SLS · Carbon-Filled Nylon

SLS PA12-CF Carbon Fibre Nylon

Name: SLS PA12-CF Carbon Fibre Nylon 3D Printing
Brand: RYSE 3D

The stiffest, lightest material we sinter — polyamide 12 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre for an 8,300 MPa tensile modulus and 85 MPa tensile strength at just 1.2 g/cm³. Electrically conductive, machinable after printing, and run on large-format 3D Systems sPro machines up to 490 × 490 × 740 mm in one piece. The route to metal-replacement brackets, tooling and large load-path parts. Quote from one prototype to 100,000.

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

Also known as carbon filled nylon · carbon fibre nylon SLS · PA12-CF · CF nylon · carbon fiber SLS

Overview

Carbon stiffness, at a fifth the density of steel

PA12-CF adds chopped carbon fibre to polyamide 12 for a step change in rigidity that no other grade in our SLS range comes close to: an 8,300 MPa tensile modulus in the X direction, roughly three times glass-filled PA12-GF and nearly six times unfilled PA12, with 85 MPa tensile strength — the highest we sinter. At 1.2 g/cm³ it does that while staying light, which is what makes it a genuine candidate to replace machined aluminium in brackets, mounts and housings.

Two things set it apart from the rest of the range. It runs on large-format 3D Systems sPro machines with a 490 × 490 × 740 mm envelope — far bigger than our Fuse platform — and it is electrically conductive rather than insulative. It also machines after printing, so tight-tolerance bores and mating faces can be cut to drawing. The trade is ductility: at 3.2% elongation this is a rigid grade, not a forgiving one.

Technical data

PA12-CF material properties

Headline properties for our SLS carbon-filled polyamide 12, measured on a tensile bar in the X direction.

Reviewed by the RYSE 3D engineering team · August 2026 Download the full datasheet below, or have it confirmed with your instant quote. Values vary significantly with build orientation — see the directional table below.

Property	Value (X direction)
Tensile modulus	8,300 MPa
Ultimate tensile strength	85 ± 5 MPa
Bending strength	132 MPa
Elongation at break	3.2 ± 1%
Density (sintered)	1.2 ± 0.1 g/cm³
Thermostability	170 ± 5 °C
Surface resistivity	10³–10⁵ ohm (conductive)
Character	Very stiff, light, conductive, brittle

Download PA12-CF datasheet (PDF) ↓

Applications

What SLS PA12-CF is used for

Where stiffness, low weight and part size all matter at once.

SLS PA12-CF carbon fibre nylon 3D printed duct in bead-blasted finish by RYSE 3D

The same duct, bead blasted

SLS PA12-CF carbon fibre nylon 3D printed vaned discs shown natural and dyed by RYSE 3D

Vaned discs, natural and dyed

Mounting plates with bolt circles and integral webbing

SLS PA12-CF carbon fibre nylon 3D printed snowboard binding hardware by RYSE 3D

Snowboard binding hardware carrying rider load

Metal-replacement partsLightweight load-path componentsJigs, fixtures & toolingDrone & UAV partsMotorsport & automotiveAerospace componentsRobotics & end effectorsDucts & airflow componentsLarge single-piece partsStatic-dissipative partsEnd-use industrial parts

Why PA12-CF

Why choose SLS PA12-CF

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8,300 MPa tensile modulus

Roughly three times glass-filled PA12-GF and nearly six times unfilled PA12 — the stiffest grade in the SLS range by a wide margin, in the X direction.

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85 MPa at 1.2 g/cm³

The highest tensile strength we sinter, at roughly a fifth the density of steel and under half that of aluminium. That ratio is the whole argument for carbon.

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490 × 490 × 740 mm

Large-format 3D Systems sPro machines print big carbon parts in one piece — no splitting, no bonding, no joint to design around.

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Electrically conductive

10³–10⁵ ohm surface resistivity puts it in the conductive range, suiting static-dissipative applications where an insulative nylon would not do.

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Machinable after printing

Drilled, sawn, milled, turned, ground, polished or coated — print the bulk geometry, then cut the critical features to drawing.

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Four finish levels

Bead blasted as standard, polished to Grain 240, filled and polished to Grain 600, or machined and coated for end-use parts. All in-house.

Design guidance

Designing for SLS PA12-CF

Typical guidelines for SLS PA12-CF on our 3D Systems sPro machines. As a stiff, carbon-filled grade it favours robust features over fine, delicate ones, and orientation matters more here than on any other material we run. We’ll confirm the specifics for your part with a free design-for-additive review at quote.

