Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder (PA12, SLS)
Formlabs · SLS powder
A versatile, biocompatible PA12 powder for dimensionally accurate functional prototypes and durable end-use parts.
Formlabs datasheet values, printed parts
Other PA12 grades and fills
Compare the PA12 products and conditions in the library; see the grade overview at PA12.
- HP PA 12 GB
- Farsoon FS3300PA-F
- Formlabs Nylon 12 GF
- Sinterit PA12 Smooth
- FR
- ESD
- Formlabs Nylon 12 Tough
- Evonik INFINAM PA 12 (VESTOSINT)
- Farsoon FS3401GB
- HP PA 12 S
- AL
- HP PA 12 FR
- Farsoon FS3300PA
- EOS PA 2210 FR
- Formlabs Nylon 12 White
- EOS Alumide
- HP PA 12
- EOS PA 2200
- EOS PA 2201
- EOS PA 2220 HighReuse
- EOS PA 2200 CarbonReduced
- ALM PA 640-GSL
- HP PA 12 W
- EOS PrimePart FR (PA 2241 FR)
- Formlabs Nylon 12
- EOS PA 3200 GF
- CF
Compare all 27 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 GB · MJF powder | A 40% glass-bead-filled PA 12 for stiff, dimensionally stable parts with fine detail and repeatability. | — | 29 | 10 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 36 | 5 | — |
Formlabs Nylon 12 GF Powder · SLS powder | A glass-filled PA12 powder for rigid, dimensionally stable parts under sustained loading and elevated temperatures. | — | 38 | 4 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 38 | 4.6 | 76 Shore D |
Flame-retardant PA12 | Use for aircraft interiors, rail and electrical enclosures where V-0 / FAR 25.853 burn compliance is mandatory; slightly lower toughness. | 40 | 44 | 6 | 78 Shore D |
Electrically conductive / static-dissipative PA12 | Choose for electronics handling trays, fixtures and fuel-system parts needing controlled surface resistivity (10⁶–10⁹ Ω). | 41 | 45 | 7 | 78 Shore D |
Formlabs Nylon 12 Tough Powder · SLS powder | A ductile PA12 powder for accurate, impact-resistant parts with reduced warpage and economical powder reuse. | — | 42 | 25 | — |
SLS powder | — | 43 | 49 | 311 | 75 Shore D |
SLS powder | — | — | 44 | 9.3 | — |
HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 S (enabled by Arkema) · MJF powder | A high-reuse PA 12 grade for smooth surfaces, fine detail, and cost-efficient aesthetic production parts. | — | 45 | 12 | — |
Aluminium-filled PA12 | Metallic-look, stiff, easily tumbled/polished parts for tooling aids and design models; better heat conduction, low elongation. | — | 46 | 4 | 80 Shore D |
HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 FR (enabled by Evonik) · MJF powder | A halogen-free flame-retardant PA 12 with a smooth finish for safety-critical housings and production components. | — | 46 | 4.7 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 46 | 36 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 46 | 4 | — |
Formlabs Nylon 12 White Powder · SLS powder | A white, dyeable PA12 powder for high-contrast prototypes, medical models, and customer-facing end-use parts. | — | 47 | 8 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 48 | 4 | 76 Shore D |
HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 (enabled by Evonik) · MJF powder | HP's flagship MJF nylon balances strength, ductility, detail, and powder efficiency for functional production parts. | — | 48 | 20 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 48 | 18 | 75 Shore D |
SLS powder | — | — | 48 | 15 | 75 Shore D |
SLS powder | — | — | 48 | 10 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 48 | 18 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 49 | 3 | — |
HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 W · MJF powder | A white engineering PA 12 for strong functional parts that can remain white or take vibrant color finishes. | — | 49 | 17 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 49 | 15 | — |
Formlabs Nylon 12This page Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder · SLS powder | A versatile, biocompatible PA12 powder for dimensionally accurate functional prototypes and durable end-use parts. | — | 50 | 11 | — |
SLS powder | — | — | 51 | 9 | 80 Shore D |
Carbon-fibre reinforced PA12 | Highest stiffness-to-weight powder-bed nylon — for lightweight brackets, drone and motorsport parts; strongly anisotropic and brittle. | — | 72 | 4 | 83 Shore D |
What is Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder?
