Nylon vs ABS Filament: Which One Should You Buy?

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Nylon vs abs filament at a glance

Nylon listings lead with toughness. Polymaker lists a carbon fiber nylon with 91.9 MPa dry X-Y tensile strength, ELEGOO lists a carbon fiber nylon that withstands ambient temperatures up to 194°C, SUNLU lists tensile and bending strength above regular PLA/ABS, and Creality lists a durable, flexible nylon with chemical resistance and low friction. Moisture is the shared difficulty: Polymaker calls its nylon hygroscopic even with lower moisture sensitivity, and three of the listings point to dry storage or drying before printing.

ABS enters this guide only through SUNLU, whose listing compares nylon strength against regular PLA/ABS. No listing here states ABS nozzle temperatures, bed temperatures or drying settings, so this guide does not quote any. Treat ABS as the baseline in that comparison, and judge nylon on the figures its own listings state.

What nylon offers, by the listings

Strength comes first. Polymaker lists 15 wt% carbon fiber in a long-chain PA612 nylon, with 91.9 MPa dry X-Y tensile strength and 83.1 MPa after annealing and moisture conditioning, plus a heat deflection temperature of 175°C at 0.45 MPa after annealing at 100°C for 16 hours. ELEGOO lists carbon fiber nylon with higher strength and stiffness, interlaminar adhesion for robust objects, and abrasion resistance with dimensional accuracy for gears, bearings and structural parts.

Plain nylon leans on flexibility and chemical resistance. Creality lists a durable, flexible nylon that bends without breaking, with high heat resistance, resistance to oils and solvents, a low friction coefficient, and a surface that is easy to paint, sandable and dyeable, with dimensional accuracy of ±0.02mm. SUNLU lists a nylon 6/66 copolymer with low shrinkage, warp-free printing, a heat deflection temperature of 121°C, and drop resistance for high-stress parts such as gears and bearings.

Print settings the listings state

Both carbon fiber listings state hardened nozzles and high print temperatures. Polymaker lists an all-metal hotend, a 250-300°C nozzle, a 40-50°C build plate, and a hardened steel or ruby nozzle with the cooling fan off, with speeds up to 300 mm/s possible with a tuned profile, and states that a heated chamber is not required under its TDS conditions. ELEGOO lists a hardened steel nozzle of no less than 0.4 mm, a print temperature of 260-300°C and a hotbed temperature of 100-120°C, for enclosed 1.75 mm FDM printers.

SUNLU lists a nozzle temperature of 270-280°C, a platform temperature of 30-50°C and a speed of 100-150 mm/s, with a spool diameter of 203.2 mm, a spool width of 63.5 mm and a hub hole diameter of 55.88 mm. Drying is stated by three listings: Polymaker lists storage below 20% relative humidity and drying at 100°C for 10 hours if the filament was exposed to ambient humidity, SUNLU lists a drying temperature of 90°C and a drying time of 12H, and Creality lists a dry, ventilated storage environment away from high temperature, sun and humidity. For drying options, see the filament dryer vs food dehydrator comparison.

The gear section: nylon examples, ranked

The examples below are ranked from the strongest stated spec set to the most general-purpose listing. Polymaker Fiberon PA612-CF15 leads: a 0.5kg, 1.75mm carbon fiber nylon with 91.9 MPa dry tensile strength, 83.1 MPa after conditioning, and a 175°C heat deflection temperature after annealing, suited to rigid functional parts, tooling, jigs, fixtures and engineering prototypes. It needs an all-metal hotend, a hardened steel or ruby nozzle, and dry storage below 20% relative humidity.

ELEGOO PAHT-CF comes next: a 1kg, 1.75mm carbon fiber nylon that withstands ambient temperatures up to 194°C, with lower water absorption than regular PA-CF and abrasion resistance for gears, bearings and structural parts. It is listed for enclosed FDM printers, with a hardened steel nozzle of no less than 0.4 mm, a 260-300°C print temperature and a 100-120°C hotbed.

SUNLU Nylon 6+66 follows: a 1kg, 1.75mm nylon with a 121°C heat deflection temperature, low shrinkage and warp-free printing, a nozzle temperature of 270-280°C, a platform temperature of 30-50°C and a speed of 100-150 mm/s. It ships in vacuum packaging with an aluminum foil bag on a PC spool resistant to 110°C, and suits high-stress parts such as gears and bearings.

Creality Nylon rounds out the set: a 1kg, 1.75mm nylon with ±0.02mm dimensional accuracy, durability and flexibility, chemical resistance including oils and solvents, low friction, and a surface that is easy to paint, sandable and dyeable. It suits long-lasting, robust items that flex without breaking, and its listing states a 1-year warranty.

A note on ABS and the laser

ABS is not a laser material. This site warns against lasering ABS, PVC, vinyl, PVC faux leather and polycarbonate, because of harmful fumes and machine damage, so keep ABS filament on the 3D printer and away from any laser. If a part must be cut or marked instead of printed, pick a laser-safe material from the engraving materials listings.

FAQ: lasers and CNC

Does nylon filament need drying?

Three of the listings say so: Polymaker lists storage below 20% relative humidity and drying at 100°C for 10 hours after ambient exposure, SUNLU lists drying at 90°C for 12H, and Creality lists a dry, ventilated storage environment.

What nozzle does carbon fiber nylon need?

A hardened nozzle. Polymaker lists a hardened steel or ruby nozzle at 250-300°C, and ELEGOO lists a hardened steel nozzle of no less than 0.4 mm at 260-300°C.

Can nylon print without an enclosed printer?

It depends on the listing. ELEGOO lists its filament for enclosed FDM printers. Polymaker states only that a heated chamber is not required under its TDS conditions, which is not the same as an open printer, so check the listing for the spool in hand before printing.

Which nylon example suits gears and bearings?

ELEGOO lists gears, bearings and structural parts, and SUNLU lists high-stress parts such as gears and bearings. ELEGOO is the carbon fiber listing and SUNLU is the high-strength listing, so match the nozzle and temperature notes above.

Does any listing state a warranty?

Creality lists a 1-year warranty. The Polymaker, ELEGOO and SUNLU listings state no warranty term.

Related: the filament dryer for nylon guide, ABS vs ASA filament, PLA filament for 3D printers and enclosed vs open 3D printer guides.