Filament
Nylon (PA)
A very tough engineering material: it takes impacts that shatter any other household filament and is used where there is friction. Its problem is not printing, it is moisture: it absorbs water so fast that a spool left open over a weekend can be ruined. Fillamentum publishes 1.01 g/cm³ density, 235–260 °C nozzle and 80–105 °C bed for its Nylon FX256; Prusa notes pure polyamides ask for around 285 °C.
Safety and handling
Print in a ventilated room: at 260–285 °C any polymer gives off volatiles, and polyamide smells on top of that. If you dry filament in a household oven, do not use the same oven for food, and respect the manufacturer's temperature so you do not melt the spool. Carbon- or glass-filled polyamides are abrasive and require a hardened steel nozzle: brass wears out in hours and the wear is invisible until parts start coming out wrong.
Technical profile
- Nozzle temperature
- 235–285 °C
- Bed temperature
- 70–110 °C
- Heated bed
- Yes
- Enclosure
- Recommended
- Density
- 1.01 g/cm³
- Absorbs moisture
- Yes
- Drying
- 90 °C · 6 h
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Typical price per kilo in Mexico
Price not verified
Strengths
- Exceptional toughness and impact resistance: Fillamentum reports 'no break' in unnotched Charpy at 23 °C and at −40 °C
- Very good wear and friction resistance: it is the gear material
- Flexible in thin walls and rigid in thick sections
- High Vicat softening temperature (140 °C on Nylon FX256)
- Low density: light parts
Weaknesses
- Extremely hygroscopic: it must be dried before every print and kept in a drybox
- Substantial warping on pure polyamide; a warm chamber helps a lot
- Poor bed adhesion: Fillamentum asks for a glue stick and always a brim
- Low print speed (20–30 mm/s recommended)
- Expensive per kilo
Common uses
- Gears, pulleys and parts under friction
- Hinges and clips that flex many times
- Tools and workshop jigs
- Drone and RC parts where weight matters
- Replacements for an original nylon component
Related problems
Documented printing defects that show up with this material.
Work out your cost
How much material a part uses and what it costs to print, with the formula in plain sight.
- Quiz: which 3D printer suits me?
- Filament calculator: grams, metres and pesos
- Resin calculator: millilitres, grams and cost
- 3D print cost calculator in Mexican pesos
- 3D printer power consumption calculator
- 3D printing material comparator
- Nozzle and layer height reference
- Diagnostic tree: find your failure by symptom
- STL vs 3MF: which to use and how to convert
- 3D printer comparator
- 3D printing glossary search
Sources
- [1]Polyamide (Nylon) | Prusa Knowledge BasePrusa Research · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026
- [2]Technical Data Sheet — Nylon FX256Fillamentum · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026
- [3]Drying filament | Prusa Knowledge Base (PA11 Carbon Fiber: 90 °C, 6 h)Prusa Research · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026