3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6 vs rPLA

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

PA6 (Nylon 6) guideRecycled PLA (rPLA) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6 comparisonsMore rPLA comparisons
PA6 vs rPLA — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA6 (Nylon 6)PARecycled PLA (rPLA)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$104.00/kg median; $38.99–$136.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 6, ring-opened from caprolactam — the most hygroscopic of the common nylons[1][2]PLA regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[3][4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.06 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[6]1.24 (ISO 1183)[3]
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[7][8]1 kg spools run 20–22[9][10][11]
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[7][8]16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[12][13]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[7]Available from several mainstream brands[4][5][11]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[14][12][4]
Typical applicationsWear parts, bushings and gears where PA6's toughness and abrasion resistance matter more than dimensional stability[1]General-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[4][5]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[4][3][15]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–260 (Polymaker); 225–265 (Simplify3D)[1][16]210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[3][5]
Bed temperature°C70–100 (Polymaker); 70–90 (Simplify3D)[1][16]40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[3][5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[17][1]Open frame is fine[3][18]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[16]100 %[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[16][1]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone — brim not generally needed[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[16][1]Sticks to anything[19]
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][20]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[3][18]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Brass fine indefinitely[18]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[21][18]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet nylon pops and cracks in the melt[22][20]Very low[18]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[16]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[23]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[16]No special hot-end required[19]
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[20][24]Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[3][15]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[3]
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA); storage below 20 % RH[17][25]Not documented
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then defects that Polymaker describes as very hard to diagnose[22]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[20]
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 %[17][22]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[20]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; Polymaker says nylon often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[25][20]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[26][19]
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[17][25]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)[6][27]49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[3][15]
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)[6][27]2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[3][15]
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)[6][27]3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[3][15]
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)[6][27]82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[3][15]
Flexural modulusMPa2200 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2196 printed XZ and 1879 ZX (ASTM D790)[6][27]3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[3][15]
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[27]Charpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[3][15]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa36.5 ultimate and 28.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH, ASTM D638)[27]21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[3][15]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[23][21]
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[28]80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[3][15]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate[1]Poor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[29][30]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[31][23]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[22]Rigid[21]
Z strength as % of XY%54 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned, ZX against XZ ultimate tensile, ASTM D638); 59 on the yield figures[27]Not documented
Wear resistance & friction3DXTech sells a dedicated wear-resistant PA6 grade; abrasion resistance is the usual reason to choose PA6 over PA12[7]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[3][15]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C93 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[27]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[3][15]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[6]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[5]
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[28]96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[32]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled filament grades surveyed[6]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[26][33]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[1]Degrades within weeks outdoors[23][34]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis — the usual reason to choose a polyamide[1]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[33][23]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a conditioned part is measurably softer and larger than the same part dry[22][17]Good — insoluble in water[26]
Food contactPolymaker notes medical-grade variants exist, but standard filament is not food-contact certified[1]Filamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[5][23]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[5]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1]The feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[5][13]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[2]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[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]Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[4]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[2]None needed in a normal room[2]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — the toughness makes it gum rather than powder[16]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[34][23]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[16]Superglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[4]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[16]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[23]
Support material pairingPVA dissolves cleanly against nylon; Polymaker sells a break-away PolySupport for PA12[16]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[22]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[35]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[36]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[35]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[36][37]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[35]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[38][37]

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. Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
  4. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. iOn PA6-based Nylon Alloy Technical Data Sheet v2.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  7. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER PA6 Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  16. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  18. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  25. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  27. FDM Nylon 6 — data sheet (conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH) Stratasys · 2017-11 · tds
  28. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  29. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  32. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  33. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  34. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  35. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  36. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  37. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  38. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper