Best for
Unfilled
- Actuator and servo gears
- Quick connectors
- Sensor and connector bodies
- Slide rails
Carbon-filled
- Engine-bay intake adapters
- Drill guides and assembly jigs
- Robotic gripping systems
- Drone gimbal gears
Glass-filled
- Mass-air-flow sensor bodies
- Intake manifolds
- PTC enclosure heaters
- Turbocharger air ducts
Not the right choice for
- Parts that carry real load at 150 C or hotter
- Parts that must insulate, in the carbon-filled grade
PPA (high-temp nylon) as a printed part
The carbon-filled grade is stronger than the unfilled one and holds its shape hotter.
Key properties
| Tensile strength | 76 MPa unfilled, 107 MPa carbon-filled, 75 to 115 MPa glass-filled |
|---|---|
| Heat deflection | 103 C at 0.45 MPa unfilled; 200 C at 1.80 MPa carbon-filled; 147 C at 0.45 MPa, 101 C at 1.80 MPa glass-filled |
| Moisture uptake | about 1.3 percent in humid air (unfilled) |
What to use instead
- Nylon (PA6) when the temperature requirement is lower than the carbon-filled grade's.
- PPS when chemical resistance matters as much as temperature.
- PEEK when nothing short of the top of the range will do.
The FDM material selector narrows the whole range by operating temperature, load, chemical exposure, and budget.