3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6-CF vs TPU 85A
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Carbon-fibre PA6 (PA6-CF)PA | TPU 85AFLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $62.48/kg median; $39.00–$133.32/kg across 6 dated product listings | $89.89/kg median; $31.99–$106.05/kg across 6 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA6 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 20 wt%[1][2] | Soft thermoplastic polyurethane at 82–85 Shore A[3][4][5] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.09 (Bambu Lab), 1.17 (Polymaker Fiberon and 3DXTech), ISO 1183[2][1][6] | 1.11 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A) to 1.19 (NinjaFlex 85A), ISO 1183 / ASTM D792[5][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 39–133; the middle of the market is about 80[2][7][8][9] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 32–106; the middle of the market is about 90[10][11][3] |
| 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][7][12][10][8][9] | 32–106 across brands; Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A 32 at 1 kg, add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A 72, Recreus Filaflex 82A 90 at 500 g, Proto-pasta Clear Flexible TPU 90, 3DXTech 3DXFLEX 85A 96, NinjaTek NinjaFlex 106[13][10][11][14][3] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][7][10][12][8][9] | Available from several mainstream brands[10][13] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 kg spools[7][10][2] | 1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 1 and 2 kg spools[10][13][3] |
| Typical applications | Load-bearing brackets, tooling and drone frames that must hold strength above 150 °C[2][1] | Soft-touch grips, seals, wearables and anything that must compress and rebound[3][4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–290 (Bambu Lab); 280–300 (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 200–220 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, 210 typical)[5] |
| Bed temperature°C | 40–50 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | 40 (BASF Ultrafuse 85A)[5] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker room temperature[2][1] | Open frame is fine[5] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab); room temperature (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Engineering or high-temperature plate with glue (Bambu Lab)[2] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[15][16] |
| 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][17] | 1.2–3.2 at the 15–40 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[5] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | None[5] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2] | Sticks to anything — Recreus states its 82A grade has excellent bed adhesion without a heated bed or additives[4] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[18] | High — drying plus tuning needed[19][16] |
| 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][19] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; at this hardness the filament will not push through a Bowden tube[3][4] |
| Extruder requirement | 0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[2] | Direct drive only. NinjaTek calls its 85A grade ideal for direct-drive extruders and Recreus specifies direct-drive printers for 82A; BASF caps print speed at 15–40 mm/s with a nozzle of 0.4 mm or larger[3][4][5] |
| 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[20] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h[1] | Non-abrasive[20] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; the combination of moisture and fibre is the worst case in the dataset[19][1] | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[19][16] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[21] | Very high — softens in the cold zone readily; soft filament buckles between the drive gear and the melt zone[16][3] |
| Hotend requirement | Hardened steel or ruby nozzle plus an all-metal hot end rated to 300 °C[1][2] | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[15] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.35 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | Moderate — NinjaTek measures 0.22 % in 24 h (ASTM D570) and BASF specifies a 70 °C dry for at least 5 h[3][5] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 2.35 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[2] | 0.22 after 24 h water immersion (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D570) — an immersion figure, not an equilibrium moisture content at 50 % RH[3] |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab); 100 °C for 10 h (Polymaker Fiberon)[2][1] | 70 °C for at least 5 h in a hot-air dryer or vacuum oven (BASF)[5] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[22] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[19] |
| 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][22] | Polymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; wet TPU prints with poor layer adhesion and weak, brittle layers[19] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[19] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[19] |
| 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][23] | 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][6] | 26 ultimate (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638)[3] |
| 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][6] | 12 (NinjaFlex 85A, ASTM D638) — two orders of magnitude below any rigid filament; NinjaTek's 95A Cheetah reaches 26 by the same method[3][24] |
| Elongation at break% | 5.8 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); 3DXTech quotes 3 at break[2][6] | 650 at break (Filaflex 82A) and 660 (NinjaFlex 85A); BASF measures 600 in XY and 320 in ZX[4][3][5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 161.0 ± 3.9 printed XY dry, 64.9 ± 4.9 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 84[1][6] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 7038 ± 205 printed XY dry and 2286 ± 185 conditioned, ISO 178 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 3750[1][6] | Not documented |
| 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] | 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] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[2][1] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[3] |
| 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[25] | 29 Shore D / 85 Shore A (BASF Ultrafuse 85A, ISO 7619-1); 85 Shore A (NinjaFlex, ASTM D2240); 82 A nominal for Filaflex[3][5][4] |
| 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[26][22] | Poor — no 85A creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, and softer grades creep more[27] |
| 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[26] | Excellent — living hinges viable[16] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Rubbery / highly elastic[3][4] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 47 (Bambu Lab) to 49 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed[2][1] | 53 — BASF measures 320 % elongation at break in ZX against 600 % in XY[5] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | Abrasion 0.08 g mass loss over 10 000 cycles (NinjaFlex, ASTM D4060); 82 mm³ (BASF, ISO 4649)[3][5] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 186 (Bambu Lab) and 215 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][1] | Not documented |
| 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][6] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 223 melting (Bambu Lab, DSC); Vicat 212 (ISO 306)[2] | 216 melting (NinjaFlex 85A, DSC)[3] |
| 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] | 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[28] | Not documented |
| 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[18] | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[16] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[18] | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[16] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[22] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified[18] | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[16] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[18] | Not biodegradable[16] |
| Recyclability | Fibre-filled polyamide is not accepted in household plastic collection[18] | Not accepted in household plastic collection[16] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance above 10⁹ ohm/sq — not static-dissipative (3DXTech, ASTM D257)[6] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[29] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[29] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[29] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[29] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[29] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[29] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[29] |
| 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[21] | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[16] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[21] | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[16] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[21] | No practical vapour smoothing[16] |
| Support material pairing | PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker Fiberon)[1] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[16] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Conditioned parts grow; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[22] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[30] | DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[31] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[30] | Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[31] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[30] | None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[31] |
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
- NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
- Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Ultrafuse TPU 85A Technical Data Sheet (Version 3.0) BASF Forward AM · 2022-08 · 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
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Siraya Tech Flex TPU 85A Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- add:north TPU Pro Matte 85A product page add:north · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — 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
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- 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
- NinjaTek technical specs comparison chart (Cheetah, NinjaFlex, Armadillo, Alloy 910, Nylon 645) NinjaTek · 2026-08 · 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
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- 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
- Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds