Strength
ASA vs PC vs nylon for high-performance parts?
By SSS
Published . Updated .
- Nozzle230–260 °C(446–500 °F)
- Bed75–95 °C(167–203 °F)
- Speed50–200 mm/s
- Dry70 °C · 7 h(158 °F)
- Density1.07 g/cm³
Heat resistance: HDT 103 °C (217 °F) (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) · Vicat 105 °C (221 °F) (ISO 306) · Tg 98 °C (208 °F) · source →
Heat resistance: HDT 100 °C (212 °F) (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa) · Vicat 105 °C (221 °F) (ISO 306) · Tg 98 °C (208 °F) · source →
Nozzle, Bed, Speed, Drying. Source: Polymaker TDS · Last checked 21 October 2026
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Datasheet | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polymaker · Polylite ASA | ASA | 230–260 °C446–500 °F | 75–95 °C167–203 °F | Datasheet | |
TDS checked 21 October 2026 lists a nozzle of 230–260 °C (446–500 °F), a bed of 75–95 °C (167–203 °F), and drying at 70 °C (158 °F) for 7 h. Enclosure required is true on this row. Heat dataset the same day lists HDT 103 °C (217 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 100 °C (212 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75, Vicat 105 °C (221 °F) under ISO 306 with the load blank, and glass transition 98 °C (208 °F). | ||||||
| 2 | Polymaker · Polylite PC | PC | 260–300 °C500–572 °F | 100–120 °C212–248 °F | Datasheet | |
Open Filament Database nozzle 260–300 °C (500–572 °F) and bed 100–120 °C (212–248 °F). Drying on the TDS is 75 °C (167 °F) for 6 h, checked 18 October 2026. Heat dataset, checked 21 October 2026, lists HDT 111 °C (232 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 107 °C (225 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75, Vicat 120 °C (248 °F) under ISO 306 with the load blank, and glass transition 113 °C (235 °F). Enclosure required is blank. | ||||||
| 3 | Fiberon · PA6-CF20 | PA/CF | 280–300 °C536–572 °F | 40–50 °C104–122 °F | — | |
TDS checked 21 October 2026 lists a nozzle of 280–300 °C (536–572 °F), a bed of 40–50 °C (104–122 °F), and drying at 100 °C (212 °F) for 10 h. Hardened nozzle is recorded. Heat dataset the same day lists HDT 215 °C (419 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 173 °C (343 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75, Vicat 219.2 °C (427 °F) under ISO 306 with the load blank, and glass transition 74.2 °C (166 °F). | ||||||
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Pick the heat-deflection load you actually care about, then use that spool's nozzle. ASA printing, polycarbonate, nylon, heat, and strength already cover the setup. MPa is the pressure on the test bar. The same standard and the same load are what make two heat-deflection numbers comparable. A shared standard does not mean the labs used the same specimen prep.
Three sheets, one standard
PolyLite ASA lists 230–260 °C (446–500 °F), a bed of 75–95 °C (167–203 °F), and drying at 70 °C (158 °F) for 7 h. Enclosure required is true. Heat-deflection temperature, checked 21 October 2026, is 103 °C (217 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 100 °C (212 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. Vicat is 105 °C (221 °F), ISO 306, load blank. Glass transition is 98 °C (208 °F). PolyLite PC lists 260–300 °C (500–572 °F), a bed of 100–120 °C (212–248 °F), and drying at 75 °C (167 °F) for 6 h. Heat-deflection is 111 °C (232 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 107 °C (225 °F) at 1.8 MPa. Vicat is 120 °C (248 °F), load blank. Glass transition is 113 °C (235 °F). Enclosure required is blank.
Fiberon PA6-CF20 lists 280–300 °C (536–572 °F), a bed of 40–50 °C (104–122 °F), drying at 100 °C (212 °F) for 10 h, and a hardened nozzle. Heat-deflection is 215 °C (419 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 173 °C (343 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. Vicat is 219.2 °C (427 °F), load blank. Glass transition is 74.2 °C (166 °F). The glass-transition order is not the heat-deflection order: PA6-CF20's glass transition is the lowest of the three, and its heat-deflection temperatures are the highest. Tensile, impact, and UV hours are not stored on these rows. The order is ASA, PC, then nylon-CF because that is the question. It is not a strength ranking.
What the community says
a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d says ASA printed great and that PC oozed badly enough to fight bed leveling.
a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d: rates Woodfil and PCCF easier than ASA and names adhesive on a satin plate.
a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting says pure nylon creeps and names three other filaments.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Each heat-deflection number keeps its load. The 1.8 MPa figure is lower than the 0.45 MPa figure on all three products.
- Enclosure required is true only on the PolyLite ASA row. It is blank on PolyLite PC and on Fiberon PA6-CF20.
Cons
- The number we have is heat-deflection.
- A comment says pure nylon creeps. Creep is the comment. It is not a Fiberon test result.
Printer considerations
- PolyLite ASA's nozzle stops at 260 °C (500 °F). PolyLite PC and Fiberon PA6-CF20 both start at or above 260 °C (500 °F). An ASA hotend limit is not a PC or nylon-CF limit.
- The two PolyLite heat-deflection pairs share a brand, a standard, and both loads. Fiberon uses the same standard and the same loads. The sheets do not say the specimen prep matched, so the nylon gap is not a single-lab head-to-head.
- Vicat loads are blank in the dataset. Heat-deflection is the column with the load written down. Tensile, impact, and UV are not in these rows.
Sources & notes
Published . Updated .
- Polymaker PolyLite ASA technical data sheet datasheet
- Polymaker PolyLite PC technical data sheet datasheet
- Fiberon PA6-CF20 technical data sheet datasheet
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
Related questions
- What filament should I use for heat?Heat resistance
- What filament should I use for a strong part?Strength
- How do I print nylon, and is it worth it?Nylon
- How do I print ASA successfully?ASA
- How do I print polycarbonate (PC)?Polycarbonate
Related data
- Cheapest filament per kg
- Cheapest PLA per kg
- Will my dryer cover this filament?
- Drying dataset
- How long to dry PETG
- ASA drying temperature and time
- PC drying temperature and time
- PA/nylon drying temperature and time
Questions
Can I rank them by strength from these sheets?
No tensile number is stored for these three rows. The comparable heat figure is ISO 75 heat-deflection: PolyLite ASA 103 °C (217 °F) and 100 °C (212 °F), PolyLite PC 111 °C (232 °F) and 107 °C (225 °F), Fiberon PA6-CF20 215 °C (419 °F) and 173 °C (343 °F). Strength is the strength page. Heat is the temperature page. A higher heat-deflection temperature is not a toughness ranking.
Does ASA win on UV because the summary says so?
These rows do not store UV hours. How to print ASA, how to print PC, and nylon are the setup pages. on r/prusa3d is about adhesive and warping, not about sunlight.