Nylon PA12.
The industrial workhorse.
Polyamide 12 is the reference material for MJF 3D printing: strong, stable, watertight and fit for end use. From 1 to 10,000 parts in 72 h of production, with public pricing from 0.30 €/cm³ — no fine print.
The numbers, on the table.
- Tensile strength≈ 48 MPa
- Elastic modulus≈ 1,800 MPa
- Elongation at break≈ 20 % (XY)
- Part density≈ 1.01 g/cm³
- Melting temp.≈ 187 °C
- HDT (0.45 MPa)≈ 175 °C
- Layer thickness80 µm
- Typical tolerance± 0.3 mm
- Minimum wall0.5 mm (rec. 1 mm)
- Maximum part size380 × 284 × 380 mm
Typical values for the HP 3D HR PA12 base material printed with MJF. They may vary with print orientation — we confirm them for your part when reviewing the file.
MJF-printed PA12 behaves like an engineering thermoplastic, not a prototyping plastic: virtually isotropic properties, good fatigue and impact resistance, and very low moisture absorption compared with other nylons — it keeps its dimensions and properties in humid environments.
It withstands sustained high working temperatures and has excellent chemical resistance to oils, greases and aliphatic hydrocarbons, which makes it a regular choice in automotive, pneumatics and machinery. Parts come out dense and watertight, able to carry liquids and air with no further sealing.
Missing a figure for your calculations? Ask us for the full material data sheet by email and we will send it to you the same day.
Real PA12 parts printed and photographed at our plant — no renders.
The good and the not so good.
- ◆Functional end-use parts: clips, hinges, housings, low-load gears.
- ◆Watertightness with no post-processing — liquids and pneumatics.
- ◆Short runs that do not yet justify an injection mould.
- ◆Geometries impossible to machine: internal channels, lattices, assemblies printed already assembled.
- ◆Dimensional stability in humid environments and with industrial chemicals.
- ◇Surface finish: it comes out matte and grainy, not smooth like injection moulding. Black dyeing masks it; chemical smoothing removes it (on request).
- ◇Colour: natural is grey. For a uniform colour, black dyeing. Other colours require painting afterwards.
- ◇Extreme precision: ±0.3 mm is excellent for 3D printing, but if you need ±0.05 mm, that is machining.
- ◇Parts larger than the build chamber (380 × 284 × 380 mm) have to be split and bonded.
- ◇Sustained high temperature (>120 °C continuous) or high structural loads: there we talk about other materials or processes.
If you are not sure whether PA12 fits your application, send us the part and the use case — we will tell you the truth, even if it is that we are not the best option. That is engineering too.
0.30 €/cm³.
Published, not “on request”.
Base price by part volume, with order volume discounts and a 5 € minimum per part. Most bureaus hide their rates behind a sales rep; we publish ours and let the calculator give you the exact number in seconds, no sign-up required.
- Up to 25 units72 h
- 25 – 200 units5-7 days
- Larger volumes10-14 days
- Shipping mainland Spain+1-2 business days
Sanded/polished or dyed finishes: +several business days.
Shall we print in PA12?
Upload your STL, see the price instantly and decide. Free mesh validation included — if your file has errors, we tell you before charging you anything.