The best nylon filament brand is undoubtably Taulman 3D. Not only did Taulman invent nylon filaments, but they make a range of different types of nylon filament, and each has different properties.
We especially recommend the Taulman Bridge Nylon filament for these reasons:
- Even tolerance at +/- 0.05 mm
- Performance grade that can be used for functional parts
- Low degradation and elasticity
- Very affordable price
If that’s all you need to hear, check out Taulman Bridge filament here.
Below is a list of some the best nylon filament manufacturers. There are relatively few high quality nylon brands compared to other types of filament such as ABS and PLA.
But over the next few year, as nylon becomes a more important part of the 3D material market, more high quality nylon producers are likely to appear. For now, these are the best nylon filament brands around.
Best Nylon Filament Brands
Nylon is one of the most popular types of filaments among advanced 3D printers. The reason for this is that Nylon offers superior performance qualities in high stress functional applications.
In fact, many nylon parts are so strong and wear-resistant that they can be used in place of regular metal parts.
For instance, a common use of printed Nylon filament is to produce gears and high strength casings for electronics. Many electrical boxes and child-safe packaging include nylon binding ties and rivets to prevent them from coming apart when significant force is applied.
How to print with nylon filament
Nylon filaments are often tricky to print with. They usually require higher print temperatures and a heated print bed in order to prevent warping.
The best temperature for printing with nylon filaments is often higher than 240 degrees. You will have to test several higher temperatures to figure out which temperature works best for you.
- Make sure your hotend can handle temperatures higher than 240 degrees. All metal hotends work best.
- The best materials for the printer bed are Garolite and Glass, since they can handle higher temperatures. Use a little PVA Glue help the nylon stick better.
- If you haven’t stored the nylon properly with a desiccant, make sure to dry the nylon filament before printing with it. Nylon absorbs water very easily. Check out our guide for how to store filaments.
Recommended 3D Print Settings For Nylon Filaments
Nylon filaments require specific 3D printer settings. Of course, you will have figure out the 3D print settings using trial and error, but these settings are a good place to start.
These are just basic settings. They also assume that you are using PVA glue as an 3D printer bed adhesion material.
- Extruder Temp.: 240°C – 260°C
- Garolite Bed Temp.: 55-65°C
- Glass Bed Temp.: 70-80°C
- Speed: 30-60 mm/s
- 0.2 mm – 0.4 mm layer heights
- 0% Layer Cooling Fan
Taulman3D
All of the grades of nylon filament that Taulman sells were created by Thomas Martzall and are unique to Taulman. You can’t get them anywhere else, and the quality of these filaments is extraordinary.
Nylon is a notoriously hard filament to extrude. It requires a careful process of drawing the nylon into a cord and shaping it under water with rollers.
So the fact that Taulman has been able to produce nylon filaments that have tolerances within the industry standard tolerance of +/- 0.05 mm is a fete of engineering.
Taulman nylons are performance grade, which means that they are ideal for printing functional parts, such as gears. Many other types of plastic are abrasive and can’t be used in applications where parts rub against each other because they will create plastic dust and degrade over time.
Nylons, on the other hand, are smooth and won’t degrade when they rub against each other.
Also, nylons are not brittle and won’t shatter or crack. Under severe forces they will compress and fold, but in general they are extremely strong.
In these ways, Taulman nylons are superior to PLA and ABS.
Surprisingly, the price point for Taulman nylons is fairly low. You can pick up a spool for about the same price as a regular roll of PLA or ABS depending on the size of the spool and grade.
For a high performance material like nylon, those are great prices.
rigid.ink
Rigid.ink produces and sells a Nylon 12 filament that definitely gives other nylons a run for their money.
Not to be confused with Nylon 6, which is a lower grade nylon, Nylon 12 filament is a super high performance nylon that is designed to be an all purpose material.
It is perfect for making hinges, gearboxes, and protective casings, but can also be used to produce flexible parts that won’t crack under stress.
In keeping with rigid.ink’s other filaments, their nylon filament falls within the industry leading tolerance of +/- 0.03mm. That is an incredible achievement.
Combined with free returns of replacements for 60 days and great customer service, rigid.ink is a fantastic supplier of nylon filaments.
The only downside is the price. At around double the price of PLA for a 500g spool of the Nylon 12 Plus filament or around quadruple the price of PLA for a full 1 kg spool the regular Nylon 12 filament, these are definitely pricey plastics.
But you definitely get your money’s worth in terms of performance and ease of use.
Black Magic 3D
Usually, flexible filaments will exhibit some level of elastic deformation that, with enough stress and time, will permanently alter the shape of the plastic objects created with them. But since nylons have low elasticity, this deformation doesn’t occur.
Combined with excellent interlayer adhesion (layer bonding) and a smooth texture, the strength of Black Magic 3D Nylon filaments make them ideal for functional applications.
However, they are quite pricey. At around the same price as a full spool of other high quality filaments for just 400 grams per spool, this filament is not for average consumers.
But they are perfect for industrial use and research applications, which is what they are intended for.
Side Note: Black Magic 3D also offers a nylon glue that you can use to attach printed nylon parts together. As far as we are aware, there aren’t any other nylon glues that are created for use with nylon filaments and 3d printing.
Check it out!
eSUN
For the sake of comparison, it prints most similarly to Taulman 645 but with less warping in general. But it’s also not very easy to make detailed prints with eSUN ePA because it requires larger layer heights and higher temperatures.
One of the cool things about nylons is that you can dye them different colors with fabric dye, and eSUN nylon is no different. But if you are looking for a transparent nylon, this is also one of the best choices since it has lower opacity than many other brands, including Taulman.
In fact, whereas Taulman is a milky white color, eSUN ePA is almost completely clear, with no yellow or off white tinge.
Check out our full review of eSUN filaments here
Final Thoughts: Best Nylon Filament
Nylons are quickly becoming one of the most popular filament materials for 3D printers who are looking for industrial grade parts. PLA is good for non-functional parts, and ABS wears out over time, especially in sunlight and applications involving high friction.
But nylon almost never quits. It is strong, durable, and won’t crack or shatter.
As a result, you can make production grade parts with it such as gears, protective casings, binding ties, nylon chords, and many more functional objects.
There are many grades of nylon available, and some are better than others. The best nylon filament brands in the list above will give you a nice range of options to choose from.
Taulman nylons are easily the best nylons of all simply because of the range of nylons offered and their prices.
Many brands that don’t have their own nylon filament carry Taulman filaments, so shop around for the best price. But Taulman is constantly developing new filaments, so make sure to check out their nylons from time to time in case a new nylon filament is available.
Hopefully, one of the brands above offers a nylon that will fit your needs. But to be honest, if you can’t find what you are looking for here, it probably doesn’t exist yet.
But don’t worry: nylon is quickly becoming a more popular filament material, and Taulman and other brands will likely develop more types in the next few years. If there is a brand that we missed or if you you have comments, feel free to leave them below.
And as always, happy printing!