Carbon-fibre nylon on a PA12 matrix, chosen for humidity stability rather than peak strength: 1.5 % equilibrium moisture against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25, and the only nylon in Polymaker's…
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Stiff parts that must stay dimensionally stable in changing humidity — Polymaker sells this grade specifically on low moisture sensitivity
Carbon-fibre nylon on a PA12 matrix, chosen for humidity stability rather than peak strength: 1.5 % equilibrium moisture against 3.33 % for PA6-GF25, and the only nylon in Polymaker's conditioning test that did not grow past its original size.
PA12-CF is a rigid nylon composite for tooling, fixtures and structural parts whose fit needs to stay reasonably consistent as humidity changes. Carbon fibres resist bending; the PA12 matrix takes up less moisture than PA6, so its stiffness and dimensions generally change less after conditioning. That combination matters for rail carriages, locating fixtures and mounting structures where movement of the part changes alignment.
Formulations differ substantially: Stratasys uses a 35% carbon-filled PA12 for sheet-metal forming tools, while lighter-filled desktop grades offer a different balance of stiffness and processability. Reinforcement also reduces the stretch available before failure, and the printed layer direction remains important around bolts, inserts and thin connecting sections.
FDM · Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF, 35 wt% chopped carbon fibre · Documented case
Stratasys reports that a forming tool printed in FDM Nylon 12CF produced 40 sheet-metal parts. It illustrates the use of a stiff composite as short-run tooling, rather than a claim that every PA12-CF filament can replace a metal die.
Printed linear-rail conversion components with shrinkage compensation and carriage-chain support. The uploader reports printing and testing this PA12-CF version.
Listing note: “Personally printed and tested in PA12-CF”
Printables listing uploaded by Ak_PuLk0 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Original listing · Checked 2026-10-17. This is an uploader report, not an independent material test.Source image · Image bytes unchanged; displayed in full. Noncommercial reuse only. ShareAlike applies to adaptations.
Representative catalog values. Check the exact grade and its linked conditions before using a setting.
260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)
260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)
110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)
110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF)
Enclosure required (passive)
Enclosure required (passive)
80–100 °C; storage below 20 % RH
80–100 °C; storage below 20 % RH
Open a topic to explore the complete data. Each value keeps its original conditions, units and dated sources.
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Base polymer / chemistry | PA12 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre — Polymaker's grade is 10 wt% | 2 sources
|
| Density (g/cm³) | 1.06 (Polymaker Fiberon) and 1.16 (3DXTech), ISO 1183 | 2 sources
|
| Typical price (USD/kg) | 1 kg-equivalent spools span 52–180; the middle of the market is about 110 | 3 sources
|
| Price range across brands (USD/kg) | 52–180 across brands; IEMAI 3D 52, YXPOLYER 80 at 500 g, Polymaker Fiberon 140, 3DXTech CarbonX 180 | 4 sources
|
| Market availability (1–5) | Available from several mainstream brands | 2 sources
|
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 mm; 0.5, 0.75 and 2 kg spools | 2 sources
|
| Typical applications | Stiff parts that must stay dimensionally stable in changing humidity — Polymaker sells this grade specifically on low moisture sensitivity | 2 sources
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 260–290 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF) | 1 source
|
| Bed temperature (°C) | 110 (Extrudr DURAPRO PA12 CF) | 1 source
|
| Enclosure / chamber requirement (1–5) | Enclosure required (passive) | 2 sources
|
| Bed surface & adhesion aid | PEI sheet with a glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive such as Magigoo | 2 sources
|
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions) (mm³/s) | 12 at Extrudr's 150 mm/s cap on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer | 2 sources
|
| Bed-adhesion difficulty (1–5) | Needs a specific surface plus adhesive | 1 source
|
| Stringing / oozing tendency (1–5) | Moderate — retraction tuning needed | 1 source
|
| Overall printing difficulty (1–5) | Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle hardness required (1–4) | Hardened steel required — Polymaker measures brass nozzle life at about 9 h on PA12-CF10 and recommends hardened steel or ruby | 1 source
|
| Abrasiveness (1–5) | Highly abrasive — standard CF composite; Polymaker puts brass nozzle life at roughly 9 h on PA12-CF10 | 1 source
|
| Nozzle clog risk (1–5) | High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles | 1 source
|
| Heat-creep / jam sensitivity (1–5) | Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed | 1 source
|
| Hotend requirement | May require an all-metal hot end (Simplify3D) | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity) (1–5) | High (0.8–2 %) — 1.5 % equilibrium, the lowest of Polymaker's nylon composites and less than half its PA6-GF25 | 2 sources
|
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%) | 1.5 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker Fiberon PA12-CF10) | 1 source
|
| Drying temperature & time | 80–100 °C; storage below 20 % RH | 2 sources
|
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker's own dry/wet blocks for PA12-CF10 change little: at 2.92 % moisture tensile falls 77.4 → 71.7 MPa and modulus 3311 → 3132 MPa, against a halving for its PA6 grades | 2 sources
|
| Storage requirement | Sealed below 20 % RH with desiccant | 1 source
|
| Hydrolysis at melt temperature | Polymaker specifies an 80–100 °C dry and storage below 20 % RH; no molecular-weight loss figure is published, and the wet data it does publish is conditioning rather than melt hydrolysis | 2 sources
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 77.4 ± 1.1 printed XY dry (Polymaker Fiberon), 71.7 ± 0.7 conditioned to 2.92 % moisture, ISO 527; 3DXTech quotes 72 at break. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 76.5-124 at break printed XZ across five machine and tip combinations (ASTM D638) | 3 sources
