3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PLA HS

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guideHigh-Speed PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PLA HS comparisons
PA6/66 vs PLA HS — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAHigh-Speed PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]PLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[8][9][10]
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[11][12]Stocked by most mainstream brands[13][7][14]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[5][7]
Typical applicationsNot documentedLarge or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[15][13]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[16]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[2][13]
Bed temperature°CNot documented30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[2][17]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[2]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[2][13][15][18]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[19]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[13][2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedBrass fine indefinitely[20]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedNon-abrasive[21][20]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[22][23]Very low[20]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[24]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[19]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[23]Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[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[4]0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[2]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[2][17]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[23]
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 %[25][22]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[23]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[17][19]
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]43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[2][26]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[2]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[2]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Printing at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[2]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[2][26]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedModerate[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]78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[27]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[26]
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 (R = 0.2)[28][24]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[22]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (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[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]53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[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]52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[2]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented59 (DSC)[2]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[2]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[26]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[29]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[17][3]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[24][30]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[2]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[17]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[24]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[31][24]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[31]
Electrical & ESD propertiesVolume resistance 1e15 ohm-cm and dielectric constant 4 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D257, D150)[4]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[32]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[32]
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[32]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[32]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[32]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[32]None needed in a normal room[32]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[30][24]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[24][33]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[24]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[2]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[34]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[35]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[34]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[35][36]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[34]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[37][36]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  16. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  18. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  25. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  26. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  28. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  29. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  30. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  31. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  32. 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
  33. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  34. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  36. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  37. 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