SLS · Nylon 12

SLS PA12 Nylon 12 3D Printing

Name: SLS PA12 Nylon 12 3D Printing
Brand: RYSE 3D

The all-round workhorse of powder bed fusion — a ductile, dimensionally accurate engineering nylon at 42 MPa tensile strength and 25% elongation, with a 161 °C heat deflection temperature. RYSE 3D prints PA12 on the Formlabs Fuse platform with no support structures, so lattices, internal channels and living hinges come free. Quote from one prototype to 100,000 parts.

Quote in PA12 → All SLS materials PA12 datasheet (PDF) ↓

Also known as Nylon 12 · polyamide 12 · SLS nylon · laser sintered nylon

Overview

The default SLS nylon, and usually the right answer

PA12 has been the backbone of powder bed fusion since the process began, and it is still the material most SLS parts are printed in. It pairs dependable mechanical properties with excellent dimensional accuracy and a low tendency to warp, so what comes off the machine is very close to what you sent. We run a tough grade chosen for high ductility and reduced warpage — at 25% elongation it flexes and absorbs impact rather than snapping.

Because SLS needs no support structures, the powder bed carries the part and geometry other processes can't reach prints without penalty: internal channels, lattices, living hinges and fully enclosed assemblies, with a consistent matte finish all over. Printed, dyed, blasted, smoothed and inspected in-house — equally at home on a one-off prototype and a repeatable production batch, and from December 2026 on the UK's first Formlabs Fuse X1.

Technical data

PA12 material properties

Headline properties for our SLS PA12 nylon.

Reviewed by the RYSE 3D engineering team · August 2026 Download the full datasheet below, or have it confirmed with your instant quote. Values vary with geometry and orientation.

Property	Value
Ultimate tensile strength	42 MPa
Elongation at break (X/Y)	25%
Heat deflection @ 0.45 MPa	161 °C
Heat deflection @ 1.8 MPa	46 °C
Impact, notched (Izod)	60 J/m
Character	Ductile, dimensionally accurate

Download PA12 datasheet (PDF) ↓

Applications

What SLS PA12 is used for

The default choice across prototyping and production.

RYSE 3D printed SLS PA12 nylon impact-resistant end-use component

Impact-resistant prototypes and end-use parts

RYSE 3D printed SLS PA12 nylon snap-fit and living hinge components

Snaps, ratchets and living hinges

RYSE 3D printed SLS PA12 nylon long flat part held straight by the reduced-warpage grade

Long, flat parts susceptible to warping

RYSE 3D printed SLS PA12 nylon compliant mechanism printed as a single piece

Compliant mechanisms printed in one piece

Functional prototypesEnd-use partsHousings & enclosuresDucting & manifoldsSnap-fits & living hingesCompliant mechanismsBrackets & mountsJigs, fixtures & manufacturing aidsLattices & complex geometryBatch & series production

Why PA12

Why choose SLS PA12

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25% elongation, genuinely ductile

A tough grade, markedly more ductile than standard Nylon 12 — parts flex and absorb impact instead of snapping, which is what makes clips and hinges survive.

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Dimensionally accurate

Low warpage and repeatable tolerances around ±0.3 mm — the reason PA12 is specified for fit, assembly and inspection-critical work.

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No supports, free geometry

The powder bed carries the part, so lattices, internal channels and living hinges print with no support marks and no witness lines to finish out.

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Water & oil resistant

Printed parts take up just 0.30% water, with under 1% weight gain in diesel, hydraulic oil and salt water after 24 hours. Strong acids are the exception — see the limits below.

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Priced to 100,000 parts

Efficient powder use and dense nesting keep cost per part falling as volumes rise — our instant quote prices up to 100,000 parts in seconds.

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Finished in-house

Bead blasted, dyed black or Vapor Smoothed under one roof — one team prints, finishes and inspects every part.

Design guidance

Designing for SLS PA12

Typical guidelines for SLS PA12 on the Fuse platform. We'll confirm the specifics for your part with a free design-for-additive review at quote.

Design feature	Typical guideline
Build envelope (Fuse 1+)	165 × 165 × 300 mm
Tolerance	±0.3 mm or ±0.3%
Minimum wall thickness	1 mm
Minimum embossed / engraved detail	0.5 mm
Minimum hole diameter	1.5 mm — larger for deeper holes
Clearance between mating parts	0.4 mm
Load orientation	Elongation falls from 25% X/Y to 15% Z — orient high-strain features across the layers, not through them
Supports	None required; the powder bed carries the part
Finish	Natural grey, bead blasted, dyed black or Vapor Smoothed in-house

Our SLS platform

Printed on the Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W

Every PA12 part we ship today is sintered on the Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W, with powder recovery on the Fuse Sift and finishing on the Fuse Blast — the full workflow in-house, so parts are printed, depowdered, blasted and inspected under one roof. Build envelope is 165 × 165 × 300 mm, and because the powder bed carries the part there are no supports to design around or witness marks to finish out.

