3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PAHT-CF vs PPA

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

High-temperature CF nylon (PAHT-CF) guidePPA (polyphthalamide) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PAHT-CF comparisonsMore PPA comparisons
PAHT-CF vs PPA — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-temperature CF nylon (PAHT-CF)PAPPA (polyphthalamide)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$59.98/kg median; $49.99–$69.98/kg across 2 dated product listings$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 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]Polyphthalamide — a semi-aromatic polyamide in which aromatic diacid units replace part of the aliphatic backbone; Raise3D and Bambu Lab both label it high-temperature nylon[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.03 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 1.06 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[1][2]1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 60[1][6]One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg50–70 across brands; Bambu Lab 50, Polymaker Fiberon PA612-CF15 70[1][6]45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[7]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[1][6]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[6][1]1.75 mm, 1 kg[7]
Typical applicationsUnder-bonnet and near-motor parts needing 170 °C-plus heat deflection with less humidity drift than PA6[1][2]Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C260–290 (Bambu Lab)[1]280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed temperature°CNot documented70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[1]Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5]
Recommended chamber temperature°C45–60 (Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanNot documented20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[8][9]PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5]
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][10]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8]Not documented
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Moderate — retraction tuning needed[9]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Expert / industrial hardware only[1][11]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5]
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 — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-CF15[2]Non-abrasive when unfilled[5]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[11]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[5]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[8]Not documented
Hotend requirementMay require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[8]High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5]
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][12]High (0.8–2 %) — Siraya Tech publishes 2.59 % by ISO 62 immersion for the unfilled grade; on the equilibrium basis Bambu Lab uses, its 15 % carbon-filled PPA reaches 1.30 % against 2.35 % for the same maker's PA6-CF[5][4][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]2.59 by ISO 62 water immersion (Siraya Tech, unfilled) — an immersion figure, not the 25 °C / 55 % RH equilibrium basis the filled grades are quoted on, so the two are not directly comparable[5]
Drying temperature & time80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab)[1]80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedOozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5]
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][14]Siraya Tech publishes dry against saturated for the same grade: tensile 70 → 60 MPa, flexural 114 → 87 MPa, HDT at 1.8 MPa 73.5 → 48.5 °C, while Charpy rises 10 → 14.5 kJ/m²[5][7]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[11]Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5]
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[15][16]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]72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][7]
Young's modulusMPa3860 ± 230 (Bambu Lab) and 5137 ± 192 (Polymaker PA612-CF15, dry) printed XY, ISO 527; Polymaker 3991 ± 137 conditioned[1][2]3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
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]10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][7]
Flexural modulusMPa4230 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[1]3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²8.1 ± 0.8 printed XY dry and 7.7 ± 0.5 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker PA612-CF15)[2]10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 57.5 ± 3.4 and notched 22.8 ± 1.8 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[1]Not documented
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]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[5]
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[17]Not documented
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[18][2]Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[18]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5]
Z strength as % of XY%51 (Bambu Lab) to 53 (Polymaker PA612-CF15), printed[1][2]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][7]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C175 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 194 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2]81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C114 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 170 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2]73.5 dry and 48.5 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa, Siraya Tech) — unfilled PPA deflects near its Tg; the 190–227 °C figures quoted for PPA are carbon-filled grades[5][4]
Glass transition (Tg)°C70 (Bambu Lab, DSC)[1]80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5]
Melting point / Vicat°C210 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 225 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 206 (Polymaker)[1][2]231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5]
Annealing responseNot documentedSiraya Tech's product page offers annealing for strength while its own data sheet says annealing is not recommended because the print can warp; on its 15 % carbon-filled PPA, annealing lifts HDT at 1.8 MPa from 82.5 to 119 °C[5][7][19]
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[15]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[9]Not documented
Chemical resistanceWithstands oils, fuels and alkalis[9]Withstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[5][4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — less than PA6 but more than PA12[14][1]Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][7]
Food contactNot food-contact certified as filament[9]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot biodegradable[9]Not documented
RecyclabilityNot accepted in household plastic collection[9]Not documented
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[20]Not documented
VOC emission rateµg/minUp to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[20]Not documented
Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[20]Not documented
Hazardous species emittedCaprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[20]Not documented
Dust & fibre handling hazardFibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[15]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningSands poorly — gums rather than powders[8]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[8]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing[8]Not documented
Support material pairingNot documentedCompatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[21]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[21]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[21]Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[21]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[21]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[21]

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. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  9. PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  14. Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
  16. PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  17. TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  18. TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  20. 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
  21. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds