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Nylon & composites · Material guide

PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide)

Carbon-fibre semi-aromatic nylon: 10–15 wt% chopped fibre in a PPA matrix reaches 188–227 °C HDT at 0.45 MPa and takes up about 1.3 % moisture where the same makers' PA6-CF takes 2.35 %, at…

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Setup difficulty
Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; a 320 °C hot end and a hardened nozzle are the entry…
Nozzle wear
Highly abrasive — standard CF/GF composites and glow fills
Read conditions and sources ↓
Read the full material overview

Carbon-fibre semi-aromatic nylon: 10–15 wt% chopped fibre in a PPA matrix reaches 188–227 °C HDT at 0.45 MPa and takes up about 1.3 % moisture where the same makers' PA6-CF takes 2.35 %, at the cost of 2–3 % elongation and a 280–320 °C nozzle.

Applications

PPA-CF moves reinforced nylon toward applications where stiffness has to survive a combination of heat, sustained load and humidity. Its semi-aromatic matrix generally takes up less moisture than PA6, while chopped carbon fibres resist deformation. This combination is useful for industrial tooling and rigid end-use parts where a conventional nylon becomes too compliant. Raise3D targets automotive, aerospace and electronics applications with its 15% carbon-filled PPA formulation.

For material selection, the exact grade and heat treatment matter more than the PPA-CF name. Some grades obtain much of their heat-deflection performance only after annealing, with dimensional changes and reduced impact performance as possible costs. Low elongation also makes sharp transitions and heavily strained snap fits problematic. Carbon-filled PPA can be electrically conductive, so it should not inherit the insulation assumptions of an unfilled nylon housing.

  • Industrial end-use parts ↗

    FDM · Raise3D Industrial PPA CF, 15 wt% chopped carbon fibre · Manufacturer-listed applications

    Raise3D recommends its PPA-CF for industrial end-use applications requiring rigidity, heat resistance and lower moisture uptake than other nylons. It names automotive, aerospace and electrical/electronics sectors without identifying a specific customer part.

Sources
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Properties & source data

50 documented fields

Open a topic to explore the complete data. Each value keeps its original conditions, units and dated sources.

Material & market8 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Identity & Market
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
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 %
4 sources
Density (g/cm³)1.15 (Raise3D) to 1.25 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D), ISO 1183; Flashforge 1.21–1.23
4 sources
Typical price (USD/kg)1 kg-equivalent spools span 22–267; the middle of the market is about 85
6 sources
Price range across brands (USD/kg)22–267 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 sources
Market availability (1–5)Available from several mainstream brands
5 sources
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 750 g, 1 kg, 2 kg and 2.5 kg spools
3 sources
Typical applicationsUnder-bonnet automotive brackets, jigs and end-use parts that must stay stiff above the 100 °C working ceiling of PA6-CF
2 sources
Diameter tolerance (± mm)0.05 (Bambu Lab and Siraya Tech, 1.75 mm)
2 sources
Print settings8 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Printing Parameters
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Nozzle temperature (°C)280–310 (Bambu Lab and CHCKX); 280–320 (Siraya Tech)
3 sources
Bed temperature (°C)100–120 (Bambu Lab and CHCKX); Siraya Tech runs cooler at 70–90
3 sources
Enclosure / chamber requirement (1–5)Enclosure 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
3 sources
Recommended chamber temperature (°C)50–80 (Bambu Lab); specimens were printed at a 52 °C chamber and Bambu Lab notes 70–80 °C raises Z properties
1 source
Part cooling fanBambu Lab turns the part fan on; Siraya Tech runs it off
2 sources
Bed surface & adhesion aidSmooth or textured PEI plate with a glue stick, or a PVP glue coating
2 sources
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions) (mm³/s)8–12 mm³/s at 300–320 °C (Siraya Tech)
1 source
Overall printing difficulty (1–5)Advanced — enclosure, hardware upgrades, tuning; a 320 °C hot end and a hardened nozzle are the entry requirements
2 sources
Nozzle wear & reliability3 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Hardware Wear & Reliability
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Nozzle hardness required (1–4)Hardened steel required — Siraya Tech and CHCKX specify hardened steel or better, Raise3D warns brass wears quickly
3 sources
Abrasiveness (1–5)Highly abrasive — standard CF/GF composites and glow fills
2 sources
Nozzle clog risk (1–5)Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Siraya Tech states nozzles below 0.4 mm will clog
2 sources
Moisture & drying4 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Moisture Behaviour
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity) (1–5)High (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
3 sources
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
7 sources
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
3 sources
Storage requirementSealed below 20 % RH with desiccant (Bambu Lab); Raise3D keeps the spool in a dry box throughout the print
2 sources
Strength & mechanical properties12 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Mechanical Properties
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)95–168 (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
6 sources
Young's modulus (MPa)7100–11800 (printed XY): Flashforge 7100–8000, Raise3D and Siraya Tech 7800, Siraya Tech Core 9300, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 11800
6 sources
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
6 sources
Flexural strength (MPa)145–221 (printed XY, ISO 178): Siraya Tech 145, Siraya Tech Core 178, Raise3D 190, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 208, Flashforge 210–221
6 sources
Flexural modulus (MPa)6500–9860 (printed XY, ISO 178): Flashforge 6500–7000, Siraya Tech 6800, Raise3D 8510, Siraya Tech Core 8700, Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D 9860
6 sources
Charpy impact, notched (kJ/m²)6.5 notched Charpy XY (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, ISO 179); Raise3D 7.8 and Siraya Tech 11 by ISO 179 without stating notched
4 sources
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
3 sources
Layer adhesion / Z tensile (MPa)57 printed Z (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, ISO 527); Raise3D measures 30.2 by a custom mono-layer method
3 sources
Brittleness (1–5)Brittle — snaps with little warning; 2–3 % elongation at break is typical
3 sources
Creep resistance / sustained load (1–5)Good — Flashforge cites outstanding creep resistance at high temperature and Raise3D high creep resistance, both against other nylons
2 sources
Elasticity / flexibility (1–5)Rigid
1 source
Z strength as % of XY (%)34 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, Z against XY tensile, ISO 527)
2 sources
Heat & temperature7 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Thermal Properties
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)188–227 (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
6 sources
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)113–196 (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
5 sources
Glass transition (Tg) (°C)80 (Siraya Tech, ASTM D3418) to 85 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D, DSC)
3 sources
Melting point / Vicat (°C)Melting point 231 (Raise3D) to 258 (Bambu Lab and IEMAI 3D); Vicat softening 230–238 (ISO 306)
5 sources
Continuous service temperature (°C)120 (Flashforge, IEC 60216, LUVOCOM PPA-CF)
1 source
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
3 sources
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 source
Weather & chemical resistance3 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Environment & Chemical
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
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 source
Water / humidity resistance in service (1–5)Good — minor absorption; 1.3 % saturated moisture is roughly half what PA6-CF takes up
2 sources
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
1 source
Health & safety1 field
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Health & Safety
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Dust & fibre handling hazardChopped carbon fibre; dry sanding and cutting release respirable fibre-laden dust
1 source
Finishing & post-processing1 field
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Post-Processing
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
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
2 sources
Solvents & solubility3 fields
PPA-CF (carbon-fibre polyphthalamide) — Solvents & Solubility
Property and unitPublished value and conditionsSources and dates
Soluble inFormic acid, phenol, m-cresol and hexafluoroisopropanol dissolve the matrix at 23 °C, leaving the fibre; laboratory reagents.
1 source
Softened or crazed byZinc chloride solutions stress-crack the nylon matrix, alcoholic calcium chloride dissolves it, mineral acids attack it.
1 source
Solvent welding & smoothing agentNone — nylon's only solvents (formic acid, phenol, HFIP) degrade the part, and the fibre blocks surface flow anyway.
1 source
How to read these values

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.

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Product listings and datasheets

7 listings

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.

Browse 7 products from 6 brands
CHCKXPPA-CF Matte Black21.99 USD/kg

$21.99 / 1 kg spool, amazon.com, Aug 2026

10 % chopped carbon fibre in PPA. CHCKX publishes print settings in the Amazon listing only — no data sheet, and its '195 °C' heat claim carries no test standard.

Open product listing ↗
CHCKX PPA-CF Matte Black — product-specific figures
Nozzle temperature (°C)280–310
Bed temperature (°C)100–120
Hotend requirement0.4–0.6 mm hardened steel or tungsten carbide nozzle; enclosed chamber strongly recommended
Drying temperature & time100 °C for 4–6 h
IEMAI 3DCF-PPA51.00 USD/kg

$51.00 / 1 kg spool, store.iemai3d.com, Aug 2026

IEMAI's published data sheet carries figures identical to Bambu Lab's PPA-CF, so the two are almost certainly the same compound rather than two independent measurements.

Open product listing ↗
IEMAI 3D CF-PPA — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.25 (ISO 1183)
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%)1.30 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)168 ± 4 (printed XY, ISO 527)
Young's modulus (MPa)11800 ± 670 (printed XY, ISO 527)
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)227 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)196 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)
Siraya TechFibreheart PPA-CF56.69 USD/kg

$56.69 / 1 kg spool (US warehouse variant), siraya.tech, Aug 2026; the 2.5 kg spool works out at $51.00/kg

15 % carbon fibre. Unannealed HDT is only 82.5 °C at 1.8 MPa; annealing raises it to 119 °C and drops notched Charpy from 11 to 6.3 kJ/m².

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Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.2 (ISO 1183)
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%)1.37 (ISO 62)
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)95 unannealed, 98 annealed (printed, ISO 527)
Young's modulus (MPa)7800 unannealed, 8700 annealed (printed, ASTM D638)
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)84.5 unannealed, 192 annealed (ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)82.5 unannealed, 119 annealed (ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)
Siraya TechFibreheart PPA-CF Core84.99 USD/kg

$84.99 / 1 kg spool (US warehouse variant), siraya.tech, Aug 2026

Higher-loaded grade than the standard Fibreheart PPA-CF: 112 MPa unannealed against 95, and 199 °C HDT at 0.45 MPa after annealing.

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Siraya Tech Fibreheart PPA-CF Core — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.23 (ISO 1183)
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%)1.09 (ISO 62)
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)112 unannealed, 121 annealed (printed, ASTM D638)
Young's modulus (MPa)9300 unannealed, 10220 annealed (printed, ASTM D638)
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)97 unannealed, 199 annealed (ISO 75 Method B at 0.45 MPa)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)84 unannealed, 126 annealed (ISO 75 Method A at 1.8 MPa)
Bambu LabPPA-CF199.99 USD/kg

$149.99 / 750 g spool = $199.99/kg, us.store.bambulab.com, Aug 2026

Cardboard spool rated to 145 °C so the spool survives the 100–140 °C drying cycle it specifies.

Open product listing ↗
Bambu Lab PPA-CF — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.25 (ISO 1183)
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%)1.30 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)168 ± 4 (printed XY, ISO 527)
Young's modulus (MPa)11800 ± 670 (printed XY, ISO 527)
Layer adhesion / Z tensile (MPa)57 ± 5 (printed Z, ISO 527)
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)227 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)196 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)
Raise3DIndustrial PPA CF209.00 USD/kg

$209.00 / 1 kg spool, matterhackers.com, Aug 2026

15 wt% chopped carbon fibre. Data sheet figures are on specimens annealed 8 h at 100 °C then conditioned 3 days at ambient.

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Raise3D Industrial PPA CF — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.15 at 21.5 °C (ISO 1183)
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH (%)0.6 moisture content (ISO 62 Method 1)
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)122 ± 4 (printed XY, ISO 527, annealed and conditioned)
Young's modulus (MPa)7800 ± 520 (printed XY, ISO 527, annealed and conditioned)
HDT at 0.45 MPa (°C)188 (ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)113 (ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)
3DXTechCarbonX HTN+CF266.67 USD/kg

$200.00 / 750 g spool = $266.67/kg, 3dxtech.com, Aug 2026; the 2 kg spool at $425.00 works out at $212.50/kg

Handle carbonx-htn-cf. TDS values were generated by an independent third-party lab; specimens printed on a Bambu X1C at 295 °C nozzle, 100 °C bed, 0.24 mm layer, no heated chamber.

Open product listing ↗
3DXTech CarbonX HTN+CF — product-specific figures
Density (g/cm³)1.25 (ISO 1183)
Nozzle temperature (°C)285–315
Bed temperature (°C)110–120
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm diameter minimum
Drying temperature & time120 °C for 4 h
Tensile strength (XY) (MPa)106 printed flat / XY (15,500 psi, ASTM D638); 94.5 edge, 31.0 vertical
Young's modulus (MPa)6740 printed flat / XY (977 ksi, ASTM D638); 8960 edge
Flexural strength (MPa)185 printed edge (26,900 psi, ASTM D790)
Flexural modulus (MPa)9520 printed edge (1,380 ksi, ASTM D790)
Other impact dataIzod unnotched 4.68 ft-lb/in printed flat (ASTM D256)
Layer adhesion / Z tensile (MPa)31.0 printed vertical (4,500 psi, ASTM D638)
Z strength as % of XY (%)29 — 31.0 MPa vertical against 106.9 MPa flat (ASTM D638)
HDT at 1.8 MPa (°C)200 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)
Continuous service temperature (°C)150 (IEC 60216, 20,000 h)

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