3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PAHT-CF vs rPLA

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

High-temperature CF nylon (PAHT-CF) guideRecycled PLA (rPLA) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PAHT-CF comparisonsMore rPLA comparisons
PAHT-CF vs rPLA — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-temperature CF nylon (PAHT-CF)PARecycled PLA (rPLA)PLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$59.98/kg median; $49.99–$69.98/kg across 2 dated product listings$20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryHigh-temperature carbon-fibre nylon. Bambu Lab's PAHT-CF and Polymaker's PA612-CF15 both use a long-chain polyamide matrix for lower moisture uptake than PA6[1][2]PLA regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[3][4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.03 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 1.06 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[1][2]1.24 (ISO 1183)[3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 60[1][6]1 kg spools run 20–22[7][8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg50–70 across brands; Bambu Lab 50, Polymaker Fiberon PA612-CF15 70[1][6]16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[10][11]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[1][6]Available from several mainstream brands[4][5][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[6][1]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[12][10][4]
Typical applicationsUnder-bonnet and near-motor parts needing 170 °C-plus heat deflection with less humidity drift than PA6[1][2]General-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[4][5]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[4][3][13]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab)[1]210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[3][5]
Bed temperature°CNot documented40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[3][5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[1]Open frame is fine[3][14]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documented100 %[3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[15][16]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s8 at Bambu Lab's 100 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[1][17]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone — brim not generally needed[3]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[15]Sticks to anything[18]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[16]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[1][19]Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[3][14]
Extruder requirement0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA612-CF15 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[2]Brass fine indefinitely[14]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-CF15[2]Non-abrasive[20][14]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[19]Very low[14]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[15]Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[21]
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[15]No special hot-end required[18]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — 0.88 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH for Bambu Lab PAHT-CF, a third of its PA6-CF; Polymaker's PA612-CF15 reaches 2.2 % equilibrium[1][2][22]Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[3][13]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.88 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab PAHT-CF); 2.2 equilibrium (Polymaker PA612-CF15)[1][2]0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[3]
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[19]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker publishes dry and wet printed blocks for PA612-CF15 itself: at 2.57 % moisture tensile falls only 91.9 → 83.1 MPa and modulus 5137 → 3991 MPa — the PA612 backbone absorbs far less than PA6[2][23]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[19]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[19]Sealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[24][18]
Hydrolysis at melt temperaturePolymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis[25][26]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa92 ± 7 (Bambu Lab) and 91.9 ± 2.0 (Polymaker PA612-CF15, dry/annealed) printed XY, ISO 527; the Polymaker grade only falls to 83.1 ± 2.2 conditioned to 2.57 % moisture[1][2]49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[3][13]
Young's modulusMPa3860 ± 230 (Bambu Lab) and 5137 ± 192 (Polymaker PA612-CF15, dry) printed XY, ISO 527; Polymaker 3991 ± 137 conditioned[1][2]2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[3][13]
Elongation at break%2.6 ± 0.2 dry (Polymaker PA612-CF15) to 8.4 ± 1.8 (Bambu Lab) printed XY, ISO 527; Polymaker 4.1 ± 0.3 conditioned[1][2]3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[3][13]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[3][13]
Flexural modulusMPa4230 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[1]3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[3][13]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²8.1 ± 0.8 printed XY dry and 7.7 ± 0.5 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker PA612-CF15)[2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 57.5 ± 3.4 and notched 22.8 ± 1.8 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[1]Charpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[3][13]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa47 ± 5 (Bambu Lab) and 48.3 ± 3.9 (Polymaker PA612-CF15, dry) printed Z, ISO 527; Polymaker 35.6 ± 3.0 conditioned[1][2]21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[3][13]
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Brittle — snaps with little warning[21][20]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellRockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre long-chain nylon filament[27]80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[3][13]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 compound for sustained static and dynamic load with 110 °C continuous service; the long-chain PA612 matrix takes up 0.88 % at saturation, a third of the same maker's PA6-CF, so it holds dimension better[28][2]Poor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[29][30]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[28]Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[31][21]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[20]
Z strength as % of XY%51 (Bambu Lab) to 53 (Polymaker PA612-CF15), printed[1][2]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C175 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 194 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[3][13]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C114 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 170 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[3][13]
Glass transition (Tg)°C70 (Bambu Lab, DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C210 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 225 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 206 (Polymaker)[1][2]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[5]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[32]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[25]Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[24][33]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[16]Degrades within weeks outdoors[21][34]
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[16]Good against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[33][21]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — less than PA6 but more than PA12[23][1]Good — insoluble in water[24]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[16]Filamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[5][21]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[16]Industrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[5]
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[16]The feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[5][11]
Electrical & ESD propertiesSurface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker PA612-CF15, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[2]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[35]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[35]
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[35]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[35]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[35]Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[4]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[35]None needed in a normal room[35]
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[25]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[15]Wet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[34][21]
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[15]Superglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[4]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[15]No practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[21]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[36]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[37]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[36]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[37][38]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[36]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[39][38]

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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PAHT-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  3. Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
  4. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  14. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  17. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  18. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  23. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  26. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  27. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  28. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  29. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  32. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  33. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  34. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  35. 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
  36. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  37. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  38. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  39. 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