Glossary · Filament

PA (nylon)

Nylon: a tough, wear-resistant printing material for gears, hinges and heavily loaded parts. Demanding to print.

Explained in more detail

Polyamide, for example PA6 or PA12, often with carbon or glass fibres (PA-CF, PA-GF). Printing temperature 250 to 300 °C, bed 90 to 120 °C, enclosed chamber recommended. Very tough, abrasion-resistant, good sliding properties. Strongly hygroscopic: damp PA prints badly and loses strength, so always dry it and, if possible, print from a dry box. It often sticks to PEI only with glue stick.

Where does the term come from?

Polyamide gets its name from the amide bonds between the building blocks. "Nylon" was originally a DuPont brand name, where Wallace Carothers developed the material in the 1930s. The number in PA6 or PA12 indicates the number of carbon atoms in the starting material.

In practice

Depending on the source, PA6 absorbs 3 to 9% of its weight in water, PA12 often under 1%.
Dry at around 80 °C for 8 to 12 hours before every print; many cheap dryers do not reach this temperature.
You can recognise damp nylon by crackling and hissing at the nozzle, bubbles, a lot of stringing and brittle parts.
To get started, PA-CF is often easier than pure PA6, because it warps much less.
Finished parts absorb water again and become somewhat softer and tougher as a result; this is normal.

Not to be confused

Nylon is not a single grade but a collective term: PA6, PA12 and PA-CF behave quite differently in printing and in use.

Frequently asked questions

How long do you need to dry nylon?

Manufacturers usually state around 80 °C for 8 to 12 hours. Afterwards, print directly from a dry box or a filament dryer.

Can you print nylon on an open printer?

Small parts in PA-CF often succeed, plain PA6 hardly. For larger parts an enclosed, preferably actively heated chamber is needed.

Printers that can process PA

According to manufacturer specifications, from the 33 printers in the wiki: