3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6 vs Breakaway

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

PA6 (Nylon 6) guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6 comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PA6 vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA6 (Nylon 6)PABreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$104.00/kg median; $38.99–$136.00/kg across 3 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 6, ring-opened from caprolactam — the most hygroscopic of the common nylons[1][2]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.06 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[5]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[3][4]
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 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[8][9][10]
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]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[8][9][10]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6]Available from several mainstream brands[8][6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[8]
Typical applicationsWear parts, bushings and gears where PA6's toughness and abrasion resistance matter more than dimensional stability[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C220–260 (Polymaker); 225–265 (Simplify3D)[1][11]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Bed temperature°C70–100 (Polymaker); 70–90 (Simplify3D)[1][11]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[12][1]Open frame is fine[3]
Part cooling fanPart cooling fan not required (Simplify3D)[11]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[11][1]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[11][1]Not documented
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][13]Easy — minor profile tuning[3]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades[1]Brass fine indefinitely[3]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[1]Non-abrasive[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup; wet nylon pops and cracks in the melt[14][13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[3][4]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[11]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[11]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[13][15]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[3]
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 8 h (Polymaker CoPA); storage below 20 % RH[12][16]Not documented
Symptoms when wetPopping and cracking during extrusion, then defects that Polymaker describes as very hard to diagnose[14]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 %[12][14]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[13]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant; Polymaker says nylon often needs to stay in a dryer while printing[16][13]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[12][16]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)[5][17]Not documented
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)[5][17]Not documented
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][17]Not documented
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)[5][17]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2200 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy); Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned gives 2196 printed XZ and 1879 ZX (ASTM D790)[5][17]Not documented
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[17]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)[17]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[1]Not documented
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[18]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[14]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%54 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6 conditioned, ZX against XZ ultimate tensile, ASTM D638); 59 on the yield figures[17]Not documented
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 documented43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C93 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 6, conditioned, ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[17]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C105 (DSC, 3DXTech iOn PA6 alloy)[5]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CNot documentedVicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[4]
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[18]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the unfilled filament grades surveyed[5]Not documented
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]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a conditioned part is measurably softer and larger than the same part dry[14][12]Not documented
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
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[19][20]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[2]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[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]Open a window / occasional ventilation[2]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — the toughness makes it gum rather than powder[11]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[11]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[11]Not documented
Support material pairingPVA dissolves cleanly against nylon; Polymaker sells a break-away PolySupport for PA12[11]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[3][4]
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[14]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~50 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[21]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[22]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[21]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[21]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[22]

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. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  5. iOn PA6-based Nylon Alloy Technical Data Sheet v2.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. YXPOLYER PA6 Black 1 kg — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. PolyMide CoPA — Technical Data Sheet page Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · tds
  17. FDM Nylon 6 — data sheet (conditioned 20 °C / 50 % RH) Stratasys · 2017-11 · tds
  18. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  21. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  22. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor