3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA-PHA vs PPA

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

PLA/PHA blend guidePPA (polyphthalamide) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA-PHA comparisonsMore PPA comparisons
PLA-PHA vs PPA — documented properties and sources
PropertyPLA/PHA blendPLAPPA (polyphthalamide)PA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1]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[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.2 (ISO 1183)[1]1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kgNot documentedOne 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[5]
Price range across brandsUSD/kgNot documented45 for the only unfilled PPA filament found — Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA at 1 kg; every other PPA in retail is carbon- or glass-filled[5]
Market availability1–5Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][6]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[5]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[1]1.75 mm, 1 kg[5]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1]Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C195–220 (colorFabb)[1]280–300 (Siraya Tech)[4]
Bed temperature°C50–60 (colorFabb)[1]70–80 (Siraya Tech)[4]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[4]
Part cooling fan0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[1][7]20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[4]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[4]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[7][8]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1]Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[4]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[1]Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[4]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[1]Non-abrasive when unfilled[4]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[9]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[4]
Hotend requirementNot documentedHigh-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[4]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[10][11]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[4][3][12]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%Not documented2.59 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[4]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[4]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedOozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[4]
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[13]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[4][5]
Storage requirementNot documentedDry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[4]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[4][5]
Young's modulusMPa2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1]3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4]
Elongation at break%4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1]10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4]
Flexural strengthMPaNot documented115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[4][5]
Flexural modulusMPa2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1]3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[4]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1]10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[4]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1]Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[4]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[14][15][16]Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[2]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[17][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[4]
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[4][5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°CNot documented81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[4]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°CNot documented73.5 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[4][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[4]
Melting point / Vicat°CAbove 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1]231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[4]
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[4][5][18]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[19]Not documented
Chemical resistanceNot documentedWithstands fuels, oils and industrial chemicals; Bambu Lab rates semi-aromatic nylon better than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis and most organic solvents[4][3]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Not documentedAbsorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[4][5]
Biodegradability / compostabilitycolorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[20]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[20]Not documented
Post-Processing
Support material pairingNot documentedCompatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[21]Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[22]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[21][23]Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[22]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[24][23]None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[22]

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. PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  7. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  8. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  9. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  11. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  12. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  13. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  14. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  15. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  16. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  17. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  18. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  19. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  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. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  22. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  23. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  24. 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