3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA HS vs PPA

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

High-Speed PLA guidePPA (polyphthalamide) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA HS comparisonsMore PPA comparisons
PLA HS vs PPA — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-Speed PLAPLAPPA (polyphthalamide)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[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/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[1]1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[6][7][8]One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[10][11][12]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[9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[13][8][14]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[6][8]1.75 mm, 1 kg[9]
Typical applicationsLarge or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[15][13]Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[16]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[1][13]280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed temperature°C30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[1][17]70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[1][13][15][18]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[19]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[13][1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[21][20]Non-abrasive when unfilled[5]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[20]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; PLA softens below 60 °C[22]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[19]High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[1]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][23]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[1]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 & time55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1][17]80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5]
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[24]Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[24]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][9]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[17][19]Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[1][25]72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][9]
Young's modulusMPa2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
Elongation at break%15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]
Flexural strengthMPa71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][9]
Flexural modulusMPa2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[1]10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5]
Other impact dataPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[1][25]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 / Rockwell78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[26]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[25]Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[3]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[27][22]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5]
Z strength as % of XY%74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[1]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][9]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]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)°C59 (DSC)[1]80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5]
Melting point / Vicat°C164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[1]231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5]
Continuous service temperature°C53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[25]Not documented
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][9][28]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[29]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[17][2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[22][30]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[1]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 service1–5Good — insoluble in water[17]Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][9]
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[22]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[31][22]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[31]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[32]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[32]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[30][22]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[22][33]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[22]Not documented
Support material pairingPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[1]Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[34]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[35]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[34][36]Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[35]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[37][36]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[35]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · 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. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  16. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  18. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  28. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  30. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  31. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  32. 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
  33. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  34. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  35. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  36. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  37. 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