3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PLA Matte

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guideMatte PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PLA Matte comparisons
PA6/66 vs PLA Matte — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAMatte PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$19.09/kg median; $10.99–$32.16/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 compounded with a mineral filler — Fiberlogy names chalk — that scatters light into a diffuse finish[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]1.31 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183) to 1.38 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral, method not stated) — above plain PLA from the filler[3][2]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 21[5][6][7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented11–32 across brands; budget house brands 11–19, Fiberlogy PLA Mineral 32[8][6][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[10][11]Stocked by most mainstream brands[8][7][5]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 mm; 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[5][12]
Typical applicationsNot documentedDisplay models and visible parts where a matte, non-reflective finish matters[3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[13]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–230 (Bambu Lab); 190–210 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral)[3][2]
Bed temperature°CNot documented35–45 (Bambu Lab); 60 (Fiberlogy)[3][2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Open frame is fine[3][2]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on; Fiberlogy specifies 75–100 %[3][2]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedCool plate, high-temperature plate or textured PEI with glue (Bambu Lab); smooth PEI, textured PEI or glass (Fiberlogy)[3][2]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[3][2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedBrass fine indefinitely[15][3][2]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedSlightly abrasive — mineral filler pushes density from 1.24 to 1.31–1.38[2][3][16]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[17][18]Very low[15]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[19]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[18]Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[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]0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented50 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 60–70 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed; Fiberlogy specifies 50 °C for 6 h[3][2][20]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[18]
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 %[21][17]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[18]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[16][14]
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]30 (printed XY, ISO 527, Bambu Lab); 35.1 on My Tech Fun bars for PolyTerra PLA[3][22]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]1960 (Bambu Lab, printed XY, ISO 527); Fiberlogy PLA Mineral quotes 3500 (ISO 527, specimen type not stated)[3][2]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]14.8 (printed XY, ISO 527)[3]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]53 (printed XY, ISO 178) — 30 % below PLA Basic at 76[3][16]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]2360 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented6.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 19.2[3]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Izod 6.1 kJ/m² on My Tech Fun printed bars for PolyTerra PLA[22]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented22 (printed Z, ISO 527); flexural Z falls to 29 against 53 in XY; 12.9 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars[3][22]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedBrittle — snaps with little warning[3]
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 documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 18.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[22]
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)[23][19]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[17]Rigid[3]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented73 by tensile, 55 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[3]
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]58 (Bambu Lab) and 48 (Fiberlogy PLA Mineral), 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]52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented61 (DSC)[3]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]163 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 63 °C[3]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]54 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[22]
Annealing responseNot documented50–60 °C for 6–12 h; some prints deform or warp, and a forced-air oven is required[3]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[16][24]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[19][25]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[24][19]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedGood — insoluble in water[16]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[19]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[26][19]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[26]
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[27]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[27]
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[27]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[27]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[27]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[27]None needed in a normal room[27]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[25][19]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[19][28]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[19]
Support material pairingNot documentedSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documentedMatte surface hides layer lines; 55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges as for plain PLA[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[29]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[30]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[29]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[30][31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[29]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[32][31]

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. PLA Mineral — product and technical data Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Matte Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Polymaker Panchroma Matte PLA — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Overture Matte PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Matte PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Matte PLA filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Fiberlogy PLA Mineral — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Extrudr PLA NX2 Matt — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  17. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  22. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  24. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  25. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  26. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  27. 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
  28. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  29. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  32. 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