3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PA6/66 vs PC
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PA66 (Nylon 66)PA | Polycarbonate (PC)PC |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | Not documented | $39.99/kg median; $29.99–$92.00/kg across 9 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | Polyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1] | Bisphenol-A polycarbonate — an amorphous engineering thermoplastic[2][3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4] | 1.19 (Polymaker) to 1.22 (Prusament), ISO 1183; Bambu Lab 1.20; Stratasys specific gravity 1.20 (ASTM D792)[2][5][6][7] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 40[6][8][9] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 30–92 across brands; Polymaker PolyLite 30, Bambu Lab 40, Polymaker PolyMax 52, Prusament 59, 3DXTech ezPC 64 and 3DXMAX PC 92[8][6][9][10] |
| Market availability1–5 | Special 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[10][8] | Available from several mainstream brands[6][8][10][9] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | Not documented | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5, 0.75, 0.9, 1 and 3 kg spools[8][10][9] |
| Typical applications | Not documented | Light guides, lenses, under-bonnet automotive parts and impact-loaded housings that must hold shape above 110 °C[3][2] |
| Diameter tolerance± mm | Not documented | ±0.03 (Prusament PC Blend)[5] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | Not documented | 250–280 across brands; Prusament 275 ± 10, Bambu Lab 260–280, Polymaker 250–270. Polymaker's material guide gives a wider 260–310 for PC and its composites[5][6][2][3] |
| Bed temperature°C | Not documented | 90–115; Prusament 110 ± 10, Bambu Lab 90–110, Polymaker 90–105[5][6][2] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive)[1] | Enclosure required (passive) — Polymaker specifies a 70–100 °C chamber, Bambu Lab 45–60 °C and rules out its P1P and A-series machines[2][6][11] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | Not documented | 70–100 (Polymaker); 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[2][6] |
| Part cooling fan | Not documented | Off or very low — Polymaker specifies off, Prusament 20 % within a 0–30 % range, Bambu Lab 0–60 %[2][5][6] |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | Not documented | Textured PEI with glue when needed (Polymaker); smooth or textured PEI (Bambu Lab)[2][12] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 24 at Bambu Lab's 300 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; Polymaker allows 50–200 mm/s and its material guide advises 30–60 for layer adhesion[6][2][3][13] |
| Warping tendency1–5 | Not documented | Severe — heated chamber needed[2][3][11] |
| Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5 | Not documented | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[2][11] |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Not documented | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3][11] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | All-metal hotend rated to 300 °C; Polymaker advises larger nozzles and high chamber temperatures to improve bonding[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Not documented | Brass fine indefinitely[11] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Not documented | Non-abrasive[2] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[14][15] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[3] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Not documented | Slightly sensitive[16] |
| Hotend requirement | Not documented | All-metal hot end required (Simplify3D); Polymaker advises a hot end rated above 300 °C[16][3] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Very high (>2 %)[15] | Low — 0.25 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); Prusa measures 0.15 % after 7 days at 22 % RH. Polymaker nonetheless calls PC highly hygroscopic in service[6][5][3] |
| 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[4] | 0.25 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.15 after 7 days at 24 °C / 22 % RH (Prusa)[6][5] |
| Drying temperature & time | Not documented | 80 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab); 75 °C for 6 h (Polymaker); 70–80 °C for 6–8 h (Polymaker material guide)[6][2][3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Not documented | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[15] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Measured 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][14] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published. Polymaker calls PC highly hygroscopic and requires a 70–80 °C dry for 6–8 h; run wet, the loss shows as surface defects and poor layer adhesion[3][15] |
| Storage requirement | Not documented | Airtight containers with desiccant to prevent reabsorption[3] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 82.7 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[4] | 53.4 (PolyMax) to 69.1 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 527; Bambu Lab 62 +/- 2 and Prusament 63 +/- 1 at yield; Stratasys 62.3-64.6 at yield printed XZ, ASTM D638 (its PC White table duplicates the Antero 840CN03 figures and was not used)[2][18][6][5][19][7] |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4] | 2110 (Bambu Lab) to 2497 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 527; Prusament 1900, 3DXTech 2180[6][2][5][19] |
| Elongation at break% | 50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4] | 3.8 (Bambu Lab) to 4.8 (PolyLite) at break, printed XY, ISO 527; 3DXTech quotes 14 at break, Prusament 5.8 at yield[6][2][19][5] |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4] | 81.3 (PolyMax) to 108 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 178; Prusament 88 ± 1, PolyLite 106.1[18][6][5][2] |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4] | 2050 (PolyMax) to 2640 (PolyLite) printed XY, ISO 178; Prusament 2100[18][2][5] |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | Not documented | 4.1 (PolyLite) to 21.3 (PolyMax) printed XY, ISO 179, notched; Prusament 12 ± 1[2][18][5] |
| Other impact data | Izod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4] | Charpy unnotched does not break on Prusa's pendulum in either orientation (ISO 179-1); PolyMax PC retains 9.2 kJ/m2 notched at -30 °C. Stratasys PC Black gives 85.3 MPa flexural strength at break in ZX against no break in XZ (ASTM D790, printed)[5][18][7] |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | Not documented | 37.1-45.3 at yield printed ZX (Stratasys PC Black and Red, ASTM D638); 41.4 (PolyMax) to 56 (Bambu Lab) printed Z; Prusa's interlayer adhesion test gives 21 +/- 2[5][18][6][7] |
