3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PPA vs TPE SEBS
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PPA (polyphthalamide)PA | TPE (SEBS)FLEX |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $45.49/kg median; $45.49–$45.49/kg across 1 dated product listings | $98.25/kg median; $76.50–$120.00/kg across 2 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | 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[1][2] | Styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene thermoplastic elastomer — a styrenic rubber, not a polyurethane[3] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.21 (ISO 1183, Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA)[4] | 1.044 printed part density (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 1183-1) — the lightest elastomer here[3] |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | One 1 kg listing on the market, at 45[5] | 1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 77[6] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | 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[5] | 77 for the Recreus 600 g spool; Proto-pasta only lists a 50 g coil, which prices at 120[6][7] |
| Market availability1–5 | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide — Siraya Tech is the only brand found selling unfilled PPA filament[5] | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[3][7][6] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm, 1 kg[5] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.05 and 0.6 kg spools[3][6] |
| Typical applications | Gears, bearings and tooling that must hold load above the reach of PA6 or PA12, and parts exposed to fuels and industrial chemicals[4] | Soft-touch overmoulds and skin-contact parts where a non-polyurethane elastomer is wanted[3] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 280–300 (Siraya Tech)[4] | 260–280 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A) — far hotter than any TPU here[3] |
| Bed temperature°C | 70–80 (Siraya Tech)[4] | 70–90 (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A)[3] |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Enclosure recommended — Siraya Tech advises an enclosure to hold temperature and limit warping on larger prints[4] | Open frame is fine[3] |
| Part cooling fan | 20–60 % (Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating[4] | PEI sheet or painter's tape; Polymaker warns TPU can over-stick and advises a glue stick as a release agent[8][9] |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | Not documented | 0.8–2.4 at the 10–30 mm/s BASF specifies on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer — the slowest material in this group[3] |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; needs a 300 °C-class hot end and a dry spool[4] | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning[3] |
| Extruder requirement | Not documented | Nozzle 0.4 mm or larger; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s[3] |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely — Siraya Tech states a hardened steel nozzle is not needed for the unfilled grade[4] | Brass fine indefinitely[10] |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive when unfilled[4] | Non-abrasive[10] |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | 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] | Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; BASF caps print speed at 10–30 mm/s and Simplify3D warns that raised feed rates on flexibles most likely end in a jam[8][3] |
| Hotend requirement | High-quality metal nozzle, 0.4–1.0 mm; hardened steel not required (Siraya Tech)[4] | No special hot-end required, but a direct-drive extruder is (Simplify3D)[8] |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | 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][2][11] | Negligible (<0.1 % EMC) — BASF states drying is not necessary, unique among the elastomers here[3] |
| 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[4] | Not documented |
| Drying temperature & time | 80–100 °C for 4–6 h (Siraya Tech)[4] | None — BASF states Ultrafuse TPS 90A arrives in a printable condition and drying is not necessary[3] |
| Symptoms when wet | Oozing, bubbles and a rough surface finish (Siraya Tech)[4] | Bubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing and a rough surface[12] |
| Effect of moisture on strength | 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] | Not applicable — the SEBS chemistry has no amide or ester linkages to take up water, and BASF specifies no drying at all[3] |
| Storage requirement | Dry box below 15 % RH (Siraya Tech)[4] | Sealed with desiccant; often kept in a dryer during the print[12] |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 72 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech); the product page quotes 70 dry and 60 saturated[4][5] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 3600 (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 10.5 at break (printed, ASTM D638, Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| Flexural strengthMPa | 115 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech); 114 dry against 87 saturated on the product page[4][5] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 3350 (printed, ISO 178, Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 10.1 Charpy (printed, ISO 179, Siraya Tech); the data sheet does not state whether the specimen was notched[4] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate — 10.5 % elongation at break puts it between PA6 and the fibre-filled grades[4] | Very ductile — bends far before failing[3] |
| Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell | Not documented | 89 Shore A and 29 Shore D (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 7619-1)[3] |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Good — Raise3D cites high creep resistance as a reason to choose the PPA matrix over other nylons[1] | Poor — no SEBS creep test; a printed 95A TPU bar crept from 74.5 to 82.7 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[13] |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Not documented | Excellent — living hinges viable[9] |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid — 3.6 GPa tensile modulus[4] | Rubbery / highly elastic[3] |
| Wear resistance & friction | Siraya Tech describes the unfilled grade as low-friction and self-lubricating, aimed at gears and bearings[4][5] | Abrasion 111 mm³ (ISO 4649) — the poorest abrasion resistance in this group, well behind TPU[3] |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| HDT at 0.45 MPa°C | 81 dry and 61 saturated (printed, ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa, Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| HDT at 1.8 MPa°C | 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[4][2] | Not documented |
| Glass transition (Tg)°C | 80 (ASTM D3418, Siraya Tech)[4] | Not documented |
| Melting point / Vicat°C | 231 melting point (ASTM D3418) and 230 Vicat (ISO 306), Siraya Tech[4] | 242–249 melting (BASF Ultrafuse TPS 90A, ISO 11357-3)[3] |
| Annealing response | Siraya 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][14] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Not documented | Good — years with some colour shift; Polymaker lists UV exposure among the conditions TPU withstands[9] |
| Chemical resistance | 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[4][2] | Withstands industrial solvents and UV exposure (Polymaker)[9] |
| Water / humidity resistance in service1–5 | Absorbs water, properties shift — a saturated specimen loses about 15 % of its tensile strength and 25 °C of heat-deflection temperature[4][5] | Excellent — essentially unaffected[3] |
| Food contact | Not documented | Not food safe without specific certification (Polymaker)[9] |
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not documented | Not biodegradable[9] |
| Recyclability | Not documented | Not accepted in household plastic collection[9] |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Not documented | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; TPU was not among the nine filaments in the chamber study[15] |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | Not documented | Open a window / occasional ventilation[15] |
| Post-Processing | ||
| Sanding & machining | Not documented | Difficult to sand or smooth; Polymaker limits post-processing to trimming or tumbling[9] |
| Gluing & solvent welding | Not documented | Cyanoacrylate bonds TPU; no common solvent welds it[9] |
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | Not documented | No practical vapour smoothing[9] |
| Support material pairing | Compatible with quick-release support materials (Siraya Tech)[4] | Polymaker warns TPU supports are often very difficult to remove[9] |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Dissolved at 23 °C by formic acid, phenol, m-cresol, 96 % sulphuric acid or hexafluoroisopropanol — all laboratory reagents.[16] | Toluene dissolves SEBS at room temperature — Kraton quotes solution viscosity at 25 % mass in toluene, 25 °C.[17] |
| Softened or crazed by | Mineral acids, oxidants, halogens and zinc chloride solutions attack the amide bond; ordinary solvents do not.[16] | Soaking in hydrocarbon solvents and oils deteriorates it; short exposures are tolerated. Resists water, acids and bases.[17] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents are formic acid, phenol and HFIP, all of which degrade the part they wet.[16] | Toluene will weld it, though the joint stays soft; no workshop-safe agent, and vapour smoothing is not practical.[17] |
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
- Raise3D Industrial PPA CF Technical Data Sheet V2.0 Raise3D · 2022-04 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PPA-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Ultrafuse TPS 90A Technical Data Sheet (Version 1.1, SEBS) BASF Forward AM · 2020-12 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · tds
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA Filament — product page Siraya Tech · 2026-08 · vendor
- Recreus product catalogue Recreus · 2026-08 · vendor
- Proto-pasta product catalogue Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flexible (TPE/TPU) — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
- TPU — material basics Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- Extrudr Product Catalogue (DURAPRO PA12 data block) Extrudr · 2025-03 · tds
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PA6-CF Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab TPU 95A HF vs Qidi TPU 95A HF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2024-02 · test
- Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Technical Data Sheet Siraya Tech · 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
- KRATON polymers Grade Range — chemical resistance and toluene solution data Kraton Corporation · 2025-07 · tds