PA6 (Nylon 6): density, print temperature and when to choose it
PA6 (Nylon 6) is one of the strongest widely available engineering plastics for FDM: high impact toughness, excellent fatigue strength, and wear resistance. The main price for this is strong moisture absorption — a PA6 spool without airtight storage picks up moisture within hours.
Key properties
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | ≈1.14 g/cm³ |
| Nozzle temperature | 240–260°C |
| Bed temperature | 80–100°C |
| Part cooling | minimal or off |
| Shrinkage | strong, prone to warping |
| Enclosure required | yes |
When to use it
- Gears, bushings, guides, and other moving assemblies under high cyclic load.
- Parts subjected to impact and bending, where ABS or PETG crack from fatigue.
- Functional prototypes that will later be replaced by injection-molded nylon — printed PA6's properties are closer to that than most plastics.
- Fasteners and brackets under heavy mechanical load in dry service conditions.
When to pick something else
- The part is used in a humid environment or needs dimensional stability during storage — PA12 absorbs noticeably less moisture.
- You need maximum stiffness and minimal deformation under load — PA6-GF (glass fiber) holds shape better thanks to reinforcement.
- The printer has no dryer and no enclosure — PA6 is one of the most demanding materials in terms of conditions; a beginner is better off starting with PETG or ABS.
Pros and cons
Pros: high impact toughness and fatigue strength, good wear resistance for sliding surfaces, affordable price relative to other nylons.
Cons: very hygroscopic — absorbs moisture faster than most filaments and needs drying before almost every print; strong shrinkage and a tendency toward corner lifting without an enclosure; poor adhesion to standard beds without special coating or adhesive.
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You can't just pull PA6 off the shelf and print it: without pre-drying (usually several hours at 70–80°C) the surface bubbles and the part loses strength, which in practice means either a printer with a built-in dryer or a separate drying oven — both add time and electricity to the cycle cost. The high bed temperature and enclosure requirement also raise power consumption compared to PLA or PETG, and frequent corner lifting and warping on open beds raise the defect rate, which also needs to be priced in.