3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PLA-GF

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

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PLA-GF comparisons
PA6/66 vs PLA-GF — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAGlass-fibre PLA (PLA-GF)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$44.99/kg median; $29.99–$59.99/kg across 2 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]PLA filled with chopped glass fibre — 12 wt% (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF), 15–20 wt% (eSUN PLA-GF). Bambu Lab PLA Galaxy uses glass microspheres, not fibre, and is not equivalent[2][3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[5]1.31 (eSUN) to 1.337 (Polymaker), ISO 1183 / GB/T 1033[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg spools cluster near 30[6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented30–60 across brands; Polymaker 30, Proto-pasta 60[6][7]
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[8][9]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7][3]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[7][9]
Typical applicationsNot documentedStiff brackets and fixtures; the Polymaker grade is aimed at parts annealed for heat resistance[2]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–230 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on — eSUN specifies 100 %[3]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented28 at Polymaker's stated 350 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer; eSUN prints its specimens at 60 mm/s[2][3][10]
Shrinkage%Not documented0.05 in X-Y and Z, 0.10 diagonal (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[2]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; hardened nozzle mandatory[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedHardened steel required[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedHighly abrasive — standard GF composite[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[11][12]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Prusa lists higher risk of nozzle clogging for glass-filled composites[13]
Hotend requirementNot documentedHardened steel or ruby nozzle; Polymaker's own slicer preset sets a minimum nozzle hardness of 40 HRC[2]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[12]Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; no glass-filled grade publishes its own figure[14][15]
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[5]Not documented
Drying temperature & timeNot documented60 °C for 6 h (Polymaker HT-PLA-GF)[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 %[16][11]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[12]
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[5]50.1 as printed and 50.2 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 59.3 by GB/T 1040[2][3]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[5]3794 as printed, 4207 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[5]2.77 as printed, 2.3 annealed, printed XY, ISO 527 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 7.99[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[5]86.4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[5]3685 printed XY, ISO 178 (Polymaker); eSUN quotes 4415 flexural modulus by GB/T 9341[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented5.31 ± 0.46 as printed and 4.92 ± 0.50 annealed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); Z 4.28 ± 0.18[2]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[5]Izod 10.16 kJ/m² (eSUN, GB/T 1843)[3]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented23.7 as printed, 22.5 annealed, printed Z, ISO 527 (Polymaker)[2]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedVery brittle — elongation at break 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[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)[5]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — no GF-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[17][18][19]
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 and elongation at break falls to 2.77 % in XY and 0.85 % in Z[20][2]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[11]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented47 as printed (23.7 Z against 50.1 XY), printed[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[5]eSUN describes high wear resistance and positions the grade for wear parts[3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C232 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi; converted from 450 °F)[5]75.5 as printed, 114.7 after annealing (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the point of the material[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[5]59.7 as printed, 84 after annealing (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented59.8 (DSC)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[5]174.9 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 148.9 as printed, 148.3 annealed[2]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[5]Not documented
Annealing responseNot documentedAnnealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 75.5 to 114.7 °C and modulus from 3794 to 4207 MPa[2]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[5]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[5]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[21]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[5]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[22]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22]
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[22]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[22]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[22]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]None needed in a normal room[22]
Dust & fibre handling hazardNot documentedGlass fibre is bound in the matrix; avoid inhaling sanding dust[23]
Post-Processing
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedNear-zero shrinkage — 0.05 % in X-Y and Z (Polymaker)[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[24]Chloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[25]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[24]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[25][26]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[24]Chloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[27][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

  1. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  2. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  3. eSUN ePLA-GF Technical Data Sheet V1.0 (Nov 2023) eSUN (copy hosted on 3d.nice-cdn.com) · 2023-11 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Galaxy Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Polymaker HT-PLA-GF — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Composite materials filled with carbon, kevlar or glass Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  15. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. 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
  23. StoneFil safety data sheet Formfutura · 2026-08 · msds
  24. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. 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