3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PPA-CF vs TPU soft

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

PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) guideSoft TPU (below 85A) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PPA-CF comparisonsMore TPU soft comparisons
PPA-CF vs TPU soft — documented properties and sources
PropertyPPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide)PASoft TPU (below 85A)FLEX
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$84.99/kg median; $21.99–$266.67/kg across 7 dated product listings$114.04/kg median; $109.80–$122.27/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyphthalamide — semi-aromatic nylon — with 10–15 wt% chopped carbon fibre; Bambu Lab lists the composition as semi-aromatic nylon plus carbon fibre, Raise3D and Siraya Tech state 15 wt%, Flashforge 10 %[1][2][3][4]Very soft thermoplastic elastomers below 85 Shore A. Fiberlogy's FiberFlex 30D measures 81 Shore A, the softest grade with a published datasheet found here[5]
Densityg/cm³1.15 (Raise3D) to 1.25 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D), ISO 1183; Flashforge 1.21–1.23[1][2][3][6]1.07 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 1183)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools span 22–267; the middle of the market is about 85[7][8][9][10][11][12]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 115[13][14][15]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg22–267 across brands; CHCKX 22 on Amazon, IEMAI 3D 51, Siraya Tech 57 and 85, Bambu Lab 200 at 750 g, Raise3D 209, 3DXTech CarbonX HTN+CF 267 at 750 g[7][8][9][16][10][11][12]110–122 at 1 kg-equivalent; Recreus 70A 110 and 60A 116 at 500 g, NinjaTek Edge 83A 112, NinjaTek Chinchilla 75A 122; the Recreus 3 kg spools fall to 70–73[13][15][14]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[7][8][9][10][11]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[5][17][13]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 750 g, 1 kg, 2 kg and 2.5 kg spools[1][9][11]1.75, 2.85 and 3 mm; 0.5, 0.85, 1, 2 and 3 kg spools[5][13][18][14]
Typical applicationsUnder-bonnet automotive brackets, jigs and end-use parts that must stay stiff above the 100 °C working ceiling of PA6-CF[2][3]Highly compliant seals, soft grips and prosthetic liners[5]
Diameter tolerance± mm0.05 (Bambu Lab and Siraya Tech, 1.75 mm)[1][4]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C280–310 (Bambu Lab and CHCKX); 280–320 (Siraya Tech)[1][4][12]Not documented
Bed temperature°C100–120 (Bambu Lab and CHCKX); Siraya Tech runs cooler at 70–90[1][4][12]50–70 (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure required (passive) — Bambu Lab specifies a 50–80 °C chamber and Siraya Tech requires an enclosure, while Flashforge states its LUVOCOM-based grade prints on machines with no heated chamber[1][3][9]Open frame is fine[5]
Recommended chamber temperature°C50–80 (Bambu Lab); specimens were printed at a 52 °C chamber and Bambu Lab notes 70–80 °C raises Z properties[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanBambu Lab turns the part fan on; Siraya Tech runs it off[1][4]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidSmooth or textured PEI plate with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[1][4]PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[19][20]
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s8–12 mm³/s at 300–320 °C (Siraya Tech)[4]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; a 320 °C hot end and a hardened nozzle are the entry requirements[1][4]Expert / industrial hardware only — below 85 Shore A the filament buckles in almost any feed path that is not a short, constrained direct drive[18][20]
Extruder requirementNot documentedDirect drive only, with a constrained filament path; Bowden is not viable at this hardness[18][17]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required — Siraya Tech and CHCKX specify hardened steel or better, Raise3D warns brass wears quickly[2][4][12]Brass fine indefinitely[21]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — standard CF/GF composites and glow fills[2][4]Non-abrasive[21]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech states nozzles below 0.4 mm will clog[4][9]High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; below 85 Shore A the filament buckles and compresses, and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates most likely end in a jam[19][20][22]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedVery high — softens in the cold zone readily[20]
Hotend requirementNot documentedNo special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[19]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (0.8–2 %) — 1.30 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH for Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D against 2.35 % for the same makers' PA6-CF, which is the whole reason to pay for PPA[1][6][23]Moderate[22]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%1.30 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D) against 2.35 for their PA6-CF; Siraya Tech 1.37 and 1.09 by ISO 62, Raise3D 0.6 by ISO 62 Method 1, Flashforge below 0.1 at 23 °C / 24 h[1][2][3][4][24][6][23]Not documented
Drying temperature & time100–140 °C for 8–12 h (Bambu Lab, hotter is better within that range); Siraya Tech 100 °C for 4–6 h; Raise3D 80–100 °C for 6–12 h[1][2][4]Not documented
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[22]
Effect of moisture on strengthNot documentedPolymaker groups TPU with the highly hygroscopic materials; no dry-versus-conditioned figures are published[22]
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant (Bambu Lab); Raise3D keeps the spool in a dry box throughout the print[1][2]Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[22]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa95–168 (printed XY, ISO 527): Siraya Tech 95, Flashforge 108–112, Siraya Tech Core 112, Raise3D 122 conditioned and annealed, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 168[1][2][3][4][24][6]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa7100–11800 (printed XY): Flashforge 7100–8000, Raise3D and Siraya Tech 7800, Siraya Tech Core 9300, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 11800[1][2][3][4][24][6]Not documented
Elongation at break%1.9–5 at break (printed XY): Raise3D 1.9, Siraya Tech 2, Siraya Tech Core 2.25, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 3.2, Flashforge 3.5–5[1][2][3][4][24][6]870 at break (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 527) — the highest elongation in the dataset[5]
Flexural strengthMPa145–221 (printed XY, ISO 178): Siraya Tech 145, Siraya Tech Core 178, Raise3D 190, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 208, Flashforge 210–221[1][2][3][4][24][6]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa6500–9860 (printed XY, ISO 178): Flashforge 6500–7000, Siraya Tech 6800, Raise3D 8510, Siraya Tech Core 8700, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 9860[1][2][3][4][24][6]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²6.5 notched Charpy XY (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, ISO 179); Raise3D 7.8 and Siraya Tech 11 by ISO 179 without stating notched[1][2][4][6]Not documented
Other impact dataBambu Lab and IEMAI 3D unnotched Charpy 41.7 kJ/m² XY against 4.3 in Z; Flashforge Izod 9–11 kJ/m² XY against 2.5–3 in Z[1][3][6]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa57 printed Z (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, ISO 527); Raise3D measures 30.2 by a custom mono-layer method[1][2][6]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2–3 % elongation at break is typical[1][2][4]Very ductile — bends far before failing[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented81 Shore A and 30 Shore D (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 7619)[5]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good — Flashforge cites outstanding creep resistance at high temperature and Raise3D high creep resistance, both against other nylons[2][3]Poor — no creep test at this hardness; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[25]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Not documentedExcellent — living hinges viable[20]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rubbery / highly elastic[5]
Z strength as % of XY%34 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, Z against XY tensile, ISO 527)[1][6]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documentedTear strength 95 kN/m (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, ISO 34-1)[5]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C188–227 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa): Raise3D 188, Flashforge 220, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 227; Siraya Tech reaches 192–199 only after annealing, 84.5–97 unannealed[1][2][3][4][24][6]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C113–196 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa): Raise3D 113, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 196; Siraya Tech reaches 119–126 only after annealing, 82.5–84 unannealed[1][2][4][24][6]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C80 (Siraya Tech, ASTM D3418) to 85 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, DSC)[1][4][6]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°CMelting point 231 (Raise3D) to 258 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D); Vicat softening 230–238 (ISO 306)[1][2][4][24][6]170 melting (Fiberlogy FiberFlex 30D, DSC)[5]
Continuous service temperature°C120 (Flashforge, IEC 60216, LUVOCOM PPA-CF)[3]Not documented
Annealing responseBambu Lab anneals at 120–140 °C for 6–12 h; Raise3D at 80–100 °C for 8 h and warns of up to 0.5 % Z shrinkage. On Siraya Tech's grades annealing lifts HDT at 0.45 MPa from 84.5 to 192 °C while notched Charpy falls from 11 to 6.3 kJ/m²[1][2][4]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; Bambu Lab lists water, carbon oxides and nitrogen oxides as combustion products. No UL 94 rating is published for the filament grades surveyed[1]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Not documentedGood — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[20]
Chemical resistanceBetter than general nylon against weak acids, weak alkalis, most organic solvents and most oils and greases (Bambu Lab); not resistant to strong acids or strong alkalis[1]Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[20]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — minor absorption; 1.3 % saturated moisture is roughly half what PA6-CF takes up[1][23]Not documented
Food contactNot documentedNot food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[20]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedNot biodegradable[20]
RecyclabilityNot documentedNot accepted in household plastic collection[20]
Electrical & ESD propertiesFlashforge's data sheet gives a surface resistance of 10³ Ω or below (IEC 60093) for its LUVOCOM-based PPA-CF — the carbon loading makes it conductive rather than merely dissipative[3]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedLow hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[26]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedOpen a window / occasional ventilation[26]
Dust & fibre handling hazardChopped carbon fibre; dry sanding and cutting release respirable fibre-laden dust[27]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedDifficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[20]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[20]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing[20]
Support material pairingBambu Lab pairs it with Support for PA/PET; Raise3D warns that PPA-CF used as its own support bonds permanently to the model once it takes up moisture, so supports must come off before annealing[1][2]Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[20]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.[28]DMF, DMSO, NMP and THF dissolve TPU; acetone, MEK and cyclohexanone are partial solvents. All laboratory reagents.[29]
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.[28]Toluene and benzene swell it up to +50 % by weight at 23 °C; esters swell it severely; ethanol and IPA soften it.[29]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.[28]None practical — the true solvents (DMF, THF, NMP) are laboratory reagents and leave the joint swollen and weak.[29]