| Brittleness1–5 | Not documented | Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[3][5] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Shore D 86 and Rockwell 85 (108) — the source does not name the scales on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2240, D785)[4] | Shore D 79 (Prusa Polymers method) and Shore D 79 on extruded PC stock (ASTM D2240); Rockwell 70 (118) — the source does not name the scales[5][20] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — holds load for years. Room-temperature tensile creep of moulded PC was still running unbroken at 41 MPa when the experiment was stopped for time; specimens failed within the test window only at 47-52 MPa (ASTM D638)[21] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Excellent — living hinges viable[1] | Good[5][3] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Semi-flexible[14] | Rigid[2] |
| Z strength as % of XY% | Not documented | 59-73 (Stratasys PC Black and Red, ZX against XZ tensile yield, ASTM D638); 76 for PolyLite PC and 90 for Bambu Lab (printed Z against XY tensile)[6][2][7] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Wear factor 200e-10 in3*min/(ft*lb*h) on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D3702); Ensinger lists very good slide and wear properties[4] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4] | 110 (PolyMax PC-FR) to 114 (PolyMax PC), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa; Bambu Lab 112, PolyLite 111, Prusament 113. Stratasys FDM PC reaches 144 printed (ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi)[18][2][6][5][7] |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 90 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[4] | 93 (Prusament) to 117 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa; PolyLite 107, PolyMax 99. Stratasys FDM PC reaches 141 printed (ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi)[5][6][2][18][7] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | Not documented | 113 (Polymaker, DSC), 142.5 (Stratasys, ASTM D7426 inflection point) and 145 (Bambu Lab, DSC); Polymaker's material guide quotes 150[2][6][3][7] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4] | Amorphous — no melting point; Vicat 117–120 (Polymaker, ISO 306); decomposition above 360 °C[2][18] |
| Continuous service temperature°C | 85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4] | 113 — Prusa publishes this as the temperature resistance of Prusament PC Blend; extruded PC stock is rated 121 long term (converted from 250 °F)[5][20] |
| Annealing response | Not documented | 90 °C for 2 h (Polymaker)[2] |
| Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K | 81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4] | 51.6 in XY over -50 to 30 °C, falling to 35.8 over 30-75 °C and 11.5 over 75-130 °C; 49.2 in XZ over -50 to 120 °C (printed, ASTM E831). Extruded PC stock gives 68.4 (ASTM D696)[7][20] |
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4] | Flammable; no UL 94 rating on standard PC, though V-0 grades exist[22][2] |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Degrades within weeks outdoors — unstabilised PC yellows and embrittles under UV[3] |
| Chemical resistance | Not documented | Withstands oils, solvents and fuels; Polymaker rates it good against weak acids[3] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Not documented | Good — minor absorption[6] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Bisphenol-A polycarbonate is not offered as food-contact filament[3] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[3] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Mechanically recyclable but not accepted in household plastic collection[3] |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Volume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4] | Surface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — an electrical insulator, which Polymaker lists as a headline advantage[19][3] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23] | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[23] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon; total VOC reached nearly 200 µg/min, the highest of the nine filaments tested[23] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[23] | ≈4 × 10¹⁰ median — the highest ultrafine-particle rate of the nine filaments in the chamber study, above every ABS tested[23] |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[23] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23] | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[23][11] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Sands and machines well; the toughness means it cuts rather than chips[16] |
| Painting & finishing | Not documented | Optical clarity survives printing, so transparent parts are usually left unpainted[3] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate; dichloromethane solvent-welds PC but is a laboratory reagent[16] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[16] |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | Prints its own supports; 3DXTech sells a dedicated PC break-away support[16] |
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Not documented | Warping is the dominant accuracy limit; light transmission 89 % on PolyLite PC (GB/T 2410)[2][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[24] | Dichloromethane, chloroform, DMF and dioxane dissolve it outright (Covestro, 6 days at 23 °C). Laboratory reagents.[25] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[24] | Methanol, butyl acetate, ether, 1 % NaOH and phthalate plasticisers stress-crack it; acetone, MEK and xylene swell it.[25] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[24] | Dichloromethane cement welds PC — 16.5 MPa lap shear at one week (IPS Weld-On 3). A controlled carcinogen.[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
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PC — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0 — PC Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PC (Polycarbonate) — FDM Material Data Sheet Stratasys · 2026-04 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- Printed Solid product catalogue Printed Solid · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PC FR Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Polycarbonate — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- PolyMax PC Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- ezPC Polycarbonate Technical Data Sheet 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- TECANAT natural (PC) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- Experimental data for creep and dynamic mechanical properties of polycarbonate and polycarbonate/ABS Data in Brief 42:108264 · 2022-06 · paper
- PolyMax PC-FR Technical Data Sheet V5.5 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
- Makrolon — The chemical resistance (Makrolon 2800, 6 days at 23 °C and 50 °C) Covestro · 2016-12 · tds
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds