3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6 vs PLA Silk

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

PA6 (Nylon 6) guideSilk PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6 comparisonsMore PLA Silk comparisons
PA6 vs PLA Silk — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA6 (Nylon 6)PASilk PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$104.00/kg median; $38.99–$136.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 6, ring-opened from caprolactam — the most hygroscopic of the common nylons[1][2]PLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[3]
Densityg/cm³1.06 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[4]1.27 (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[5][6]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[7][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[5][6]10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[10][11][12][13][14]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5]Stocked by most mainstream brands[7][10][15]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[5]1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[16][17]
Typical applicationsWear parts, bushings and gears where PA6's toughness and abrasion resistance matter more than dimensional stability[1]Decorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[18]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–260 (Polymaker); 225–265 (Simplify3D)[1][19]210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[3]
Bed temperature°C70–100 (Polymaker); 70–90 (Simplify3D)[1][19]35–45[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[20][1]Open frame is fine[3][21]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[19]Fan on[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[19][1]Cool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[3]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[19][1]Sticks to anything[22]
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][23]Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Brass fine indefinitely[21]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[24][21]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet nylon pops and cracks in the melt[25][23]Very low[21]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[19]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[26]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[19]No special hot-end required[22]
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[23][27]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA); storage below 20 % RH[20][28]55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[3][29]
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then defects that Polymaker describes as very hard to diagnose[25]Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[23]
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 %[20][25]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[23]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; Polymaker says nylon often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[28][23]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[30][22]
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[20][28]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][31]33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[3][32]
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][31]2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
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][31]2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[3][30]
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][31]75 (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][31]2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[3]
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[31]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa36.5 ultimate and 28.9 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH, ASTM D638)[31]25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[3][32][33]
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[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[34]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate[1]Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[35][36]
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)[37][26]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[25]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[31]76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
Wear resistance & friction3DXTech sells a dedicated wear-resistant PA6 grade; abrasion resistance is the usual reason to choose PA6 over PA12[5]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C93 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[31]56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[4]57 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documented158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[33]
Annealing responseNot documented50–55 °C for 6–12 h[3]
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[34]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled filament grades surveyed[4]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[30][38]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows and chalks under UV[1]Degrades within weeks outdoors[26][39]
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[38][26]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a conditioned part is measurably softer and larger than the same part dry[25][20]Good — insoluble in water[30]
Food contactPolymaker notes medical-grade variants exist, but standard filament is not food-contact certified[1]Base resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[26]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[1]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[40][26]
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[1]Mechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[40]
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]Not documented
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[19]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[39][26]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[19]Cyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[26][41]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[19]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[26]
Support material pairingPVA dissolves cleanly against nylon; Polymaker sells a break-away PolySupport for PA12[19]Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
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[25]55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[42]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[43]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[42]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[43][44]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[42]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[45][44]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. iOn PA6-based Nylon Alloy Technical Data Sheet v2.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. YXPOLYER PA6 Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  26. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  28. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  30. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  31. FDM Nylon 6 — data sheet (conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH) Stratasys · 2017-11 · tds
  32. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  33. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  34. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  35. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  36. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  37. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  38. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  39. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  40. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  41. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  42. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  43. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  44. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  45. 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