3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PA6/66 vs PPS

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

PA66 (Nylon 66) guidePPS guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PA6/66 comparisonsMore PPS comparisons
PA6/66 vs PPS — documented properties and sources
PropertyPA66 (Nylon 66)PAPPSHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshotsNot documented$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyamide 66, condensed from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid; melts around 40 °C above PA6[1]Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.14 (extruded unfilled PA66 stock)[4]1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[2][5]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documented1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[6][7][8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[6][7][8]
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[6][9]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7]
Spool sizes & diametersNot documented1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[6][7]
Typical applicationsNot documentedChemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[3]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°CNot documented335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[2][5]
Bed temperature°CNot documented110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[2][5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive)[1]Actively heated chamber required[10][11]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedAdhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[5]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[1]Expert / industrial hardware only[10][11]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Not documentedBrass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[10]
Abrasiveness1–5Not documentedNon-abrasive when unfilled[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very high — frequent jams without careful setup[12][13]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[14]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Very high (>2 %)[13]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[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]0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[15]
Drying temperature & timeNot documentedAt least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[5]
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][12]Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[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]50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][5][15]
Young's modulusMPa2413 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638; converted from 350,000 psi)[4]2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[2][5][15]
Elongation at break%50 at break on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D638)[4]18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[2][5][15]
Flexural strengthMPa113.8 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 16,500 psi)[4]52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[2][15]
Flexural modulusMPa3034 on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D790; converted from 440,000 psi)[4]2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²Not documented1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[5]
Other impact dataIzod 53 J/m on extruded PA66 stock, converted from 1.0 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[4]Izod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[15]
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]Rockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[15]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Not documentedExcellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[15][5]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Excellent — living hinges viable[1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Semi-flexible[12]Rigid[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]90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[2][5][15]
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]107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[5][15]
Melting point / Vicat°C255 melting on extruded PA66 stock (ASTM D2133; converted from 491 °F)[4]283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[2][5][15]
Continuous service temperature°C85 long term and 149 short term on extruded PA66 stock (converted from 185 °F and 300 °F)[4]170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[15]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K81.0 (extruded PA66 stock, ASTM D696; source states 4.5e-5 in/in/°F)[4]59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[15]
Flammability / UL 94UL 94 V-2 on extruded PA66 stock[4]UL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[2]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceNot documentedOutstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedExcellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[15]
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[17]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[17]
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[17]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median — low for ultrafine particles despite the highest VOC mass of any filament tested[17]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament — the largest single-VOC emission rate measured in the study[17]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[17]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid above ~80 %, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — laboratory reagents.[18]None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[19][20]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack it — 10 % marginal, 37 % not resistant; alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it.[18]Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[20]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[18]None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[19]

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. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  4. TECAMID 66 natural (PA66) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  6. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  11. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  15. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. 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
  18. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  19. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds