY, ISO 178 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 2200 +/- 100 horizontal and 2300 +/- 100 vertical (ISO 178)[16][5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²11.0 ± 0.3 printed XY dry and 35.6 ± 1.2 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]7 +/- 1 printed horizontal and 10 +/- 1 printed vertical, ISO 179-1 notched (Prusament PVB)[5]
Other impact dataCharpy 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 unnotched 55 +/- 7 printed horizontal and 59 +/- 12 printed vertical (Prusament PVB, ISO 179-1)[5]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa48 ± 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]26.3 ± 2.1 printed Z, ISO 527 (PolyCast); Prusament PVB gives 49 +/- 5 at yield printed vertical (ISO 527-1) and 9 +/- 1 on Prusa's interlayer adhesion test[16][5]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[2][1]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre nylon filament[19]Shore D 77 (Prusa Polymers method)[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. 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[20][17]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states its PA66-CF30 compound has improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression against unfilled and glass-filled PA66[20]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[2]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1]98 (Prusament PVB, printed vertical against horizontal tensile yield, ISO 527-1: 49 +/- 5 against 50 +/- 5) — the most isotropic printed material in this dataset[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1]68 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Prusament PVB 63 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][16][5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C164 (Bambu Lab) and 173 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1]66 (PolySmooth) and 53 (PolyCast), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; Prusament PVB 58 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3][16][5]
Glass transition (Tg)°C68 (Bambu Lab) to 74.2 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; 3DXTech quotes 70[2][1][4]70 (DSC) for both PolySmooth and PolyCast[3][16]
Melting point / Vicat°C223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2]Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 70 (PolySmooth) and 67 (PolyCast), ISO 306[3][16]
Continuous service temperature°CBounded by heat deflection of 164–173 °C at 1.8 MPa; no loaded-bar service figure is published[2][1]Not documented
Annealing response100 °C for 16 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K94 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[21]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[12]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[12]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift[17]Not documented
Food contactNot food-contact certified[12]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[12]Not documented
RecyclabilityFibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[12]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[4]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[22]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[22]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[22]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]Open a window / occasional ventilation[22]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[1]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands to a matte finish; the fibre makes it cut more cleanly than unfilled nylon[15]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[15]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[15]Isopropyl alcohol vapour smoothing is the point of the material — Polymaker markets PolySmooth for hands-free post-processing to a layer-free surface[3]
Support material pairingPolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1]PolyDissolve S1 is rated for PVB (Polymaker)[23]
Dimensional accuracy & detailConditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[17]PolyCast is the investment-casting variant of the same chemistry — it burns out cleanly rather than being smoothed[16]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[24]Isopropyl alcohol dissolves it; Prusa describes PVB as soluble only in IPA, and it is not water-soluble.[14]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[24]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[24]Isopropyl alcohol: brushed or sprayed on for speed, or several hours in IPA vapour for a glass-like surface.[25][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

  1. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PolySmooth Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. CarbonX Carbon Fiber Nylon (Gen3) Technical Data Sheet v3.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Prusament PVB Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER PA6 CF-Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D CF-PA6 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Prusament PVB — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PolyCast Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  19. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  20. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. FDM Nylon-CF10 — Material Data Sheet (blended nylon, 10 wt% carbon fibre) Stratasys · 2026-08 · tds
  22. 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
  23. PolyDissolve S1 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  24. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc