Nylon Filament Guide - Properties, Printing Challenges, and Best Practices

Nylon is the strongest consumer 3D printer filament. It’s also the most challenging to print. Get it right and you’ll produce parts that rival injection-molded plastic. Get it wrong and you’ll waste filament on failed prints.

This guide covers everything: material properties, printer requirements, moisture management, print settings, and troubleshooting. If you’ve printed 100+ hours and want to explore beyond PLA and PETG, nylon is the next frontier.

Why Nylon? (The Compelling Case)

Nylon properties that justify the difficulty:

Mechanical strength:

• Tensile strength: 80-85 MPa (vs PLA’s 55-70 MPa, PETG’s 50-60 MPa)
• Impact resistance: 5-10× higher than PLA
• Elongation: 50-150% (prints are flexible, won’t snap on impact)

Practical benefits:

• Gears actually work (withstand torque without stripping)
• Brackets hold heavy loads
• Snap fits are flexible enough to actually snap
• Outdoor durability (UV resistance better than PLA)

Real example: A nylon gear assembly for a workshop tool lasted 6 months of daily use. The PLA version lasted 3 weeks before teeth broke.

Nylon Types Available

Nylon 6: Most common, widely available ($25-35/kg)

• Print temp: 245-260°C
• Bed temp: 70-85°C
• Strength: Good
• Flexibility: Moderate

Nylon 6/6: Higher strength variant ($30-40/kg)

• Print temp: 255-270°C
• Bed temp: 80-90°C
• Strength: Excellent
• Flexibility: Lower (more rigid)

Nylon 12: Premium variant, rarely available in consumer market

• Strength: Moderate (but other properties superior)
• Cost: $60+/kg
• Use case: Specialized applications only

Nylon Blends (Nylon + CF or GF): Carbon or glass fiber reinforced ($35-50/kg)

• Strength: 20-30% improvement
• Print temp: 250-270°C
• Difficulty: More challenging than pure nylon
• Recommendation: Start with pure nylon, upgrade to blends after 20+ prints

For this guide: Nylon 6 (most common, most accessible)

Critical Requirement: Moisture Control

This is the single most important thing about nylon: it absorbs water from humidity.

What happens:

• Nylon absorbs ~1-2% of its weight in moisture from room air
• Moisture in filament causes bubbles during printing (weak, porous prints)
• Moisture also reduces layer adhesion (prints delaminate)
• A “failed” nylon print is usually a moisture problem, not a printer problem

How to prevent it:

1. Storage (before use):

   • Keep filament in airtight container with desiccant (silica gel)
   • Replace desiccant every 30 days (it loses effectiveness)
   • Recommended: Use a dry box ($30-50) rather than zip bags
   • Indication of dry filament: Breaks cleanly when snapped, not dusty

2. Pre-print drying (essential):

   • Heat nylon to 80°C for 4-8 hours before printing
   • Use filament dryer ($50-100) or oven (alternative, less precise)
   • Alternative: Leave spool on printer bed at 60°C for 2 hours minimum
   • Do not skip this step. A print will fail if filament isn’t dried.

3. During printing:

   • Keep room humidity below 50% if possible
   • Air conditioner helps (drier air)
   • Heating printer enclosure also helps (hot air holds less humidity)

Reality check: Nylon users keep a dryer running. It’s not optional, it’s foundational.

Printer Requirements

Nylon demands:

1. Nozzle capability: 260°C+ sustained printing

   • Most printers: Yes (hotend rated to 300°C)
   • Budget printers: Check specs (some max out at 240°C, unsuitable for nylon)

2. Heated bed: 70-85°C

   • Essential (cold bed = failed prints)
   • Most printers have heated beds

3. Enclosure: Strongly recommended

   • Maintains consistent chamber temperature
   • Reduces cooling speed (warping)
   • Professional setup or DIY cardboard box both work

4. Direct drive extruder: Recommended (not required)

   • Direct drive handles nylon’s flexibility better than Bowden
   • Bowden works but requires higher pressure, more reliable if newer equipment

5. Steel or hardened steel nozzle: Recommended

   • Nylon is slightly abrasive (not as bad as carbon-filled blends)
   • Standard brass nozzles last 50+ prints
   • Steel extends life to 200+ prints (optional upgrade)

Print Settings for Nylon

Temperature ranges by brand:

Brand	Nozzle Temp	Bed Temp	Retraction
Prusament Nylon	250°C	85°C	5-6mm
MatterHackers Nylon	255°C	80°C	4-5mm
Generic Nylon	245-260°C	70-85°C	Variable

Starting point settings (conservative, reliable):

• Nozzle: 250°C
• Bed: 80°C
• Layer height: 0.2mm (standard for nylon)
• Infill: 25-30% (nylon doesn’t need 100% for strength)
• Print speed: 50mm/s (slower than PLA, mandatory)
• Retraction: 5mm at 40mm/s (Bowden), 1.5mm (direct drive)
• Support: Soluble preferred (PVA, HIPS) over breakaway

Step-by-Step First Nylon Print

Preparation (2 hours before printing):

1. Dry filament at 80°C for 4 hours minimum
2. Load filament while still warm (easier to load, resets moisture)
3. Preheat nozzle to 260°C, bed to 85°C
4. Level bed (critical—tighter than PLA tolerance)

Printing:

1. Use brim (10mm perimeter around part)
   • Nylon adheres too strongly to build plate without brim
   • Brim acts as stress relief layer
2. Start print (monitor first 3 layers)
3. Watch for oozing (normal, doesn’t indicate failure)
4. Check layer adhesion (no gaps between layers)

Post-print removal:

1. Let print cool naturally to room temperature
2. Remove brim with hobby knife or pliers
3. Peel print from bed (may require gentle spatula work—nylon grips harder than PLA)

Common Nylon Problems and Solutions

Problem 1: Prints come out weak/brittle

• Cause: Moisture in filament
• Solution: Re-dry at 80°C for 8 hours, discard failed print
• Prevention: Store in dry box, pre-dry always

Problem 2: Lots of small bubbles throughout print

• Cause: Moisture or extrusion temperature too high
• Solution: Reduce nozzle to 245°C, re-dry filament
• Indicator: Bubbles visible on first layer (catch early, abort print)

Problem 3: Print sticks too hard to bed (impossible to remove)

• Cause: Bed temperature too high or brim not used
• Solution: Use brim (critical), reduce bed temp to 75°C
• Workaround: Let print cool in freezer for 30 minutes (shrinkage helps release)

Problem 4: Warping (corners curl upward)

• Cause: Uneven cooling or print geometry
• Solution: Use enclosure, print in warmer room, reduce print speed to 40mm/s
• Design fix: Add large base raft to distribute heat evenly

Problem 5: Stringing or oozing (filament trails between sections)

• Cause: Nylon has high flow (even small retractions miss)
• Solution: Increase retraction to 6-7mm, reduce nozzle temp to 245°C
• Alternative: Enable combing (slicer moves nozzle without retracting when possible)

Problem 6: Nozzle clogs or jam

• Cause: Moisture + high temperature = bubbling = jam
• Solution: Cold pull (reheat, pull filament while warm)
• Prevention: Never leave nozzle idle at temperature >200°C; always retract when paused

Understanding Nylon Behavior

Nylon behaves differently than PLA in key ways:

Cooling: Nylon cools slowly and can take 30+ minutes to reach room temperature in large parts. This extends print time but actually helps prevent warping.

Adhesion: Nylon grips build plates aggressively. Brim is necessary (or print will lift edges while still printing). PEI sheets release nylon better than textured steel.

Support removal: Soluble supports (PVA) are superior for nylon because breakaway supports can get stuck on flexible prints. If you must use breakaway, use 15-20% support density (less to remove).

Layer bonding: Nylon’s high elongation means layers bond extremely well. You’ll see fewer delamination failures than PLA.

