3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6-GF vs PC-FR
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | Glass-fibre PA6 (PA6-GF)PA | Flame-retardant PC (PC-FR)PC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $59.98/kg median; $39.99–$130.00/kg across 6 dated product listings | $87.50/kg median; $54.99–$224.00/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA6 reinforced with chopped glass fibre — Polymaker's grade is 25 wt%[1][2] | Flame-retardant polycarbonate. Polymaker builds its grade on Covestro's Makrolon family and rates it UL 94 V-0[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.14 (Bambu Lab) and 1.20 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 1183[2][1] | 1.18 (Bambu Lab) and 1.2 (Polymaker), ISO 1183[4][3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 40–130; the middle of the market is about 60[2][5][6] | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 55–224; the two mainstream 1 kg grades are 55 and the industrial grades 120–224[4][5] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 40–130 across brands; SUNLU 40, YXPOLYER 45, Polymaker Fiberon and Bambu Lab 60, 3DXTech FibreX 87, Obsidian Nylon 6+GF 130[5][2][7][6][8] | 55–224 across brands; Bambu Lab and Polymaker 55, 3DXTech FR PC/ABS 120, 3DXLABS FR-PC 224[4][5][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Stocked by most mainstream brands[2][5][7][6][8] | Available from several mainstream brands[4][5][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][7][2] | 1.75 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[5][7][4] |
| Typical applications | Stiff, heat-resistant structural parts where a matte finish and lower cost beat carbon fibre[2][1] | Electrical enclosures, transport interiors and battery housings that must meet a flammability rating[3][4] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.03 (Bambu Lab PC FR)[4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–290 (Bambu Lab)[2] | 260–280 (Bambu Lab); 250–270 (Polymaker)[4][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 90–110 (Bambu Lab); 90–105 (Polymaker)[4][3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[2] | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber, Polymaker 70–100 °C[4][3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[2] | 45–60 (Bambu Lab); 70–100 (Polymaker)[4][3] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | 0–60 % (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[9][10] | Smooth or textured PEI plate (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 10 at Bambu Lab's 130 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2][11] | 24 at Bambu Lab's 300 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[4][11] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Severe — heated chamber needed[3][12] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[9] | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[13][14] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[10] | Moderate — retraction tuning needed; Polymaker flags stringing as a common PC problem[14] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Expert / industrial hardware only[2][15] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[4][12] |
| 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-GF25 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[1] | Brass fine indefinitely[12] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard GF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA6-GF25[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[15] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a 6 h pre-dry at 80 °C[16] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[9] | Slightly sensitive[13] |
| Hotend requirement | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[9] | All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D)[13] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — 2.56 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab) and 3.33 % equilibrium (Polymaker Fiberon), the highest in the dataset[2][1] | Low (0.1–0.3 %) — 0.12 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab), half that of unfilled Bambu Lab PC[4][17] |
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH% | 2.56 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 3.33 equilibrium (Polymaker Fiberon PA6-GF25)[2][1] | 0.12 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4] |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab)[2] | 75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker)[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then hard-to-diagnose defects[18] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[15] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA6-GF25 itself: at 4.57 % moisture tensile falls 80.1 → 40.2 MPa and modulus 5357 → 1794 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 10.0 → 28.0 kJ/m²[1][18] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[14][15] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[15] | Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[14] |
| 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[19][20] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 75 ± 6 (Bambu Lab) and 80.1 ± 1.8 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 40.2 ± 2.1 conditioned to 4.57 % moisture. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 60.2-61.1 at break and 61.7-62.3 at yield printed XZ (ASTM D638)[2][1][21] | 60 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 67 ± 4.5 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[4][3] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2850 ± 260 (Bambu Lab) and 5357 ± 211 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed XY, ISO 527; Fiberon falls to 1794 ± 84 conditioned. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 5600-5830 printed XZ against 3050-3140 in ZX (ASTM D638)[2][1][21] | 1670 ± 40 (Bambu Lab) and 2634 ± 182 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[4][3] |