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 3311 ± 135 printed XY dry and 3132 ± 124 conditioned, ISO 527 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 8000. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 7910-15400 printed XZ against 2130-3000 in ZX (ASTM D638) | 3 sources
|
| Elongation at break (%) | 4.2 ± 0.4 printed XY dry and 5.3 ± 0.3 conditioned, ISO 527 (Polymaker Fiberon); 3DXTech quotes 2.1 at break | 2 sources
|
| Flexural strength (MPa) | 90 (printed XY, 3DXTech, ISO 178). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF spans 152-200 printed XZ against 61-73 in ZX (ASTM D790) | 2 sources
|
| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 7900 (printed XY, 3DXTech, ISO 178) | 1 source
|
| Charpy impact, notched (kJ/m²) | 9.9 ± 0.7 printed XY dry and 10.2 ± 0.8 conditioned, ISO 179 notched (Polymaker Fiberon) | 1 source
|
| Other impact data | Izod notched 102-138 J/m printed XZ against 22.4-45.5 J/m in ZX (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF, ASTM D256) | 1 source
|
| Layer adhesion / Z tensile (MPa) | 52.2 ± 0.8 printed Z dry (Polymaker Fiberon) — 67 % of XY, unusually isotropic for a filled nylon; 42.1 ± 1.8 conditioned. Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 32.7-38.4 at break printed ZX (ASTM D638) | 2 sources
|
| Brittleness (1–5) | Moderate | 1 source
|
| Hardness (scale-specific) (Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell) | Rockwell M88 / R117 on extruded PA66-GF30 stock (ASTM D785); no figure is published for a carbon-fibre PA12 filament | 1 source
|
| Creep resistance / sustained load (1–5) | Good. Ensinger rates its PA66-CF30 compound for sustained static and dynamic load at 110 °C continuous service; the PA12 matrix takes up 1.5 % equilibrium moisture against PA6's several per cent, so a PA12-CF part drifts less in service | 2 sources
|
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance (1–5) | Good. Stratasys sells unfilled FDM Nylon 12 specifically for repetitive-flex parts on the strength of its fatigue properties, and Ensinger reports improved fatigue strength for carbon-filled nylon compounds | 1 source
|
| Elasticity / flexibility (1–5) | Rigid | 1 source
|
| Z strength as % of XY (%) | 31-50 (Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF, ZX against XZ tensile at break, ASTM D638, five machine and tip combinations) against 67 (Polymaker Fiberon PA12-CF10, printed Z against XY) | 2 sources
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 131 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, Polymaker Fiberon). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 160 printed XY and 168 ZX, and 175 with unidirectional toolpaths (ASTM D648 at 66 psi) | 2 sources
|
| HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C) | 105 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, Polymaker Fiberon). Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 130 printed XY and 154 ZX (ASTM D648 at 264 psi) | 2 sources
|
| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 55 (DSC, Polymaker Fiberon) | 1 source
|
| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | 171 melting (DSC); Vicat 170.2 (ISO 306) | 1 source
|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) (µm/m·K) | Stratasys FDM Nylon 12CF gives 116 on XY-built and 37 on ZX-built specimens over -50 to 20 °C, rising to 181 (XY) and 46 (ZX) above the 37.5 °C glass transition (ASTM E831); Extrudr quotes 100 for DURAPRO PA12 CF (ISO 11359-2) | 2 sources
|
| Flammability / UL 94 | Flammable; no UL 94 rating published for the grades surveyed | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| UV resistance (1–5) | Months outdoors before embrittlement — unstabilised polyamide yellows under UV | 1 source
|
| Chemical resistance | Withstands oils, fuels and alkalis | 1 source
|
| Water / humidity resistance in service (1–5) | Good — minor absorption; the most humidity-stable nylon composite here | 2 sources
|
| Food contact | Not food-contact certified as filament | 1 source
|
| Biodegradability / compostability | Not biodegradable | 1 source
|
| Recyclability | Not accepted in household plastic collection | 1 source
|
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity above 10¹² ohm — insulating (Polymaker Fiberon, ANSI/ESD S11.11) | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fume toxicity (1–5) | Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised | |
| VOC emission rate (µg/min) | Up to 180 caprolactam, the dominant VOC from nylon and the largest single-VOC rate in the study | |
| Ultrafine-particle emission rate (particles/min) | ≈2 × 10⁸ median for nylon — low for particles despite the highest VOC mass measured | |
| Hazardous species emitted | Caprolactam, at up to 180 µg/min from nylon filament | |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement (1–5) | Ventilated room or enclosure recommended | |
| Dust & fibre handling hazard | Fibre is bound in the matrix; sanding dust should not be inhaled | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Sanding & machining | Sands poorly — gums rather than powders | 1 source
|
| Gluing & solvent welding | Cyanoacrylate; no common solvent welds polyamide | 1 source
|
| Vapour / chemical smoothing | No practical vapour smoothing | 1 source
|
| Dimensional accuracy & detail | Polymaker's own conditioning test found PA12-CF10 was the only nylon that did not grow past its original size after moisture conditioning | 1 source
|
| Property and unit | Published value and conditions | Sources and dates |
|---|---|---|
| Soluble in | Formic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents. | 1 source |
| Softened or crazed by | Zinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it. | 1 source |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | None — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway. | 1 source |
Values describe representative grades, not every spool. Manufacturer datasheets and independent tests retain their source labels and dates. Printed orientation, test method, conditioning and formulation can change results. Unknown values are —. A listed use is not a certification. Shore A, Shore D and Rockwell hardness are separate scales.