Design feature	Typical guideline
Build envelope (3D Systems sPro)	490 × 490 × 740 mm
Layer thickness	0.1 mm
Tolerance	±0.2 mm, or ±0.3% above 100 mm
Minimum wall thickness	0.8 mm
Load orientation	Critical — tensile strength runs 85 MPa in X, 55 MPa in Y and 45 MPa in Z. We orient the load path deliberately rather than nesting purely for cost
Powder removal	Two access holes needed for any enclosed cavity
Flexing features	Avoid — at 3.2% elongation clips and hinges crack rather than deform. Use PA11 instead
Electrical behaviour	Conductive, not insulative — specify accordingly
Supports	None required; the powder bed carries the part
Finish	Bead blasted, polished to Grain 240, filled and polished to Grain 600, or machined and coated

Large-format carbon SLS

PA12-CF runs on our 3D Systems sPro laser-sintering machines with a build envelope up to 490 × 490 × 740 mm — roughly thirty times the volume of our Fuse platform, and room for large, rigid, single-piece carbon parts that most carbon-capable processes can’t reach. Talk to us about big load-path parts.

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Full specification

Every number an engineer needs

Values from the manufacturer’s technical data sheet, reported to DIN EN ISO methods. The primary table is measured on a tensile bar in the X direction; the directional table below shows how far Y and Z depart from it. Reference only; confirmed at quote.

Property	Value (X direction)	Method
Mechanical
Tensile strength	85 ± 5 MPa	DIN EN ISO 527
Tensile modulus (Young’s)	8,300 MPa	DIN EN ISO 527
Yield strength	75 ± 5 MPa	DIN EN ISO 527
Ultimate elongation	3.2 ± 1%	DIN EN ISO 527
Bending strength	132 MPa	DIN EN ISO 178
Bending modulus (Young’s)	7,330 MPa	DIN EN ISO 178
Impact, notched	Not published by the source	—
Thermal
Thermostability	170 ± 5 °C	DIN EN ISO 75 (load not stated by source)
Melting point	180–185 °C	DSC
Thermal expansion	5 × 10⁻⁵ per K	—
Thermal conductivity	0.201 W/(m·K)	DIN 52616
Thermal insulation coefficient	47.91 W/(m²·K)	DIN 52616
Physical & electrical
Density (sintered)	1.2 ± 0.1 g/cm³	DIN EN ISO 1183-1
Surface resistivity	10³–10⁵ ohm	—
Electrical resistance	10⁵–10⁷ ohm·m	—

Directional performance	X	Y	Z
Tensile modulus	8,300 MPa	3,400 MPa	2,900 MPa
Tensile strength	85 ± 5 MPa	55 MPa	45 MPa
Yield strength	75 ± 5 MPa	49 MPa	38 MPa
Ultimate elongation	3.2 ± 1%	3.0%	2.2%

Anisotropy note: this is the widest directional spread of any material we run. A part built in Z gives up roughly half its tensile strength and around two-thirds of its stiffness against the same part built in X, so we orient the load path deliberately at quote. Method note: PA12-CF is characterised to DIN EN ISO methods rather than the ASTM set used for our other SLS grades, and the source publishes no notched impact figure — we don’t quote one.

Honest limits

Where SLS PA12-CF is the wrong call

PA12-CF is the most capable and the most demanding grade we run. It rewards parts designed around its strengths and punishes parts that aren’t. These are the cases where something else is the better answer.

Parts loaded in more than one axis

The headline 85 MPa and 8,300 MPa are X-direction figures. In Z they fall to 45 MPa and 2,900 MPa. If a part is loaded in several directions at once, design to the Z numbers, not the headline — or use a grade with less spread.

Anything that flexes

3.2% elongation in X and 2.2% in Z. Clips, hinges and snap features crack rather than deform. PA11 gives 40% elongation, PA12 25%.

Impact and shock loading

The source publishes no notched impact figure, so we don’t quote one — and a 3.2% elongation grade is not where you go for toughness. Where parts get dropped or knocked, PA11 at 71 J/m is the honest choice.

Electrically insulating parts

Carbon filling makes this grade conductive at 10³–10⁵ ohm. If the part has to insulate, PA12-CF actively disqualifies itself — use PA12 or PA12-GF.

Precisely specified hot parts

The 170 °C thermostability figure is published without a stated test load, so it is not directly comparable with the 0.45 and 1.8 MPa heat deflection values elsewhere on this site. For a defined figure under load, PA12-GF holds 113 °C at 1.8 MPa.

Cost-driven work that doesn’t need carbon

This is the most expensive grade in the range. If the part isn’t stiffness-critical, weight-critical or too big for the Fuse envelope, PA12-GF or PA12 will do the job for less.

Compare

SLS PA12-CF vs PA12-GF vs PA12

PA12-CF is the stiffest and lightest option, and the only one that runs large-format. For rigidity without carbon at lower cost see glass-filled PA12-GF; for a tougher, more ductile part, PA12 or PA11; for flexibility, TPU 90A. For carbon nylon by a different process, see our FDM PA12-CF — a different material on different test methods, not the same grade.