| Elongation at break% | 2.4 ± 0.2 dry (Polymaker Fiberon) to 3.9 ± 0.8 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; the Fiberon grade rises to 4.2 ± 0.7 conditioned[2][1] | 2.4 ± 0.3 (Bambu Lab) and 3.49 ± 0.7 (Polymaker) at break, printed XY, ISO 527 — the retardant roughly halves unfilled PC's elongation[4][3][22] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | Not documented | 96.6 ± 1.3 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[3] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 3670 ± 140 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[2] | 2518 ± 53 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[3] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 10.0 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 28.0 ± 1.0 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon); Bambu Lab 7.2 ± 2.3[1][2] | 11.7 ± 1.6 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Polymaker)[3] |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 27.2 ± 2.2 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179). Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives Izod notched 74.6-77.1 J/m printed XZ against 17.2-22.1 in ZX (ASTM D256)[2][21] | Notched Charpy 7.5 ± 1.6 kJ/m² at −30 °C printed XY (Polymaker, ISO 179-1/1eA)[3] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 27 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 60.7 ± 1.1 (Polymaker Fiberon, dry) printed Z, ISO 527 — the two makers differ by more than a factor of two; Fiberon falls to 26.3 ± 1.5 conditioned. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 23.7-24.4 at break printed ZX (ASTM D638)[2][1][21] | 21 ± 3 (Bambu Lab) and 46 ± 4.8 (Polymaker) printed Z, ISO 527[4][3] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation at break 2.4 % in XY[1] | Moderate[4][3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785)[23] | Rockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a flame-retardant filament[24] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock; the rating is held below Excellent because equilibrium moisture uptake of 3.33 % softens the matrix in service[23][1] | Good. Moulded unfilled PC sustained 41 MPa tensile creep at room temperature without breaking, but the retardant package drops the glass transition to 115 °C in Polymaker's grade, so the unfilled rating is not carried over in full[25][3] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Good. Ensinger lists high fatigue strength as a headline property of extruded PA66-GF30 stock[23] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[2] | Rigid[3] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 36 (Bambu Lab) to 76 (Polymaker Fiberon), printed; Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 39-41 (ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638)[2][1][21] | 35 (Bambu Lab) to 69 (Polymaker), printed[4][3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 182 (Bambu Lab) and 191 (Polymaker Fiberon), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa. Stratasys FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR gives 161 printed XY and 185 XZ (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[2][1][21] | 110 (Polymaker) and 113 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[3][4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 157 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 158 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][1] | 107 (Polymaker) and 108 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[3][4] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 67 (Bambu Lab) and 70.4 (Polymaker Fiberon), DSC; Stratasys measures 51.5 on FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR (ASTM D7426)[2][1][21] | 115 (Polymaker) and 145 (Bambu Lab), DSC[3][4] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 214.5 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 219 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 210–212 (ISO 306)[2][1] | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 114 (Bambu Lab, ISO 306)[4] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend[26] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 48.6 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D696; source states 2.7e-5 in/in/°F). Stratasys measures much higher on printed FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR — 95.4 over -20 to 5 °C and 214 over 25 to 80 °C in XY (ASTM E831)[23][21] | 68.4 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D696; source states 3.8e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a flame-retardant grade[24] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[19] | UL 94 V-0 (Polymaker PolyMax PC-FR); 3DXTech rates its FR PC/ABS V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin[3][27] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[10] | Degrades within weeks outdoors unless stabilised[14] |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[10] | Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[14] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift[18] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified as filament[10] | Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[14] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[10] | Not biodegradable[14] |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[10] | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[14] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker Fiberon, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[28] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[28] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[28] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[28] | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[28] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[28] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[28] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[28][12] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Glass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[1] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — gums rather than powders[9] | Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[13] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[9] | Cyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[13] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[9] | No practical vapour smoothing[13] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[13] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[29] | Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[30] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[29] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[30] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[29] | Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[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-GF25 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-GF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyMax PC-FR Technical Data Sheet V5.5 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PC FR Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- SUNLU Nylon-6 Glass Fiber (PA6-GF) 3D Printer Filament 1 kg — product page SUNLU · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER PA6-GF Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 3DXTech Firewire FR-PC/ABS product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- FDM PA6/66-GF30-FR — Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-07 · tds
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Firewire Flame Retardant PC/ABS Technical Data Sheet Rev 3.0 3DXTech · 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
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds