3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PPA vs PPS

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

PPA (polyphthalamide) guidePPS guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PPA comparisonsMore PPS comparisons
PPA vs PPS — documented properties and sources
PropertyPPA (polyphthalamide)PAPPSHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings$116.97/kg median; $84.00–$200.00/kg across 3 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPolyphthalamide — 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[1][2]Polyphenylene sulfide — a semi-crystalline high-temperature polymer[3][4]
Densityg/cm³1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[5]1.28 (ISO 1183, 3DXTech) and 1.33 (ISO 1183, Spectrum PPS AM230)[3][6]
Typical priceUSD/kgOne 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[7]1 kg-equivalent spools span 84–200; the middle of the market is about 117[8][9][10]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg45 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]84-200 across brands and diameters; IEMAI 3D 84 at 1 kg, Spectrum PPS AM230 117 at 750 g, 3DXTech ThermaX PPS 140 at 2.85 mm and 200 at 1.75 mm[8][9][10]
Market availability1–5Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[7]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[8][9]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm, 1 kg[7]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 500 g and 750 g spools[8][9]
Typical applicationsGears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[5]Chemical-plant and under-bonnet parts needing solvent resistance above 200 °C[4]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C280–300 (Siraya Tech)[5]335-345 (3DXTech printed-specimen conditions); 300-330 (Spectrum)[3][6]
Bed temperature°C70–80 (Siraya Tech)[5]110-130 (3DXTech); 100-120 (Spectrum)[3][6]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[5]Actively heated chamber required[11][12]
Recommended chamber temperature°CNot documented60-80 actively heated (Spectrum PPS AM230)[6]
Part cooling fan20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidPEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[5]Adhesive required — Spectrum specifies Magigoo Pro HT[6]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[5]Expert / industrial hardware only[11][12]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[5]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[11]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive when unfilled[5]Non-abrasive when unfilled[3]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech tells users to dry only when moisture symptoms appear, rather than before every print[5]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 110 °C pre-dry before every print[13]
Hotend requirementHigh-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5High (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][2][14]Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — Polymaker states minimal water absorption at 0.05 %[4]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%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]0.01 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570) — effectively non-absorbing[15]
Drying temperature & time80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[5]At least 3 h at 90 °C in hot dry air if the filament has taken up moisture (Spectrum)[6]
Symptoms when wetOozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthSiraya 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]Little to measure — equilibrium uptake is 0.05 %; 3DXTech still specifies a 110 °C, 4 h pre-dry before printing[4][13]
Storage requirementDry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[5][7]50 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 65 at break injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 94 at yield on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][6][15]
Young's modulusMPa3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]2650 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 3650 injection-moulded (ISO 527, Spectrum); 5769 on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[3][6][15]
Elongation at break%10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[5]18 at break (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech) against 2.0 injection-moulded (Spectrum) and 2.5 on extruded stock — the suppliers disagree by nearly an order of magnitude[3][6][15]
Flexural strengthMPa115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[5][7]52 (printed XY, ISO 178, 3DXTech); 141 on extruded stock (ASTM D790)[3][15]
Flexural modulusMPa3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[5]2540 (printed XY, ISO 178)[3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[5]1.3 notched injection-moulded (ISO 179-1eA, Spectrum); unnotched 18[6]
Other impact dataNot documentedIzod notched 33 J/m on extruded PPS stock, converted from 0.62 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[15]
Brittleness1–5Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[5]Moderate[3]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell 105 (and R124) on extruded PPS stock (ASTM D785)[15]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[1]Excellent — holds load for years. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PPS stock, and Spectrum states that rigidity, strength and creep resistance are unchanged under continuous load at high temperature[15][6]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[5]Rigid[3]
Wear resistance & frictionSiraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[5][7]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[5]90 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 129 injection-moulded (ISO 75, Spectrum); 204 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 66 psi)[3][6][15]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C73.5 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][2]107 injection-moulded (ISO 75 at 1.81 MPa, Spectrum); 104 on extruded stock (ASTM D648 at 264 psi)[6][15]
Glass transition (Tg)°C80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[5]283 melting (ISO 11357, 3DXTech) and 280 on extruded stock; Vicat softening 236 at 50 N injection-moulded (ISO 306, Spectrum)[3][6][15]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented170 long-term service on extruded PPS stock, converted from 338 °F[15]
Annealing responseSiraya 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][16]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented59.4 (extruded PPS stock, 22-60 °C, ASTM D696; source states 3.3e-5 in/in/°F)[15]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 at 1.5 mm, rated on the base resin[3]
Environment & Chemical
Chemical resistanceWithstands 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][2]Outstanding — PPS resists essentially all solvents below 200 °C[4]
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[5][7]Excellent — essentially unaffected; extruded stock takes up 0.01 % water in 24 h[15]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Not documentedModerate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[17]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5Not documentedVentilated room or enclosure recommended[17]
Post-Processing
Support material pairingCompatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[5]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inDissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[18]None — PPS does not dissolve in any known solvent below 200 °C.[19][20]
Softened or crazed byMineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[18]Nothing at 23 °C; Ensinger rates it only conditionally resistant to benzene, dichloromethane, toluene and pyridine.[20]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[18]None — no solvent welds or smooths PPS.[19]

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. Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  3. ThermaX PPS Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PPS — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  5. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. Spectrum PPS AM230 Technical Data Sheet Spectrum Filaments · 2022-04 · tds
  7. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Spectrum PPS AM230 Natural, 1.75 mm / 750 g 3DJAKE · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. IEMAI 3D PPS 3D Printing Filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  12. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  13. THERMAX PPS — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  15. TECATRON natural (PPS) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
  17. 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
  18. Ultramid Nylon Chemical Resistance guide (unmodified PA6 B27E and PA66 A27E) BASF · 2026-08 · tds
  19. PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) — Knowledge Base Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds