3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6 vs PE
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PA6 (Nylon 6)PA | Polyethylene (PE)POLYOLEFIN |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $104.00/kg median; $38.99–$136.00/kg across 3 dated product listings | $87.72/kg median; $87.72–$87.72/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyamide 6, ring-opened from caprolactam — the most hygroscopic of the common nylons[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 | 1.06 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[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 39–136; the middle of the market is about 104, though budget unfilled PA6 has now arrived at 39[6][7] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 88[8] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 39–136 across brands; YXPOLYER 39, 3DXTech iOn Nylon 6 Alloy 104, WearX Nylon 6 136. Unfilled PA6 filament stays rare — most PA6 reaches the market glass- or carbon-filled[6][7] | 87.72 — Spectrum's 500 g spools at 3DJAKE are the only PE filament listing found[8] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6] | 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[9][10][11][8] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6] | 1.75 mm; 500 g spools in six colours[8][9] |
| Typical applications | Wear parts, bushings and gears where PA6's toughness and abrasion resistance matter more than dimensional stability[1] | Chemically resistant containers, packaging prototypes and consumer goods where HDPE is the production material[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 220–260 (Polymaker); 225–265 (Simplify3D)[1][12] | 240-290 (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 70–100 (Polymaker); 70–90 (Simplify3D)[1][12] | 80-100 (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive)[13][1] | Enclosure recommended — Spectrum recommends a closed chamber for larger prints[3] |
| Part cooling fan | Part cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[12] | 0-50 % part cooling (Spectrum HDPE)[3] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[12][1] | Spectrum states no adhesive is necessary for its low-warp HDPE, depending on geometry[3] |
| 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[12][1] | 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[1] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; the filament must be kept dry throughout the print[1][14] | Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; Spectrum sells the grade as desktop-printable with no dry box and no hardened nozzle[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1] | Brass fine indefinitely — Spectrum states a ruby or hardened nozzle is not required[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[1] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet nylon pops and cracks in the melt[15][14] | 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[12] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[12] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %) — Polymaker groups nylon with PVA as the most moisture-prone class, and its own PA6-based composites reach 2.35–3.33 % equilibrium[14][16] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Spectrum lists very low moisture absorption and no dry box[3] |
| Drying temperature & time | 100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA); storage below 20 % RH[13][17] | No drying step published; Spectrum lists a dry box as not required[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Popping and cracking during extrusion, then defects that Polymaker describes as very hard to diagnose[15] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Measured dry against wet on printed specimens at 6.16 % moisture (Polymaker CoPA): tensile 78.0 → 34.3 MPa, Young's modulus 2703 → 724 MPa, flexural strength 109.8 → 22.6 MPa, while notched Charpy rises 6.9 → 27.7 kJ/m² and elongation 12.7 → 13.2 %[13][15] | 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; Polymaker says nylon often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[17][14] | Store dry at 18-25 °C out of sunlight; Spectrum quotes a 24-month shelf life[3] |
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker requires a 100 °C dry for 8 h and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the published wet data is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[13][17] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 62 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned to 20 °C / 50 % RH gives 67.6 ultimate and 49.3 at yield printed XZ (ASTM D638)[5][18] | 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 | 2110 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2232 printed XZ and 1817 ZX (ASTM D638)[5][18] | 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% | 9 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 38 printed XZ against 3.2 in ZX (ASTM D638)[5][18] | 18 at break (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 527) against above 100 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][4] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 78 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 97.2 printed XZ and 82 ZX (ASTM D790)[5][18] | 27.6 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D790; converted from 4000 psi)[4] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2200 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2196 printed XZ and 1879 ZX (ASTM D790)[5][18] | 3200 (Spectrum HDPE, ISO 178) against 965 on extruded stock (ASTM D790, from 140,000 psi)[3][4] |
| Other impact data | Izod notched 106 J/m printed XZ against 43 J/m in ZX; unnotched 2873 against 192 J/m (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH, ASTM D256 Method A) — a 15x anisotropy unnotched[18] | 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 | 36.5 ultimate and 28.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH, ASTM D638)[18] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[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 | Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785); no figure is published for a PA6 filament[19] | 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 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[1] | 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 | Semi-flexible[15] | 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% | 54 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned, ZX against XZ ultimate tensile, ASTM D638); 59 on the yield figures[18] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | 3DXTech sells a dedicated wear-resistant PA6 grade; abrasion resistance is the usual reason to choose PA6 over PA12[6] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | Not documented | 75 on extruded HDPE stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 167 °F)[4] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 93 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[18] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 105 (DSC, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[5] | Not documented |
| Continuous service temperature°C | Not documented | 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] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 81.0 on extruded unfilled PA66 stock (ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F); no figure is published for a PA6 filament, and PA6 and PA66 expand almost identically[19] | 117 (extruded HDPE stock, ASTM D696; source states 6.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled filament grades surveyed[5] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[1] | 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 — the usual reason to choose a polyamide[1] | 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 — a conditioned part is measurably softer and larger than the same part dry[15][13] | Excellent — essentially unaffected; Ensinger lists low moisture absorption for HDPE stock and Spectrum very low absorption for the filament[3][4] |
| Food contact | Polymaker notes medical-grade variants exist, but standard filament is not food-contact certified[1] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[1] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1] | Spectrum states the filament is fully recyclable; HDPE is resin code 2[3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[2] | Not documented |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[2] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[2] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[2] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[2] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — the toughness makes it gum rather than powder[12] | Easy to machine — Ensinger lists machinability as a headline property of HDPE stock[4] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[12] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[12] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | PVA dissolves cleanly against nylon; Polymaker sells a break-away PolySupport for PA12[12] | Not documented |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Parts grow as they absorb moisture after printing; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[15] | Spectrum lists a shiny surface finish and no adhesive requirement; shrinkage remains the limit on large flat parts[3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[20] | None at room temperature; xylene dissolves HDPE at about 105 °C and LDPE at 75 °C. Hot decalin does the same.[21][22] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[20] | Toluene, xylene, styrene, chloroform, dichloromethane, MEK and trichloroethylene are all unsatisfactory at 21 °C.[22] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[20] | None — polyethylene has no room-temperature solvent, so joints are made by heat welding.[22][21] |
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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Spectrum HDPE Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2025-10 · tds
- TECAFINE HDPE natural — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- iOn PA6-based Nylon Alloy Technical Data Sheet v2.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- YXPOLYER PA6 Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
- Spectrum HDPE Traffic Black, 1.75 mm / 500 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DJAKE product catalogue 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
- igo3d product sitemap (17452 product URLs) igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
- FDM Nylon 6 — data sheet (conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH) Stratasys · 2017-11 · tds
- TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- 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