Nylon-CF (Carbon Fibre Nylon) 3D Printing: Properties, Uses & Limits
Nylon-CF is nylon with chopped carbon fibre mixed through it, and it is the stiffest material on our shelf. It keeps most of what makes nylon useful, adds a large jump in rigidity and heat tolerance, and prints with a matte black finish that looks like the engineering part it is. It is also easy to over-specify, so this page covers what it does well and where something cheaper does the job.
What we actually print with
Our Nylon-CF is eSUN ePA-CF: a nylon 6/66 copolymer carrying 20% carbon fibre by weight. We name the spool deliberately, because "carbon fibre filament" covers everything from properly engineered nylon blends to PLA with a little fibre dust for looks, and those behave nothing alike.
The base polymer is what sets the ceiling. A nylon base brings toughness, chemical resistance and heat tolerance that a PLA base cannot, and the fibre then multiplies its stiffness.
The numbers, and how to read them
eSUN's datasheet gives a flexural modulus of about 6,450 MPa along the print layers, a tensile strength of about 84 MPa in the same direction, and a heat deflection temperature of 155 °C. For comparison, plain PLA starts to soften at around 55 to 60 °C, so this is a material for parts that sit near motors, in a hot car or inside warm electronics.
The figures that matter just as much are the ones across the layers: about 1,650 MPa stiffness and 50 MPa tensile strength. A printed part is roughly four times stiffer along its layers than through them. That is not a defect of this filament; every FDM part is weakest between layers, and fibre makes the difference more pronounced. It is why we orient each part so its main load runs along the layers rather than trying to peel them apart.
Datasheet values come from standard test bars printed under ideal conditions. A real part with holes, thin walls and corners will land below them, so treat the numbers as a ranking between materials rather than a design allowable.
Where it earns its price
Brackets, mounts and frames that must not flex under load: sensor and camera mounts, motor mounts, structural brackets in machines and enclosures. Its stiffness-to-weight is the best of anything we print, which matters on drones, robots and anything that moves.
Jigs, fixtures and tooling that need to hold a dimension, since the fibre greatly reduces warping and shrinkage. Parts in warm environments up to roughly 150 °C. Visible functional hardware where the matte, speckled black finish is part of the appeal.
Where it is the wrong choice
Anything that has to bend and recover. Fibre makes nylon stiffer and more brittle, so clips, snap fits and living hinges belong in plain Nylon PA12, which flexes thousands of times without cracking.
Crash-prone and impact parts that should deform rather than break, such as bumpers and prop guards, are also better in PA12 or TPU. If heat is the main requirement rather than stiffness, our glass-filled nylon tolerates more of it (Bambu PA6-GF is rated to 182 °C). And if the part only needs to look carbon and stay rigid indoors, PLA-CF gives that finish for about a third of the price.
It also only comes in black, since the fibre colours the whole material.
How we print it
Nylon pulls moisture from the air, and wet nylon prints weak and rough, so every spool is dried before a job (eSUN specifies 70 °C for twelve hours or more) and kept dry while it prints. It runs at close to 280 °C in an enclosed chamber, through a hardened steel nozzle, since carbon fibre would wear a softer nozzle out within a single long job.
Threads are best done with heat-set brass inserts, which hold far better in Nylon-CF than tapped plastic.
Pricing
Nylon-CF is ₹25 per gram plus GST (₹29.50 per gram all in), the same per-gram basis as every material we offer. Upload your STL, OBJ, 3MF or STEP file on the custom print page and the price is worked out from your actual model, using the filament's real density, so the quote is the price you pay.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Nylon-CF as strong as aluminium?+
No. Aluminium is several times stiffer and stronger, and it does not have weak layer boundaries. Nylon-CF replaces aluminium well where the load is modest and weight, lead time or cost matters more: brackets, mounts, fixtures and prototypes. For a highly loaded structural part, use metal.
What is the difference between Nylon-CF and PLA-CF?+
The base plastic. Both are stiff with a matte carbon finish, but PLA-CF softens at about 55 °C and is more brittle, while Nylon-CF holds up to about 155 °C and is far tougher. PLA-CF suits indoor parts and looks; Nylon-CF suits parts that work for a living.
Will a Nylon-CF part absorb moisture?+
Slowly, as all nylon does. Over weeks it becomes slightly tougher and very slightly less stiff, with a tiny dimensional change. It only matters for tightly toleranced assemblies, and we will tell you if it affects your design.
Can I get Nylon-CF in colours?+
No, it is black only. The carbon fibre colours the whole material, which is also what gives it the even matte finish.
What tolerances can you hold?+
As a rule of thumb, allow a few tenths of a millimetre on printed dimensions, and design holes and mating parts with that clearance in mind.
Ready to start?
Browse the shop or tell us your idea, we'll make it to order and ship it across India.