Parts nest densely through the full build volume rather than sitting on a single plate, which is what keeps cost per part falling as PA12 quantities rise.

RYSE 3D Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W SLS 3D printer, Fuse Sift powder recovery station and Fuse Blast finishing unit used to print PA12 — The Fuse 1+ 30W line at RYSE 3D — printer, Fuse Sift and Fuse Blast.

Nested SLS build volume on the Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W packed with PA12 brackets, housings and ducts stacked in three dimensions at RYSE 3D — A full 1+ 30W build, packed in three dimensions.

Coming December 2026

We’re taking delivery of the UK’s first Formlabs Fuse X1 — a larger, faster SLS platform that will expand our PA12 build envelope and throughput. Talk to us about larger parts and higher-volume PA12 runs.

Formlabs Fuse X1 SLS 3D printing platform with powder recovery and finishing stations, arriving at RYSE 3D in December 2026 as the first in the UK for PA12 production — The Fuse X1 platform — the first in the UK, landing December 2026.

What an X1 build will hold

Three nest studies for the incoming chamber, from one production part repeated to full-scale one-offs. Projected figures — PA12 quoted today runs on the Fuse 1+ 30W envelope above.

Production batches

3,280 parts

41.5 h · 41% pack density

High-mix builds

29 parts

22.5 h · 10% pack density

Full-scale prototypes

3 parts

21 h · 2% pack density

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Full specification

Every number an engineer needs

Values from the manufacturer's technical data sheet. Specimens were conditioned at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity for 40 hours before testing, and the published data was generated from SLS printed parts rather than moulded bars. Reference only; confirmed at quote.

Property	X/Y	Z	Method
Mechanical
Ultimate tensile strength	42 MPa	—	ASTM D638-14 Type 1
Tensile modulus	1,450 MPa	—	ASTM D638-14 Type 1
Elongation at break	25%	15%	ASTM D638-14 Type 1
Flexural strength	42 MPa		ASTM D790-17
Flexural modulus	1,100 MPa		ASTM D790-17
Impact, notched Izod	60 J/m		ASTM D256-10
Thermal
Heat deflection, 0.45 MPa	161 °C		ASTM D648-16
Heat deflection, 1.8 MPa	46 °C		ASTM D648-16
Vicat softening temperature	170 °C		ASTM D1525
Physical & chemical
Water absorption, printed part	0.30%		ASTM D570
Weight gain, diesel fuel (24 h)	0.6%		1 cm³ cube, 24 h immersion
Weight gain, hydraulic oil (24 h)	0.9%		1 cm³ cube, 24 h immersion
Weight gain, salt water 3.5% NaCl (24 h)	0.2%		1 cm³ cube, 24 h immersion
Weight gain, concentrated HCl (24 h)	5.6%		1 cm³ cube, 24 h immersion

Method note: SLS impact is reported as notched Izod to ASTM D256-10 in J/m. Our FDM pages quote notched Charpy to ISO 179 in kJ/m² — a different method on a different scale, so the two sets of figures cannot be ranked against each other. Biocompatibility testing was in progress at the time the source sheet was published, so no biocompatibility claim is made for this grade.

Honest limits

Where SLS PA12 is the wrong call

PA12 is the right answer for most SLS parts. These are the cases where it isn't — told straight, so you don't find out after the first batch. If any apply, we'll spec a better grade free with your quote.

Parts that carry load while hot

The 161 °C figure is measured at 0.45 MPa. Under real load it drops to 46 °C at 1.8 MPa — the lowest of any SLS nylon we run. For a bracket that is hot and loaded, PA12-GF holds 113 °C at 1.8 MPa.

Stiffness-critical geometry

At 1,450 MPa tensile modulus PA12 flexes — a virtue in a snap-fit, a problem in a fixture holding a datum. PA12-GF nearly doubles it at 2,800 MPa; PA12-CF reaches 8,300 MPa in X.

Repeated impact and deep flexing

60 J/m notched Izod is solid, but PA11 gives 71 J/m and 40% elongation against PA12's 25%. For clips cycled thousands of times, or parts dropped repeatedly in service, PA11 is the tougher nylon.

Strong acid exposure

PA12 shrugs off water, fuels, oils and salt water. Concentrated hydrochloric acid is different — 5.6% weight gain in 24 hours, the highest of our SLS grades. Tell us the chemistry at quote and we'll advise.

Highly strained parts built upright

Elongation falls from 25% in X/Y to 15% in Z. A thin part that has to bend a long way should be oriented so the strain runs across the layers — we flag this at design review.

Anything that must genuinely flex

PA12 is a rigid nylon. Gaskets, seals, dampers and grippers need an elastomer — TPU 90A reaches 310% elongation at Shore 90A.

