Carbon fiber 3D printing — stiff, light, heat resistant
When PETG bends and PLA melts, fibre-reinforced nylon is the next tier: PAHT-CF (carbon fibre, heat resistant to 194°C) and PA6-GF (glass fibre, very strong and chemical resistant). Printed on a Bambu Lab P2S in Slovenia — the abrasive-material surcharge is already inside the instant quote, so the price you see is final.
Materials: PAHT-CF Black + PA6-GF Black · Heat resistant to 194°C (PAHT-CF) · Stiff at low weight · Surcharge included, quoted price is final
Chopped carbon or glass fibres mixed into a nylon base change what a printed part can do: the fibres carry load, so the part flexes far less, weighs little for its stiffness, and keeps working at temperatures that soften ordinary filaments. PAHT-CF adds another practical advantage — it absorbs roughly 50% less moisture than standard nylon, so parts hold their dimensions instead of swelling in a humid workshop. This is the tier for drone frames, production jigs, brackets near heat, and prototypes that must behave like the end-use part.
Honesty about where this tier is overkill: most indoor brackets, holders and enclosures are perfectly served by PETG HF at a fraction of the price — that budget-functional tier lives on our PETG functional parts page. And if you are still iterating on the geometry, prototype cheaply first (see rapid prototyping) and print the final version in PAHT-CF or PA6-GF once the design is frozen. The full catalogue is on the materials page.
Carbon materials get the same price in 30 seconds with no sign-up — upload your file and the PAHT-CF or PA6-GF quote is on screen immediately.
Technical properties
- PAHT-CF: Carbon-fibre-reinforced high-temp nylon. Heat resistant to 194°C, stiff at low weight (density ~1.18 g/cm³), ~50% less moisture uptake than standard nylon — dimensionally stable in real workshops.
- PA6-GF: Glass-fibre-reinforced nylon (PA6). Very strong and stiff with high heat and chemical resistance (density ~1.20 g/cm³) — the workhorse for brackets, automotive parts, tools and jigs.
- Abrasive handling: Chopped fibres wear standard nozzles, so these materials print through hardened/tungsten hardware. The resulting surcharge is applied automatically in the instant quote — no surprise fees after upload.
- Limitations: Stiff is not impact-tough — fibre-filled parts can crack under sharp impacts. Weaker along layer boundaries (tell us the load direction). Matte, slightly textured surface. Not food safe.
Typical use cases
- →Drone and RC frames, arms and mounts — PAHT-CF is stiff at low weight, exactly what flying parts want.
- →Production jigs, fixtures and gauge holders that must not flex under repeated clamping.
- →Brackets and mounts near heat sources where PETG or PLA would soften — PAHT-CF is heat resistant to 194°C.
- →Automotive and mechanical parts exposed to oils and chemicals — PA6-GF nylon shrugs both off.
- →Functional prototypes that must behave like the end-use part under real load before you commit to machining or moulding.
- →Lightweight replacements for small machined aluminium brackets where stiffness per gram matters more than absolute strength.
Example fibre-reinforced products
Upload your own model
No example product matches yet — upload your STL or 3MF and we will price it in PAHT-CF Black in about 30 seconds.
Open quote →Pricing examples
| Size | Print time | PA6-GF | PAHT-CF | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (50 g) | ~1.7 h | €15.56 | €17.87 | Quote → |
| Medium (150 g) | ~5.0 h | €38.69 | €45.61 | Quote → |
| Large (300 g) | ~10.0 h | €73.37 | €87.21 | Quote → |
Estimates use PA6-GF €64.58/kg and PAHT-CF €110.70/kg, machine €5/h, €1 base, €3 abrasive-material surcharge (already included above and in the real quote), €4 floor per item. Real BambuStudio price for your file is shown after upload.
Carbon fiber printing questions
PAHT-CF or PA6-GF — which one do I need?+
PAHT-CF (carbon-fibre high-temp nylon, €110.70/kg) when the priorities are stiffness at low weight and heat — it is heat resistant to 194°C and absorbs roughly 50% less moisture than standard nylon, so parts stay dimensionally stable. PA6-GF (glass-fibre nylon, €64.58/kg) when you want maximum strength and stiffness with high heat and chemical resistance at a lower price. If you are unsure, describe the load and environment in the order notes and we will advise.
Why is carbon fiber printing more expensive, and are there extra fees?+
Two honest reasons: the filament itself costs more (PAHT-CF comes on 0.5 kg spools at €55.35, i.e. €110.70/kg), and chopped fibres are abrasive, so they wear nozzles and require hardened/tungsten hardware. That abrasive surcharge is added automatically inside the instant quote — the price you see after upload is final, with no extra line items afterwards.
Is a carbon fiber print as strong as aluminium?+
No, and anyone claiming that is overselling. What fibre-filled nylon offers is excellent stiffness per gram — a PAHT-CF bracket can replace a small machined aluminium one where weight matters and loads are moderate, at a fraction of the machining cost. For high-load, safety-critical or continuously stressed applications, metal remains the right answer.
What are the real limitations of fibre-reinforced prints?+
Three to plan around. First, stiff is not the same as impact-tough: fibre-filled parts flex less but can crack under sharp impacts where TPU or plain PETG would bounce. Second, anisotropy — like all FDM prints, parts are weaker along layer boundaries, so load direction matters; tell us and we orient the print accordingly. Third, the fibres make the surface matte and slightly textured, and these materials are not food safe.
Is there a cheaper way to get a stiff part?+
Often yes. PETG-CF (€35/kg) gives a big stiffness step up from plain PETG without nylon pricing, and for many indoor functional parts plain PETG HF is completely sufficient — that budget tier is covered on our PETG functional parts page. Reserve PAHT-CF and PA6-GF for parts where heat, chemicals or stiffness-to-weight genuinely drive the requirement.
Get your carbon fiber quote
Upload an STL or 3MF — we will price it in PAHT-CF on the Bambu Lab P2S, surcharge included, with the exact BambuStudio-based price in about 30 seconds. Switch to PA6-GF with one click.
Get quote in PAHT-CF →