3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PLA+

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guidePLA+ / Tough PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PLA+ comparisons
PA6/66 vs PLA+ — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAPLA+ / Tough PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$16.49/kg median; $10.45–$39.99/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 compounded with impact modifiers; suppliers publish the base as polylactic acid only[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]1.17–1.24 (Polymaker); 1.21 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183)[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 16[5][6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented10–40 across brands; budget house brands 10–17, Sakata 3D HR-870 26, Polymaker and Fiberlogy 36–40[7][6][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[7][5][6][8][9]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85, 1 and 1.1 kg spools[8][9][7]
Typical applicationsNot documentedFunctional parts and enclosures that need impact tolerance but not heat resistance[2][3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[13]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented190–230 (Polymaker); Bambu Lab Tough+ needs 220–250[2][3]
Bed temperature°CNot documented25–60 (Polymaker); 35–65 (Bambu Lab Tough+)[2][3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Open frame is fine[2][3]
Part cooling fanNot documentedFan on[2][3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedTextured or smooth PEI; Bambu Lab recommends glue stick or liquid glue for Tough+[2][3]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[14]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedSlight — 1–3 mm retraction handles it[2][14]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Easy — minor profile tuning; Tough+ wants a hotter nozzle than plain PLA[2][3]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedBrass fine indefinitely[15]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedNon-abrasive[16][15]
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; softens below 60 °C like plain PLA[19]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[18]Low — 0.27 % 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]0.27 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab Tough+)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 6–8 h; 65–75 °C for 12 h on a Bambu Lab X1 heatbed[2][3]
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 %[20][17]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for the modified grades; the loss shows as poor layer adhesion rather than a strength number[18]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[3][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]35–43 (printed XY, ISO 527); 53 on My Tech Fun 4×4 mm bars for Bambu Lab Tough[2][3][21][22]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]1860–2150 (printed XY, ISO 527) — below plain PLA at 2300–3427[2][3][23][24]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]5.1–5.7 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]62–65 (printed XY, ISO 178) — below plain PLA at 76–87[2][3][25][24]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]2140–2393 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented38.9–72.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched) — 5–9× plain PLA[2][3]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Charpy unnotched 80.6 printed XY (Bambu Lab Tough+); CNC Kitchen measured ~20 vs 5 kJ/m² for PolyLite PLA[3][21]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPaNot documented20.9–32.4 printed Z (ISO 527); 33.0 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars vs 27.6 for PLA Basic[2][3][22]
Brittleness1–5Not documentedTough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2][3][21]
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]78.8 Shore D measured on printed bars (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[26]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedPoor — 12 mm bar sagged to 20.2 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, the same as plain PLA[22][27]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Below average — impact modifiers raise absorbed energy 5–9×; plain PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[28][3][21]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[17]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%Not documented60 (Bambu Lab Tough+) to 78 (PolyMax PLA), printed[2][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]55 (PolyMax) to 61 (Tough+), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][3]
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 (PolyMax) to 58 (Tough+), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented61 (DSC)[2][3]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]149–151 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 62 (ISO 306)[2][3]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]48–57 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature: 48 for Polymaker PLA Pro, 50 for Sunlu PLA+, 52 for Bambu Lab Tough, 57 for PolyTerra PLA+[22][29][26][27]
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[30]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[3][2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedDegrades within weeks outdoors[19][31]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[2][3]
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[32][19]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[32]
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[33]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[33]
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[33]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[33]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[33]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[33]None needed in a normal room[33]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[31][19]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[19][34]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[19]
Support material pairingNot documentedPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker); Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2][3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailNot documented55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges (Bambu Lab Tough+)[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[35]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[36]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[35]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[36][37]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[35]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[38][37]

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. PolyMax PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Tough+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. eSUN PLA+ 1.75mm 1KG eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Overture PLA+ 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. JAYO PLA+ 1.1KG Reusable Spool 1.75mm JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Polymaker PolyMax PLA 0.75kg Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Fiberlogy Impact PLA 850g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. PLA HR-870 NATURAL Sakata 3D Filaments · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 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. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  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. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  21. The difference of PLA and PLA+ tested! (feat. Polymaker) CNC Kitchen · 2020-08 · test
  22. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  24. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  25. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — 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. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  31. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  32. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  33. 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
  34. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  35. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  36. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  37. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  38. 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