Property	PA12-CF (this page)	PA12-GF	PA12
Tensile modulus	8,300 MPa (X)	2,800 MPa	1,450 MPa
Ultimate tensile strength	85 MPa (X)	38 MPa	42 MPa
Elongation at break	3.2% (X)	4%	25%
Build envelope	490 × 490 × 740 mm	165 × 165 × 300 mm	165 × 165 × 300 mm
Electrical behaviour	Conductive	Insulative	Insulative
Machinable after printing	Yes	Limited	Limited
Impact, notched	Not published	36 J/m	60 J/m
Test method family	DIN EN ISO	ASTM	ASTM
Best for	Stiffness, low weight & large parts	Rigidity & heat under load	Balanced all-round work

Method note: PA12-CF is characterised to DIN EN ISO methods; PA12-GF and PA12 to ASTM. Impact figures for the other two grades are notched Izod to ASTM D256-10 in J/m, and PA12-CF publishes none — so the impact row is not a like-for-like ranking. Treat the stiffness and strength columns as indicative of scale rather than a certified head-to-head.

PA12-GF

SLS PA12-GF Glass Filled

Stiff and heat-resistant without carbon — a lower-cost route to rigidity.

See PA12-GF → SLS

All SLS Materials

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

See SLS materials → All

All 3D Printing Materials

Every material across SLS, MJF, FDM and SLA.

See all materials →

FAQ

SLS PA12-CF FAQ

What is SLS PA12-CF (carbon-filled nylon)?

PA12-CF is polyamide 12 reinforced with chopped carbon fibre, giving the highest stiffness-to-weight of any material we sinter: 8,300 MPa tensile modulus and 85 MPa tensile strength in the X direction, at a density of 1.2 g/cm³. It is also electrically conductive and can be machined after printing. RYSE 3D runs it on large-format 3D Systems sPro laser-sintering machines with no supports.

How strong and stiff is PA12-CF?

In the X direction, 85 ± 5 MPa tensile strength, 75 ± 5 MPa yield strength and an 8,300 MPa tensile modulus, with 132 MPa bending strength and a 7,330 MPa bending modulus, all to DIN EN ISO 527 and DIN EN ISO 178. That modulus is roughly three times glass-filled PA12-GF and nearly six times unfilled PA12 — it is the stiffest grade in the SLS range by a wide margin.

Does PA12-CF perform the same in every direction?

No, and the gap is larger than most people expect. Tensile strength falls from 85 MPa in X to 55 MPa in Y and 45 MPa in Z, and tensile modulus from 8,300 MPa to 3,400 and 2,900. A part built in the wrong orientation gives up roughly half its strength and two-thirds of its stiffness, so we orient the load path deliberately at quote rather than nesting purely for cost.

How big can PA12-CF parts be?

Up to 490 × 490 × 740 mm in a single piece on our 3D Systems sPro machines — a far larger envelope than the 165 × 165 × 300 mm available on our Fuse platform, and larger than most carbon-capable processes can reach. It is the route for big, rigid, single-piece carbon parts that would otherwise be split and bonded.

Is PA12-CF electrically conductive?

Yes. Surface resistivity is 10³–10⁵ ohm and volume resistance 10⁵–10⁷ ohm·m, which places it in the conductive range rather than the insulative one. That suits static-dissipative and ESD-relevant applications — but it also means PA12-CF is the wrong choice for any part that must electrically insulate. Tell us which you need at quote.

How heat-resistant is PA12-CF?

The data sheet publishes a thermostability figure of 170 ± 5 °C to DIN EN ISO 75, and a melting point of 180–185 °C by DSC. Note that the source does not state the load at which the 170 °C figure was measured, so it should not be read as directly equivalent to the heat deflection temperatures we quote at 0.45 and 1.8 MPa for our other SLS grades.

Can PA12-CF replace machined metal parts?

In the right application. At 1.2 g/cm³ it is roughly a fifth the density of steel and under half that of aluminium, while the X-direction modulus is high enough for many bracket, mount and housing applications — with no tooling and no machining time. Where it will not substitute is anything needing ductility, fatigue life under reversed loading, or performance that holds up equally in every axis.

Can PA12-CF be machined after printing?

Yes — unusually for a sintered part. It can be drilled, sawn, milled and turned, and surfaces can be ground, polished or coated. That makes it practical to print the bulk geometry and then machine the tight-tolerance features, bores and mating faces to drawing.

What is PA12-CF used for?

Lightweight load-path components, jigs, fixtures and tooling that hold tolerance under repeated load, metal-replacement brackets and housings, drone and UAV structures, motorsport and automotive parts, aerospace components, robotics and end effectors, and functional composite-style prototypes.

What colour is PA12-CF and how is it finished?

PA12-CF prints in a natural dark grey to black. Because it machines well it takes a wider range of finishes than most sintered parts: bead blasted as standard, polished to around Grain 240, filled and polished to around Grain 600, or machined and coated for end-use components. All done in-house.

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

Upload your CAD to our instant online quote and select SLS PA12-CF. 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-CF parts priced in seconds.

Upload your CAD for an instant online quote in SLS PA12-CF carbon fibre nylon — from a single metal-replacement bracket to 100,000 production parts, and up to 490 × 490 × 740 mm in one piece. Printed, finished and inspected in the UK.

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Printed on our large-format 3D Systems sPro machines and finished at our own ISO 9001 facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Call us on 024 7736 0144.