Filament comparison
PAHT-CF vs HT soluble
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | High-temperature CF nylon (PAHT-CF)PA | High-temperature supportSUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $59.98/kg median; $49.99–$69.98/kg across 2 dated product listings | $209.00/kg median; $100.00–$290.00/kg across 4 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | High-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] | Break-away support compounded to survive high-temperature print chambers; 3DXTech sells separate grades for PC/ABS and for the PAEK and PEI class[3][4] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.03 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 1.06 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[1][2] | 1.37 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, ISO 1183)[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 60[1][5] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 168[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 50–70 across brands; Bambu Lab 50, Polymaker Fiberon PA612-CF15 70[1][5] | 100–290 across grades; 3DXTech THERMAX MTS1 100 at 2 kg, HTS2 168 at 250 g, HTS1 250 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D HT-SP 290 at 1 kg[6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Available from several mainstream brands[1][5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[6][7] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 0.5 and 1 kg spools[5][1] | 1.75 mm; 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg spools[6] |
| Typical applications | Under-bonnet and near-motor parts needing 170 °C-plus heat deflection with less humidity drift than PA6[1][2] | Support for PEEK, PEI and PC-class prints, where PVA and PLA-based supports would decompose[3][4] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 260–290 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 45–60 °C chamber[1] | Actively heated chamber required — it is used inside high-temperature builds[3] |
| Recommended chamber temperature°C | 45–60 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo[8][9] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 8 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 difficulty1–5 | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive[8] | Not documented |
| Stringing / oozing tendency1–5 | Moderate — retraction tuning needed[9] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Expert / industrial hardware only[1][11] | Expert / industrial hardware only[3] |
| Extruder requirement | 0.6 mm nozzle recommended by Bambu Lab; 0.4 and 0.8 also supported[1] | A dual-extruder machine rated for high-temperature materials; 3DXTech states the grade is intended for dual-extruder printers designed to print high-temp materials[12] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA612-CF15 and recommends hardened steel or ruby[2] | Brass fine indefinitely[3] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA612-CF15[2] | Non-abrasive[3] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles[11] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1[12][13] |
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5 | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed[8] | Not documented |
| Hotend requirement | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D)[8] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | High (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][14] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 80 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker 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][15] | No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1 because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[12][13] |
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant[11] | Not documented |
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker 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[16][17] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 92 ± 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] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 3860 ± 230 (Bambu Lab) and 5137 ± 192 (Polymaker PA612-CF15, dry) printed XY, ISO 527; Polymaker 3991 ± 137 conditioned[1][2] | Not documented |
| 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] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 4230 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 8.1 ± 0.8 printed XY dry and 7.7 ± 0.5 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker PA612-CF15)[2] | Not documented |
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 57.5 ± 3.4 and notched 22.8 ± 1.8 printed XY (Bambu Lab, ISO 179)[1] | Not documented |
| Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa | 47 ± 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 |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate[1] | Not documented |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre long-chain nylon filament[18] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Good. 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[19][2] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Good. Ensinger states carbon-filled PA66 compounds have improved fatigue strength in tension, flexure and compression[19] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Z strength as % of XY% | 51 (Bambu Lab) to 53 (Polymaker PA612-CF15), printed[1][2] | Not documented |
| Wear resistance & friction | Not documented | 3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its support grades — they are not characterised as structural materials[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 175 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 194 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][2] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 114 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 170 (Bambu Lab), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][2] | 205 (THERMAX HTS1, printed XY, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[3] |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 70 (Bambu Lab, DSC)[1] | 225 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, DSC) — high enough to stay solid inside a PEI or PEEK build[3] |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 210 (Polymaker PA612-CF15) and 225 (Bambu Lab) melting, DSC; Vicat 206 (Polymaker)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed[16] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV[9] | Not documented |
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis[9] | Not documented |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift — less than PA6 but more than PA12[15][1] | Not documented |
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified as filament[9] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable[9] | Not documented |
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection[9] | Not documented |
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker PA612-CF15, ANSI/ESD S11.11)[2] | Surface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq on all three THERMAX support grades (ASTM D257) — insulating[3][20][4] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised[21] | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[21] |
| VOC emission rateµg/min | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study[21] | Not documented |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rateparticles/min | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured[21] | Not documented |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament[21] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[21] | Open a window / occasional ventilation[21] |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled[16] | Not documented |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — gums rather than powders[8] | Not documented |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide[8] | Not documented |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing[8] | Not documented |
| Support material pairing | Not documented | This is the support material. MTS1 is matched to PC/ABS and PC; HTS1 and HTS2 to the higher-temperature classes[4][3] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[22] | Aqueous alkali, not water: IEMAI specifies an alkaline bath in an ultrasonic cleaner until the support dissolves.[7] |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[22] | Not documented |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[22] | None — the alkaline bath dissolves the support rather than welding anything.[7] |
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
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PAHT-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Fiberon PA612-CF15 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- THERMAX HTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
- 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- IEMAI 3D HT-SP alkaline-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
- Nylon — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- PA (Nylon) — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- THERMAX MTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Moisture Conditioning — effect on printed nylon properties Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 Technical Data Sheet V1.1 Polymaker · 2024-12 · tds
- PolyMide CoPA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 (dry and wet status blocks) Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- TECAMID 66 GF30 black (PA66-GF30) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- TECACOMP PA66 CF30 black — injection-moulding compound Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
- THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
- 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
- Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds