3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6 vs PEEK

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

PA6 (Nylon 6) guidePEEK guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6 comparisonsMore PEEK comparisons
PA6 vs PEEK — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA6 (Nylon 6)PAPEEKHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$104.00/kg median; $38.99–$136.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$531.87/kg median; $296.14–$770.00/kg across 5 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 6, ring-opened from caprolactam — the most hygroscopic of the common nylons[1][2]Polyether ether ketone — a semi-crystalline polyaryletherketone[3]
Densityg/cm³1.06 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[4]1.30 (ISO 1183)[3][5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 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 span 296–770; the middle of the market is about 532[6][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg39–136 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]296-770 across brands and spool sizes; 3D4Makers recycled R-PEEK 296 at 750 g, IEMAI 3D 420 at 1 kg, LEHVOSS Luvocom 3F PEEK 9581 532 at 2 kg, 3DXTech ThermaX PEEK 770 at 500 g[6][8][9]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][8][5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools[6][8][5]
Typical applicationsWear parts, bushings and gears where PA6's toughness and abrasion resistance matter more than dimensional stability[1]Aerospace brackets, semiconductor handling, sterilisable medical tooling and downhole parts[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–260 (Polymaker); 225–265 (Simplify3D)[1][10]380-400 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); Victrex quotes a 340-450 melt range for AM 450 FIL[3][5]
Bed temperature°C70–100 (Polymaker); 70–90 (Simplify3D)[1][10]130–140 (3DXTech)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[11][1]Actively heated chamber required[12][13]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documentedNot less than 150 for semi-crystalline printing (Victrex AM 450 FIL); bed above 150[5]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[10]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[10][1]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedSevere — heated chamber needed[12]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[10][1]Very difficult — special plates or slurry required[12]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[1]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; the filament must be kept dry throughout the print[1][14]Expert / industrial hardware only[12][13]
Extruder requirementNot documentedAn all-metal hot end rated above 400 °C and a heated chamber; 3DXTech tests at 0.25 mm layer height on a 0.4 mm nozzle[3][12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[12]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet nylon pops and cracks in the melt[15][14]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[16]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[10]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[10]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very 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][17]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.45 at saturation, 23 °C (ISO 62); 0.55 at 100 °C[5]
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA); storage below 20 % RH[11][18]120 °C for 5 h, target below 0.020 % moisture (Victrex AM 450 FIL)[5]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then defects that Polymaker describes as very hard to diagnose[15]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthMeasured 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 %[11][15]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[16]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; Polymaker says nylon often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[18][14]Not documented
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker 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[11][18]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62 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)[4][19]60-100 (printed XY): Victrex AM 450 FIL 60-80 at yield and 3DXTech 100, both ISO 527; 98 at yield injection-moulded[3][5]
Young's modulusMPa2110 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2232 printed XZ and 1817 ZX (ASTM D638)[4][19]3000-4000 (printed XY, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 3720 (3DXTech); 4000 injection-moulded[3][5]
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)[4][19]28 (printed XY, ISO 527) — remarkably ductile for a high-temperature polymer[3]
Flexural strengthMPa78 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 97.2 printed XZ and 82 ZX (ASTM D790)[4][19]130 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Flexural modulusMPa2200 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2196 printed XZ and 1879 ZX (ASTM D790)[4][19]2700 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented6.0 (injection-moulded, ISO 179/1eA); unnotched does not break[5]
Other impact dataIzod 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[19]Izod notched 7.0 kJ/m2 injection-moulded (ISO 180/A). Printed anisotropy is extreme: VICTREX AM 200 on a Stratasys F900 gives Izod notched 1380-1530 J/m XZ against 30-62 J/m ZX (ASTM D256)[5][20]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa36.5 ultimate and 28.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH, ASTM D638)[19]20-85 at yield (printed ZX, ISO 527, Victrex AM 450 FIL); the spread is set by chamber temperature and weld quality[5]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore 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[21]Shore D 84.5 (injection-moulded, ISO 868); Rockwell M100 / R125 on extruded PEEK stock (ASTM D785)[5][22]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate[1]Excellent — holds load for years. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term creep; injection-moulded flexural stress at 3.5 % strain falls only from 125 MPa at 23 °C to 85 MPa at 125 °C, and extruded stock is rated to 249 °C continuous[23][5][22]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Excellent — living hinges viable. Victrex rates PEEK for long-term fatigue as well as creep[23]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[15]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%54 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned, ZX against XZ ultimate tensile, ASTM D638); 59 on the yield figures[19]71-84 (VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK printed on the Stratasys F900 and Fortus 450mc, ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638); unfilled PEEK's own ZX spread is wider[20]
Wear resistance & friction3DXTech 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°CNot documented140 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C93 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[19]152 (unannealed, ISO 75-2/Af, Victrex AM 450 FIL); 160 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[5][22]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[4]143 (DSC, 3DXTech); Victrex gives onset 143 and midpoint 150 (ISO 11357-2)[3][5]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented343 melting (ISO 11357-3, Victrex); VICTREX AM 200 LMPAEK melts at 303[5][20]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented240 UL 746B relative thermal index, strength (RTI electrical 260, impact 180); Ensinger rates extruded PEEK stock at 249 long term[5][22]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 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[21]37.8 (extruded PEEK stock, 23-60 °C, ASTM E831; source states 2.1e-5 in/in/°F), rising to 41.9 at 60-100 °C and 55.8 at 100-150 °C[22]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled filament grades surveyed[4]UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm on the base resin; glow-wire flammability index 960 °C at 2.0 mm (IEC 60695-2-12)[3][5]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[1]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis — the usual reason to choose a polyamide[1]Outstanding — resistant to almost all solvents and to steam sterilisation[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a conditioned part is measurably softer and larger than the same part dry[15][11]Excellent — essentially unaffected; 0.45 % water at saturation and resistant to steam sterilisation[5][3]
Food contactPolymaker notes medical-grade variants exist, but standard filament is not food-contact certified[1]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[2]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[2]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp 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 emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[2]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[2]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[2]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — the toughness makes it gum rather than powder[10]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[10]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[10]Not documented
Support material pairingPVA dissolves cleanly against nylon; Polymaker sells a break-away PolySupport for PA12[10]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detailParts grow as they absorb moisture after printing; Polymaker declines to publish a standard dimensional allowance because it depends on geometry and infill[15]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[24]95–98 wt% sulphuric acid dissolves it — 10 g per 100 mL at 40–70 °C gives a dark red solution. Laboratory route only.[25][26]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[24]Concentrated nitric, hydrofluoric, hydrobromic and hydriodic acids attack it; DCM, DMSO and THF swell thin-walled sections.[27][26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[24]None — no solvent softens PEEK, so parts are joined thermally or mechanically, never chemically.[27][26]

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. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  2. 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
  3. ThermaX PEEK Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. iOn PA6-based Nylon Alloy Technical Data Sheet v2.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. VICTREX AM 450 FIL — datasheet Victrex · 2025-12 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER PA6 Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D PEEK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  11. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  12. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  13. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ThermaX PEEK — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  18. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  19. FDM Nylon 6 — data sheet (conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH) Stratasys · 2017-11 · tds
  20. VICTREX AM 200 — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2024-04 · tds
  21. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  22. TECAPEEK natural (PEEK) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  23. PEEK polymers — product overview Victrex · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper
  26. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  27. What solvents are not compatible with PEEK? — fluidics technical FAQ IDEX Health & Science · 2026-08 · doc