Nylon infused with Carbon Fiber

Nylon Cf is a practical material choice when you need the right balance of performance, finish, and cost for functional parts.

Nylon‑CF – Carbon Fibre Reinforced Nylon for High-Strength, Lightweight 3D Printing

Now, when strength really matters — when the part has to take a knock, hold a load, or just not fail under pressure — that’s when I turn to Carbon Fibre Reinforced Nylon, or Nylon-CF. It's everything you like about regular Nylon — toughness, flexibility, chemical resistance — but it’s reinforced with micro carbon fibres, so you get the strength of a structural material with the lightweight benefit of polymers.

I’ve used this material for clients where even the original injection moulded part kept failing. Instead of redesigning the whole system, we made the same part in Nylon-CF — problem solved. No tooling, no big bill, and it performed better than the factory version.

Key Technical Specifications (Typical Values)

• Tensile strength: 70–110 MPa • Young’s modulus: ~6 GPa • Heat deflection temperature: 110–180°C • Elongation at break: 3–8% • Density: ~1.2–1.4 g/cm³ • Excellent stiffness and dimensional stability • Low thermal expansion (ideal for functional precision parts) • Wear resistance: High (better than regular Nylon) • UV resistance: Moderate

The carbon fibre gives the Nylon backbone — so you get high rigidity, less flex, and solid load-bearing capability.

Why Engineers Use Nylon-CF

Nylon-CF is a workhorse for structural prototypes and low-run production where metal strength isn’t necessary, but reliability is. It’s what you use when PLA’s too weak, ABS warps, and even standard Nylon isn’t stiff enough.

You’ll want to use Nylon-CF if: • Your part sees real-world loads or impact • You need consistent dimensional accuracy under stress • You want something light but mechanically capable • You’re bridging the gap between plastic and aluminium

This material isn’t just about looks — it’s about making parts that don’t just fit but hold, move, and last.

Common Applications

We’ve used Nylon-CF for: • Load-bearing brackets • End-of-arm robotic tooling • Custom mechanical fixtures • Replacement machine arms • High-temp enclosures • Automotive engine bay components

If it moves, flexes, or gets bolted onto something — Nylon-CF can probably handle it. We’ve done parts that take daily hammering, and they keep going.

When to use Nylon-CF

When it comes to printing with nylon, there are a couple of different types that you can choose from. Nylon filament infused with carbon fiber is by far the better option, as it is much easier to print with and doesn't have the same issues with shrinkage and deflection as regular nylon.

The carbon fiber in the nylon lowers the shrink rate significantly, and also stiffens it up so that it doesn't have the same degree of deflection as regular nylon. In our tests, it was over 100% stronger than PLA, and on average, 60% stronger than ABS.

If you are looking for a strong, durable, and easy-to-print material, then nylon filament infused with carbon fiber is the way to go.

FAQs