Compare

SLS PA12 vs PA11 vs PA12-GF

PA12 is the all-rounder. For toughness and ductility see PA11; for rigidity and heat under load, glass-filled PA12-GF; for maximum stiffness, carbon-filled PA12-CF; for flexibility, TPU 90A. Weighing SLS against MJF for a production run? Our MJF materials cover the other powder-bed route.

Property	PA12 (this page)	PA11	PA12-GF
Ultimate tensile strength	42 MPa	49 MPa	38 MPa
Tensile modulus	1,450 MPa	1,600 MPa	2,800 MPa
Elongation at break (X/Y)	25%	40%	4%
Impact, notched (Izod ASTM D256-10)	60 J/m	71 J/m	36 J/m
Heat deflection @ 0.45 MPa	161 °C	182 °C	170 °C
Heat deflection @ 1.8 MPa	46 °C	46 °C	113 °C
Water absorption, printed part	0.30%	0.07%	0.24%
Best for	Balanced all-round work	Toughness & ductility	Rigidity & heat under load

Note: impact for all three grades is notched Izod to ASTM D256-10 in J/m. These figures are not comparable with the notched Charpy ISO 179 values in kJ/m² quoted across our FDM range.

SLS

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PA12, PA11, glass- and carbon-filled nylon and flexible TPU 90A.

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FAQ

SLS PA12 FAQ

What is SLS PA12 (Nylon 12)?

PA12, or Nylon 12, is the most established material in SLS 3D printing — a ductile, dimensionally accurate engineering nylon that suits everything from functional prototypes to end-use production parts. RYSE 3D runs a tough, reduced-warpage grade of PA12 on the Formlabs Fuse platform, printed with no supports so complex geometry comes free.

How strong is SLS PA12?

PA12 reaches 42 MPa ultimate tensile strength with a 1,450 MPa tensile modulus and 60 J/m notched Izod impact, at 25% elongation at break in X/Y (ASTM D638-14 Type 1 and ASTM D256-10). It balances strength, stiffness and ductility rather than leading on any one of them, which is why it is the default SLS nylon.

How hot can SLS PA12 parts get?

Heat deflection is 161 °C at 0.45 MPa and 46 °C at 1.8 MPa, both to ASTM D648-16. The gap matters: the high figure applies to a lightly loaded part, the low one to a part carrying real load. For components that are hot and loaded at the same time, PA12-GF holds 113 °C at 1.8 MPa and is the better choice.

What is PA12 used for?

Functional prototypes, housings and enclosures, ducting and manifolds, brackets and mounts, snap-fits and living hinges, compliant mechanisms, jigs and fixtures, and end-use production parts across automotive, industrial and consumer work.

Is SLS PA12 accurate?

Yes — PA12 is among the most dimensionally accurate and repeatable SLS materials, with typical tolerances around ±0.3 mm or ±0.3%. Our grade is formulated for reduced warpage across the build, which is what keeps long, thin and flat parts straight.

SLS PA12 or SLS PA11 — what is the difference?

PA11 is the tougher, more ductile nylon: 40% elongation and 71 J/m notched Izod against PA12's 25% and 60 J/m, a higher 182 °C heat deflection at 0.45 MPa, and far lower water uptake at 0.07% against 0.30%. PA12 is more widely specified, more dimensionally predictable and lower cost. Choose PA11 for clips cycled hard or parts taking repeated impact; choose PA12 for almost everything else.

What colour is SLS PA12 and can it be dyed?

PA12 prints in a natural grey. Parts can be dyed black, bead blasted or Vapor Smoothed in-house. If you need a specific colour, tell us the target and we'll advise what is achievable on the grey base.

Is SLS PA12 the same as Nylon 12?

Yes — PA12 and Nylon 12 are two names for the same polyamide, and drawings use both along with polyamide 12. We run a tough, reduced-warpage grade of it, so if your drawing calls for a standard laser-sintered Nylon 12 our PA12 is a like-for-like substitute. Send the drawing and we'll confirm the fit against your specified properties.

Is PA12 good for production, or just prototypes?

Both. PA12 is repeatable and durable enough for batch and series production as well as prototyping, and cost per part falls as quantities rise. Our instant quote prices up to 100,000 parts.

SLS PA12 or MJF PA12 — which should I choose?

Both are excellent PA12. SLS tends to warp less and sits alongside a wider SLS material family; MJF is tuned for the most consistent repeatable output at volume. See our SLS vs MJF comparison, or send the CAD and we'll recommend.

How do I order PA12 3D printed parts in the UK?

Upload your CAD to our instant online quote and select SLS PA12. As a UK 3D printing service bureau we print, finish and inspect every part in-house in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, and ship UK-wide — from a single prototype to 100,000 parts.

Get your PA12 parts priced in seconds.

Upload your CAD for an instant online quote in SLS PA12 nylon — from a single functional prototype to 100,000 production parts. Printed, finished and inspected in the UK.

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Printed and finished at our own ISO 9001 facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Call us on 024 7736 0144.