

Raise3D is one of the leaders in industrial FDM printers and accessories. They are dedicated to finding cutting-edge AM solutions to help companies improve their competitive advantage. Raise3D also manufactures 3D printing filaments. Their filament portfolio includes a wide range of technical filaments such as PLA, PC, PVA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU and PA, and carbon fibre reinforced filaments such as PPA CF.
PPA CF filament is a polyamide-based filament reinforced with carbon fibre, which provides significantly improved stiffness, strength and temperature resistance.
PA is an engineering thermoplastic, commonly known as nylon. It is an affordable and extremely versatile material. It is widely used in 3D printing due to its durability, flexibility, thermoplasticity and resistance to abrasion, friction, corrosion and chemicals. Its first uses were mainly in the manufacture of consumer goods, such as toothbrushes or women's stockings. However, nylon soon found more advanced applications, such as the manufacture of parachutes, ropes, bulletproof vests or helmet linings.
Today, nylon has diverse applications, for example in the automotive and aerospace industry, medicine and sport, as well as in the packaging and electronics industry. In 3D printing, nylon is used in the form of powder (SLS and MJF), pellets and filament (FDM).
In the case of PPA filament, the nylon is additivated to improve its resistance to high temperatures. Thus, it has a higher melting point than PA6 (the most common extruded polyamide), a higher glass transition temperature and a lower moisture absorption.
Filaments designed for specialised uses are often enriched with carbon or glass fibres to ensure that the filament will have the right thermo-mechanical behaviour. The addition of carbon fibre (CF) in PPA CF filament adds stiffness and dimensional stability.
These improved properties make this material a valid substitute for the manufacture of aluminium parts, being very useful for the automotive industry (high tensile strength and modulus, and tolerance to high temperatures) and the aerospace industry (weight reduction of up to 50% with preservation of functionality).
Ultimately, thanks to its high performance nylon matrix, this composite has superior mechanical and thermal properties compared to other nylon filaments. The addition of short carbon fibres and their distribution give the filament a lower density, lower moisture absorption, high strength and stiffness, high resistance to wear and slow creep deformation, excellent chemical and heat resistance.
In addition, to offer the possibility of manufacturing complex parts with this material, Raise3D has developed a support filament optimised for this filament: the Raise3D PPA Support filament. Both materials are optimised for the Raise3D E2CF 3D printer, a machine specially designed for 3D printing with carbon fibre reinforced filaments.
General information |
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Material | PA |
Format | 1 kg |
Density | 1.15 g/cm³ |
Filament diameter | 1.75 mm |
Filament tolerance | - mm |
Filament length | ± 361.5 m |
Printing properties |
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Printing temperature | 300 ºC |
Print bed temperature | 65 - 80 ºC |
Chamber temperature | ✗ |
Cooling fan | ✗ |
Recommended printing speed | 30 - 120 mm/s |
Mechanical properties |
|
Charpy impact strength | (ISO 179) 7.8 ± 1.0 KJ/m² |
Elongation at break | (ISO 527) 1.9 ± 0.1 % |
Tensile strength | (ISO 527) 122 ± 4 MPa |
Tensile modulus | (ISO 527) 7800 ± 520 MPa |
Flexural strength | (ISO 178) 190 ± 20 MPa |
Flexural modulus | (ISO 178) 8510 ± 240 MPa |
Surface hardness | - |
Thermal properties |
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Melting temperature | (ISO 11357) 231 ºC |
Softening temperature | (ISO 75) @ 0.45 MPa: 188 / @ 1.8 MPa: 113 ºC |
Specific properties |
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Chemical resistance | ✓ |
Other |
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HS Code | 3916.9 |
Spool diameter (outer) | - mm |
Spool diameter (inner hole) | - mm |
Spool width | - mm |
Nylon is a very hygroscopic material. Despite being developed to reduce its moisture absorption, it is recommended to store PPA CF in vacuum sealed packaging. By placing the Slice Engineering filament drying capsule inside the spool, even better results can be achieved. It is also advisable to use a drying case like the one from Fiber Three, available in the F3 Safe Light or F3 Safe Long Run version, which also keeps the filament in perfect condition during printing.
In case the filament has moisture, it is recommended to dry for 4 to 6 hours at a temperature of 80-100°C and then allow it to warm up before use.
Carbon fibre reinforced filaments are very abrasive. This means that the nozzle is at a much higher risk of wear than with non-reinforced filaments. The E2CF 3D printer is already optimised to work safely with this material, but if using another printer model such as the Raise Pro3 or Pro3 Plus, the hardened Raise3D nozzle can be used.
Nylon can have adhesion problems. The adhesion of PPA CF is better due to the carbon fibre it contains. However, a specific adhesive such as Magigoo PA can be used to ensure a good fixation of the model to the bed.
After printing, it is recommended to anneal the model in an oven at 80-100 °C for 8-12 hours to improve mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy. Then let the parts cool down to room temperature naturally. If supports of the same material are used, the user should be sure to remove them beforehand, as the support and part may permanently bond to each other, but if PPA Support material is being used, it should be left in place.