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 V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  3. Flashforge PPA-CF Filament Technical Data Sheet (LUVOCOM PPA-CF, 10 % carbon fibre) Flashforge · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. FiberFlex 30D Technical Data Sheet Fiberlogy · 2026-08 · tds
  6. IEMAI 3D CF-PPA Technical Data Sheet IEMAI 3D · 2025-04 · tds
  7. PPA-CF — Bambu Lab US Store Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Filament 1.75 mm (1 kg) — product listing MatterHackers · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Fibreheart PPA-CF Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI 3D CF-PPA 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. CARBONX HTN+CF — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. CHCKX PPA-CF 3D Printing Filament Matte Black 1 kg 1.75 mm 10 % Carbon Fiber — Amazon listing Amazon.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Chinchilla product page — print guidelines, spool sizes and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. NinjaFlex Edge product page — durometer, print guidelines and price NinjaTek · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Core Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Filaflex 82A product page (Shore hardness and elongation) Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. NinjaFlex 85A Technical Specifications NinjaTek · 2026-08 · tds
  19. Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
  22. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  24. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Core Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  25. BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
  26. 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
  27. PET-CF / PPA-CF / PPS-CF / PA6-CF carbon fibre filament usage guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  28. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  29. Elastollan — Chemical properties: swelling and chemical resistance BASF · 2026-08 · tds