Mechanical properties change with time: Nylon absorbs moisture after printing. A flexible print becomes slightly more flexible as time passes (improvement).

Nylon vs. PETG for Functional Parts

When should you choose nylon over PETG?

Choose nylon if:

• Part experiences impact (gears, springs, snap fits)
• Part bends without breaking (mechanical flex required)
• Part handles heavy loads
• Part outdoors long-term (UV exposure)
• Cost of failure is high (test with nylon’s strength)

Choose PETG if:

• Part needs heat resistance (up to 80°C)
• Part is decorative/non-functional
• You want printing simplicity (PETG is much easier)
• Moisture management is impractical
• Part needs perfect surface finish (nylon is grainier)

Real example: A hinge should be nylon (flexes, won’t snap). A heat sink should be PETG (thermal properties). A gear should be nylon (strength + impact).

Dryer Recommendations

Since drying is essential, which dryer?

Filament Dryer Box ($50-100):

• Pros: Thermostat-controlled, dries 1kg in 6 hours, consistent
• Cons: Electricity cost (~$0.20 per dry cycle)
• Recommendation: Best option if printing nylon regularly

Oven Method (free):

• Pros: Uses existing oven, faster (4-6 hours)
• Cons: Requires oven thermometer, less precise temperature control
• Recommendation: Adequate for occasional nylon printing

Heated bed method (free):

• Pros: Works on printer
• Cons: Takes longer (8-10 hours), occupies printer, unreliable if room is humid
• Recommendation: Emergency option only

DIY desiccant container ($30):

• Silica gel in sealed container
• No heating, just moisture absorption
• Takes 24-48 hours per kg
• Works for maintenance (keeping dried filament dry between uses)

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Nylon vs. PETG for a mechanical bracket:

PETG Option:

• Material cost: $2.00
• Print time: 2 hours
• Failure rate: 5% (straightforward print)
• Strength: Adequate
• Heat resistance: 80°C (sufficient for indoors)

Nylon Option:

• Material cost: $2.50
• Drying time: 6 hours (equipment + electricity)
• Print time: 2.5 hours (slower speeds)
• Failure rate: 15-20% (if inexperienced)
• Strength: Superior (3-5× impact resistance)

When nylon pays: If your bracket fails and you need to reprint repeatedly, nylon’s superior strength saves money in the long run. First nylon print often fails due to moisture; subsequent prints succeed.

Recommended First Nylon Projects

Start simple:

1. Mechanical gears (spur gears):

   • Proof of concept (if gears work, nylon printing works)
   • Print time: 1-2 hours
   • No supports needed

2. Flexible hinges:

   • Showcases nylon’s flexibility
   • Print time: 30-60 minutes
   • Teaches enclosure benefits

3. Snap fits or clips:

   • Requires understanding of design tolerances
   • Print time: 1-2 hours
   • Tests your ability to design for flexibility

4. Bracket for tool:

   • Functional project
   • Print time: 2-4 hours
   • Real-world strength testing

Avoid complex parts with thin features until you’ve mastered basic nylon.

The Reality of Nylon

Nylon is powerful but unforgiving. The learning curve is steeper than PLA or PETG. Your first few prints might fail due to moisture or settings.

But if you:

1. Dry your filament every time
2. Use proven settings for your filament brand
3. Print at conservative speeds (50mm/s)
4. Use an enclosure
5. Keep humidity below 50%

You’ll achieve excellent results. And the mechanical properties will justify the effort.

Nylon isn’t better than PETG for everything. It’s specialized. You choose it when strength, impact resistance, and flexibility matter. Use PETG for everything else (easier, simpler, proven).

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Nylon unlocks a new category of 3D printing: functional mechanical parts that rival plastic injection molding. The prerequisite is respecting its material requirements (moisture control above all else). Master those fundamentals, and nylon will expand what you can print.

Next steps: Buy a filament dryer, order a spool of Prusament Nylon (most reliable), and plan a simple gear print as your proof of concept. After 5-10 successful nylon prints, you’ll understand why it’s worth the complexity.