Historical USD/kg snapshots. Read each listing’s sale/from qualifiers, spool mass, source date, shipping and tax notes. Product figures are separate from the material summary.
$52.00 / 1 kg spool, store.iemai3d.com, Aug 2026
Data sheet figures are for dry specimens.
Open product listing ↗| Density (g/cm³) | 1.06 (ISO 1183) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%) | 0.88 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH |
|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 92 ± 7 dry (printed XY, ISO 527) |
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 3860 ± 230 dry (printed XY, ISO 527) |
|
| HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C) | 170 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa) |
|
$39.99 / 500 g spool = $79.98/kg, yxpolyer.com, Aug 2026
No technical data sheet is published. YXPOLYER publishes no specification of any kind for this filament: the product page carries marketing bullets only, and yxpolyer.com has no downloads, data-sheet or technical section.
Open product listing ↗$69.99 / 0.5 kg spool = $139.98/kg, Polymaker product catalogue, Aug 2026
Handle fiberon-pa12-cf10. 1.5 % equilibrium moisture, the lowest of Polymaker's nylons.
Open product listing ↗| Density (g/cm³) | 1.06 (ISO 1183) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 280–300 |
|
| Bed temperature (°C) | 40–50 |
|
| Shrinkage (%) | 0.30 XY, 0.53 Z (TDS 40 mm print test, as printed) |
|
| Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%) | 1.5 equilibrium water absorption |
|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 77.4 ± 1.1 (printed XY, ISO 527) |
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 3311.2 ± 134.9 dry (printed XY, ISO 527); Z 1806.6 |
|
| Elongation at break (%) | 4.2 ± 0.4 dry (printed XY, ISO 527); Z 5.0 |
|
| Flexural strength (MPa) | 112.4 ± 1.0 dry (printed XY, ISO 178); Z 69.8 |
|
| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 2886.5 ± 144.8 dry (printed XY, ISO 178); Z 1452.8 |
|
| Charpy impact, notched (kJ/m²) | 9.9 ± 0.7 dry (printed XY, ISO 179, notched) |
|
| Other impact data | Charpy unnotched 33.7 kJ/m² XY, 27.6 kJ/m² Z (printed dry, ISO 179) |
|
| Layer adhesion / Z tensile (MPa) | 52.2 ± 0.8 (printed Z, ISO 527) |
|
| Z strength as % of XY (%) | 67 (printed Z 52.2 vs XY 77.4 dry, ISO 527) |
|
| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 131 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) |
|
| HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C) | 105 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa) |
|
| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 55 (DSC) |
|
| Melting point / Vicat (°C) | 171 melting (DSC); Vicat 170.2 (ISO 306) |
|
| Flammability / UL 94 | UL 94 HB at 1.5 mm |
|
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistivity >10^12 Ω (ANSI/ESD S11.11) |
|
$135.00 / 750 g spool = $180.00/kg, 3dxtech.com product catalogue, Aug 2026
Handle carbonx-nylon-12-cf-1. Tensile modulus 8000 MPa.
Open product listing ↗| Density (g/cm³) | 1.16 (ISO 1183) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle temperature (°C) | 285 (TDS printed-specimen condition) |
|
| Bed temperature (°C) | 110 (TDS printed-specimen condition) |
|
| Tensile strength (XY) (MPa) | 72 at break (ISO 527) |
|
| Young's modulus (MPa) | 8000 (ISO 527) |
|
| Elongation at break (%) | 2.1 at break (printed XY, ISO 527) |
|
| Flexural strength (MPa) | 90 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
|
| Flexural modulus (MPa) | 7900 (printed XY, ISO 178) |
|
| HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C) | 150 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) |
|
| Glass transition (Tg) (°C) | 158 (DSC) |
|
| Electrical & ESD properties | Surface resistance >10^8 Ω/sq (ASTM D257) |
|
Compare specific grades and connect test results to part design.
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