3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PEKK

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guidePEKK guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PEKK comparisons
PA6/66 vs PEKK — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAPEKKHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$525.00/kg median; $332.50–$771.12/kg across 6 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]Polyether ketone ketone, amorphous grade — a polyaryletherketone that stays amorphous, so it does not need PEEK's crystallisation control. Stratasys sells it as Antero 800NA and Antero 840CN03; category numbers below are unfilled unless a carbon grade is named[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]1.28 unfilled (ASTM D792, Antero 800NA; 1.31 annealed) and 1.33 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 1183)[3][2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 550[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented333-771 across grades and formats; 3DXTech CarbonX PEKK-A+CF15 333 at 2 kg, 3D4Makers unfilled PEKK-A 485 at 2 kg, IEMAI 3D 500 at 1 kg, Kimya PEKK Carbon 771 at 500 g[5][6][7][8][9]
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][10]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][6][7]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 200 g to 2 kg spools, plus Stratasys canisters[5][6][3]
Typical applicationsNot documentedAerospace interior and structural parts; 3DXTech labels its carbon-filled PEKK-A grade AERO and Stratasys certifies Antero 800NA for outgassing and FST[2][3]
Printing Parameters
Bed temperature°CNot documented140 (3DXTech CarbonX PEKK-A CF15)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Actively heated chamber required[11][12]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Expert / industrial hardware only[11][12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedHardened steel required — the category spans unfilled PEKK, where brass is acceptable, and the carbon-filled aerospace grades that make up most of the market[2][3]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedHighly abrasive — most PEKK filament sold is carbon-filled; unfilled Antero 800NA and ThermaX PEKK-A are non-abrasive[2][3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[13][14]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[15]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[14]Not documented
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]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 %[16][13]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[15]
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[4]86.7-90.0 at yield and 73.0 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA on the F900 and Fortus 450mc); 88.8 at break annealed; 126 at break for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3][2]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]2640-3870 (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA; upper figure annealed); 9125 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3][2]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]6.1 at break (printed XZ, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA); 2.3 in ZX; 3.15 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 527)[3][2]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]136 at 5 % strain (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Antero 800NA); 178 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3][2]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]3200 (printed XZ, ASTM D790, Antero 800NA); 8817 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3][2]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Izod notched 41.1 J/m XZ and 33.3 J/m ZX; unnotched 1730 J/m XZ against 203 J/m ZX (printed, ASTM D256/D4812, Antero 800NA)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented50.1-59.4 at yield (printed ZX, ASTM D638, Antero 800NA); 56.0 for the ESD grade Antero 840CN03[3][17]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedModerate unfilled — 6.1 % elongation at break in plane; brittle in the carbon-filled grades at 3.15 %[3][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)[4]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Antero 800NA still holds 82 % of its room-temperature ZX tensile strength at 104 °C and 63 % at 132 °C (printed, ASTM D638)[3]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[13]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented56-82 (Antero 800NA and 840CN03 printed on the F900 and Fortus 450mc, ZX against XZ tensile yield and break, ASTM D638)[3][17]
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[4]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[4]158 (printed XY and ZX, ASTM D648 Method B at 66 psi, Antero 800NA); 285 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)[3][2]
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[4]156-157 (printed, ASTM D648 Method B at 264 psi, Antero 800NA); moulded 147[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented156 (ASTM D7426, Antero 800NA); 165 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (DSC)[3][2]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]300 melt point (ASTM D7426 peak heat, Antero 800NA); 305 for CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 (DSC)[3][2]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]36.1 in XY and 50.2 in ZX (printed, 40-140 °C, ASTM E831, Antero 800NA); 47.4 and 51.2 for the ESD grade Antero 840CN03[3][17]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift. 1000 h of QUV cycling to ASTM G154 left Antero 800NA's yield strength unchanged at 57 MPa and raised stress at break 3.6 %[3]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4]Unfilled PEKK is an insulator at above 1.4e14 ohm-cm (ASTM D257); CarbonX PEKK-A CF15 sits above 10^7 ohm/sq, and the Antero 840CN03 ESD grade is specified at 10^4-10^9 ohm-cm[3][2][17]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[18]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[18]
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[18]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[18]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[18]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[18]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedCarbon fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[19]Concentrated sulphuric acid, as for PEEK; no common organic solvent touches a polyaryletherketone.[20][21]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[19]Concentrated sulphuric acid and liquid Freon are the entries Ensinger marks not resistant; acetone, MEK and toluene do nothing.[20]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[19]None — no solvent softens a polyaryletherketone.[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. CarbonX Carbon Fiber PEKK-A CF15 Technical Data Sheet v1 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Antero 800NA — FDM Material Data Sheet (PEKK-based) Stratasys · 2025-08 · tds
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3D4Makers product catalogue 3D4Makers · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Kimya PEKK-A Natural 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Kimya PEKK Carbon Grey 1.75 mm 500 g igo3d · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D PEKK 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  12. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. THERMAX PEKK-A — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. Antero 840CN03 — FDM Material Data Sheet (PEKK, ESD) Stratasys · 2024-08 · tds
  18. 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
  19. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  21. The Effects of Sulfonated Poly(ether ether ketone) Ion Exchange Preparation Conditions on Membrane Properties Yee, Zhang & Ladewig, Membranes 3(3) 182–195 · 2013-07 · paper