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder is Formlabs' PA12 powder for Selective Laser Sintering on Fuse X1, Fuse 1+ 30W, Fuse 1 — a versatile, biocompatible PA12 powder for dimensionally accurate functional prototypes and durable end-use parts. Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder has a tensile strength of 50 MPa (7.25 ksi), stronger than 54% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 11% and the elastic modulus is 1.85 GPa (0.268 Msi). Pick Formlabs in the Powder row when quoting PA12 and the part is printed from this powder.
Limitations
- Higher moisture uptake — 0.66%, worse than 78% of polymer grades
About this powder
“Nylon 12 Powder is a general purpose, versatile, and biocompatible material with high detail and great dimensional accuracy. As the go-to material for SLS 3D printing, it is ideal for both functional prototyping and end-use production of complex assemblies and durable parts with high environmental stability.” — Formlabs, product description
- Manufacturer
- Formlabs
- Product
- Nylon 12 Powder
- Base polymer
- PA12
- Process
- Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
- Printers
- Fuse X1, Fuse 1+ 30W, Fuse 1
- As-printed colour
- Gray — Formlabs lists the as-printed colour as Grey; dyeing options depend on the base colour and grade
- Build envelope
- 165 × 165 × 300 mm. Usable part size depends on orientation, spacing and process allowances.
- Build atmosphere
- No mandatory inert atmosphere recorded; follow the selected printer/material profile.
- Powder refresh
- 30 % fresh powder in the recorded recipe. Follow the manufacturer’s build and powder-management conditions.
- Formlabs categories
- General Purpose · Impact Resistant · High Stiffness · Temperature Resistant · Medical
- Reported material classifications
- Skin Contact · Mucosal Membrane Contact · ISO 10993-5 · ISO 10993-10 · ISO 10993-11 · UL 94 HB. Scope and test conditions apply; these do not certify the finished part or assembly.
- Manufacturer data source
- Formlabs source reference (Rev 01 2020-08-19)
- FabDigit material reference
- Download reference PDF — FabDigit layout with Formlabs data and source attribution.
- Ordering
- Select it in the Powder row when quoting PA12. The quote confirms the selected material and process.
Formlabs positions it for manufacturing aids, rapid tooling, end-use parts, rapid prototyping, complex assemblies and durable parts with minimal water absorption.
Choosing Nylon 12 Powder
The broad-purpose Fuse-series PA12 for durable, detailed functional parts and complex assemblies.
- Consider it for
- Enclosures and housings · Complex assemblies with threads · Functional prototypes and end-use parts with low water absorption needs
- Tradeoffs
- The TDS values were generated on a Fuse 1 and include X/Y versus Z differences. The cited biocompatibility risk tests and UL rating do not certify a customer’s final design.
- Design and validation
- Use the lower Z elongation when planning a stressed feature and preserve the stated conditioning basis in a validation plan. Confirm actual fluid sealing rather than inferring it from low water absorption.
- Finishing
- The gray base limits the range of achievable dye colours. Confirm a sample for the intended shade; dyeing does not establish liquid sealing.
- Before choosing
- Do you need a more ductile PA11 or a white cosmetic base? Is the critical feature loaded across layers?
Selection notes based on Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder TDS, Rev 01. Published test results depend on the stated printer, orientation and conditioning. Compare material families · Choose a finishing route.
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder properties
Typical values for Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder (Rev 01 2020-08-19); review each property’s test condition. Only this product’s reported properties are shown; unreported properties are omitted. Bars are the position among polymer grades.
Mechanical6
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder has a tensile strength of 50 MPa (7.25 ksi), stronger than 54% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 11% and the elastic modulus is 1.85 GPa (0.268 Msi).
per ASTM D638 Type 1
per ASTM D638 Type 1
per ASTM D638 Type 1; X/Y 11 / Z 6
per ASTM D790-15
per ASTM D790-15
per ASTM D256-10
Thermal4
per ASTM D648
per ASTM D648
per ASTM D1525
3.00 mm
Physical1
per ASTM D570; printed part
Manufacturability1
per ISO 15512 Method D
Use published values for design screening. Confirm the grade, build direction, conditioning and available lot documentation when quoting.
Test basis and additional results
Read the values with the specimen preparation and test conditions that produced them.
- Manufacturer document
- 2001447-TDS-ENUS-0 · Rev 01 · 2020-08-19
- Specimen preparation
- Fuse 1; specimens conditioned at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity for 7 days before testing.
- Build direction
- Elongation is reported separately for X/Y (11%) and Z (6%). The other table values do not state an orientation.
The reviewed reference copy retains the Rev 01 cover and includes an outdoor-aging appendix plus two ISO 10993-11 endpoint rows; the current live official PDF is two pages and does not include that supplemental content.
Solvent compatibility screen
24 h immersion mass change reported by the manufacturer
| Solvent | 24 h weight gain |
|---|---|
| Acetic acid 5% | 0.1% |
| Acetone | 0.1% |
| Bleach (~5% NaOCl) | 0.2% |
| Butyl acetate | 0.2% |
| Diesel fuel | 0.4% |
| Diethyl glycol monomethyl ether | 0.5% |
| Hydraulic oil | 0.6% |
| Hydrogen peroxide (3%) | 0.2% |
| Isooctane (gasoline) | <0.1% |
| Isopropyl alcohol | 0.2% |
| Mineral oil (heavy) | 0.7% |
| Mineral oil (light) | 0.5% |
| Salt water (3.5% NaCl) | 0.2% |
| Skydrol 5 | 0.6% |
| Sodium hydroxide solution (0.025%, pH 10) | 0.2% |
| Strong acid (concentrated HCl) | 0.8% |
| Tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether | 0.3% |
| Water | 0.1% |
| Xylene | 0.1% |
TDS test article: printed 1 × 1 × 1 cm cube. Weight change alone does not establish sealing, retained strength, or long-term chemical life.
Biocompatibility endpoint results
ISO 10993 endpoints listed in the manufacturer TDS
| Standard / endpoint | Result |
|---|---|
| ISO 10993-5:2009 | Not cytotoxic |
| ISO 10993-10:2010/(R)2014 — irritation | Not an irritant |
| ISO 10993-10:2010/(R)2014 — sensitization | Not a sensitizer |
| ISO 10993-11:2017 — material-mediated pyrogenicity | Non-pyrogenic |
| ISO 10993-11:2017 — acute systemic toxicity | No evidence of systemic toxicity |
Manufacturer material-sample result. It does not qualify a finished part or device for its intended use.
How to interpret this data
The TDS says properties may vary with part geometry, print orientation, and temperature.
The ASTM D570 water-absorption row does not state a 24-hour duration.
Outdoor-aging results in the extended reference copy are graph-only; the PDF provides no exact numeric point table.
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder — frequently asked
What is Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder used for?
The broad-purpose Fuse-series PA12 for durable, detailed functional parts and complex assemblies. Consider it for enclosures and housings, complex assemblies with threads and functional prototypes and end-use parts with low water absorption needs. The TDS values were generated on a Fuse 1 and include X/Y versus Z differences. The cited biocompatibility risk tests and UL rating do not certify a customer’s final design.
What should I validate before using Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder?
Use the lower Z elongation when planning a stressed feature and preserve the stated conditioning basis in a validation plan. Confirm actual fluid sealing rather than inferring it from low water absorption. Do you need a more ductile PA11 or a white cosmetic base? Is the critical feature loaded across layers?
How can Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder be finished?
The gray base limits the range of achievable dye colours. Confirm a sample for the intended shade; dyeing does not establish liquid sealing.
How should I interpret the published values for Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder?
Fuse 1; specimens conditioned at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity for 7 days before testing. Elongation is reported separately for X/Y (11%) and Z (6%). The other table values do not state an orientation. Read each value with the stated method, specimen preparation and conditioning.
Sources
Product values come from the selected manufacturer source and are normalised for comparison. Confirm the quoted process, build direction, conditioning and available lot documentation for the finished part.