Nylon 3D Printing Settings
Nylon is one of the most capable engineering filaments — strong, impact-resistant, chemically resilient, and fatigue-tolerant. It is also the most demanding material to print. Two things kill nylon prints before you even start: moisture and lack of an enclosure. This guide covers both, plus the exact settings.
Nylon at a glance
Drying nylon is not optional
Nylon is hygroscopic — it absorbs water from the air. PA6 can absorb 1–2% of its own weight in moisture within hours of being exposed to room humidity. When you print wet nylon, the absorbed water turns to steam at the nozzle. The result:
- Visible pops, bubbles, and crackles during extrusion (you can hear it)
- Rough, pitted surface texture
- Dramatically weaker layer bonds — 30–50% reduction in tensile strength
- Stringiness and oozing even with correct retraction settings
Dry nylon before every print session. Place the spool in a food dehydrator or filament dryer set to 70°C for 12–24 hours (PA12 and PA11 can use 65°C for 8–12h). After drying, print directly from the dryer if possible, or store in a sealed bag with silica gel desiccant. A fresh 1 kg spool printed without drying is not unusual — it may look fine — but parts will be weak. Run a drying cycle before any structural or functional print.
Settings by nylon type
| Type | Nozzle | Bed | Enclosure | Drying | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA6 (Nylon 6) | 250–270°C | 70–80°C | Required | 12–24h at 70°C | Most common. Very hygroscopic. Warps significantly without enclosure. |
| PA12 (Nylon 12) | 240–260°C | 60–75°C | Recommended | 12h at 70°C | Less moisture-sensitive than PA6. Easier to print, slightly lower strength. |
| PA-CF (carbon-filled) | 260–280°C | 70–80°C | Required | 12–24h at 70°C | High rigidity, stiff. Requires hardened steel nozzle. Minimal warping. |
| PA-GF (glass-filled) | 260–280°C | 70–80°C | Required | 12–24h at 70°C | High strength and stiffness. Very abrasive. Use hardened nozzle. |
| PA11 (bio-based) | 230–250°C | 60–75°C | Recommended | 12h at 65°C | Lower warp than PA6. Flexible-to-rigid depending on grade. |
Enclosure and chamber requirements
Nylon warps severely if the ambient temperature changes too fast during printing. PA6 has a high coefficient of thermal expansion — close to ABS but worse for large flat prints. An enclosure keeping the chamber at 40–55°C prevents the differential cooling that causes corner lift and delamination.
Printers well-suited for nylon: Bambu Lab P1S and X1 Carbon (fully enclosed, chamber heating),Qidi Q1 Pro (active chamber heater), Voron 2.4 (DIY enclosure). Open-frame printers require a custom enclosure to get reliable results.
Note: active chamber heaters (Qidi, some Voron setups) can heat the chamber to 50–60°C, which dramatically reduces warp on large nylon prints. Passive enclosures retain heat from the heated bed but top out around 40°C.
Bed surface and adhesion
Nylon bonds aggressively to PEI at printing temperatures. Without a release agent, removing the part can damage or peel the PEI surface. Use one of these approaches:
- Smooth PEI + glue stick
- Apply a thin, even layer of water-soluble glue stick (Elmer's, Magigoo PA) to smooth PEI. The glue provides adhesion during printing and acts as a release layer when cool. Wash off with water between prints.
- Garolite (FR4) sheet
- Nylon adheres well to garolite at 60–70°C and releases cleanly when cooled to room temperature. No adhesive needed. Many experienced nylon printers consider FR4 the best surface for nylon.
- Polyimide tape (Kapton)
- Thin polyimide tape on glass or aluminum. Nylon sticks well and releases with mild force when cooled. Must be replaced regularly as the tape peels.
Nozzle requirements
Standard brass nozzles work for unfilled PA6 and PA12. However:
- Carbon-fiber filled (PA-CF): brass nozzles wear out in 2–5 hours. Use a hardened steel or ruby-tipped nozzle.
- Glass-fiber filled (PA-GF): extremely abrasive — hardened nozzle mandatory.
- Both filled variants also require a hardened steel drive gear (Mk8 / Creality gear), not a standard brass one.
Common nylon failures and fixes
- Bubbling / popping during extrusion
- Wet filament. Dry at 70°C for 12–24 hours. The bubbles are steam expanding in the melt zone. Continuing to print on wet filament produces structurally weak parts.
- Corner lift / warping
- No enclosure, or enclosure temperature too low. Increase bed to 80°C. Add a brim (8–12 mm). Check chamber temperature with a thermometer — it should be above 40°C throughout the print.
- Layer delamination / weak parts
- Nozzle temperature too low, or wet filament. Increase nozzle to 265°C for PA6 and re-test. If bubbling is present, dry first.
- Stringing (even with retraction)
- Often a moisture problem. If drying doesn't fix it, reduce nozzle temperature by 5°C and check that retraction speed is 40–50 mm/s.
- Part sticks too hard to bed
- Not enough release agent, or bed temperature too high during cooling. Let the bed cool to 30–40°C before removing the part. Use more glue stick next time.