3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PC-GF

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guideGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PC-GF comparisons
PA6/66 vs PC-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAGlass-fibre PC (PC-GF)PC
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$71.27/kg median; $71.27–$71.27/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]Polycarbonate reinforced with 30 wt% short glass fibre[2]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[3]1.17 (measured on a 100 % infill printed part, ISO 1183-A)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools cluster near 71[4]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented71 — BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 at igo3d is the only priced listing found; Owens Corning sells XSTRAND GF30-PC in 500 g and 1 kg[4][2]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — no unfilled PA66 filament appeared in any catalogue searched, and the 3DXTech nylon range offers PA6, PA12 and a 6/66 copolymer but no straight PA66[5][6]Niche, a handful of specialist brands — neither Polymaker's nor 3DXTech's polycarbonate range contains a glass-fibre grade, but BASF Forward AM and Owens Corning both sell one through European retail[4][2][6][5]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm at +/- 0.05 mm; 500 g and 1 kg net spools[2]
Typical applicationsNot documentedFunctional prototyping for mechanical engineering, electronics and automotive[2]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented+/- 0.05 (Owens Corning XSTRAND)[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented280-330 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented80-110 (Owens Corning XSTRAND GF30-PC)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Enclosure required (passive) — as for unfilled PC[7][8]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPerforated plate, DimaFix or Magigoo PC glue (Owens Corning)[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Not documented
Extruder requirementNot documentedOwens Corning specifies a nozzle above 0.4 mm and hardened steel nozzles and drive wheels[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedHardened steel required — Owens Corning states glass reinforcement shortens brass nozzle and drive-wheel life[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedHighly abrasive — 30 wt% glass fibre[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[9][10]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; PC already absorbs water from the air and Prusa lists glass-filled composites as a higher clogging risk[11][12]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[10]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Owens Corning measures below 0.1 % at 23 °C and 50 % RH (ISO 62)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%8.5 at saturation on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D570) — the highest uptake of any polymer in this dataset[3]Below 0.1 at 23 °C and 50 % RH, and below 0.1 at saturation (ISO 62)[2]
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 %[13][9]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[14][10]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa82.7 at yield and 84.8 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 12,000 and 12,300 psi) — no printed figure exists because no unfilled PA66 filament was found[3]65 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[3]5400 (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[3]2.5 at break (printed, ISO 527 at 1 mm/min)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[3]113 at yield (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[3]5500 (printed, ISO 178 at 2 mm/min)[2]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[3]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning; 2.5 % elongation at break[2]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellShore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[3]Rockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales and Shore D 79 on extruded unfilled PC stock (ASTM D785, D2240); no figure is published for a glass-fibre grade[15]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded unfilled PC ran unbroken at 41 MPa until the test was stopped, and 30 wt% glass raises the tensile modulus from about 2.3 to 5.4 GPa[16][2]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[9]Rigid[2]
Wear resistance & frictionWear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[3]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[3]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C90 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi; converted from 194 °F) — the gap to the 0.45 MPa figure is the widest in the dataset[3]137 (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented145 (DSC, ISO 11357)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[3]270 stated as melting point (ISO 11357) — unusual for an amorphous polymer, but this is the published figure[2]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[3]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[3]26.2 in XY and 77.4 in Z (printed, ISO 11359-2) — a threefold anisotropy, and the lowest in-plane expansion of any polycarbonate here[2]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[3]UL 94 V-0 verified (Owens Corning)[2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift. Owens Corning lists UV resistance as a product benefit but publishes no exposure data[2]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected; below 0.1 % water at saturation (ISO 62)[2]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[3]Electrically insulating (Owens Corning)[2]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[17]
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[17]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[17]≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[17]
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[17]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17][8]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedOwens Corning warns that the glass reinforcement is abrasive when melted and advises sufficient ventilation and avoiding extrusion fumes[2]
Post-Processing
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedHigh dimensional stability is the headline benefit; the 26.2 um/m*K in-plane CTE is a third of unfilled PC's[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[18]Dichloromethane and chloroform dissolve the matrix and leave the fibre; DMF and dioxane do the same (Covestro).[19]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[18]Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[19]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[18]Dichloromethane cement welds the resin, but the fibre keeps the joint from flowing closed. Controlled carcinogen.[20]

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. XSTRAND GF30-PC Data Sheet Owens Corning · 2019-04 · tds
  3. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  4. BASF Ultrafuse PC GF30 Black 2.85 mm 1.000 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  8. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  13. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  14. PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
  17. 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
  18. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
  20. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds