ESUN Nylon ePA12 Filament – 1.75mm Black

Please Note: eSun has recently changed their filament spool material. You may receive a cardboard spool, instead of the plastic spools depicted above. This move means a more environmentally friendly design to their 3D filament spools which comfortably sit on your 3D printer's standard spool holder for smooth filament feeding.

Within the world of 3D Printing, nylon has got to be one of the best Exotic Filaments to print with, since it offers many of the greatest benefits of both ABS and PLA, while having only a few weaknesses. It has the strength and durability of ABS and the ease-of-use of PLA but is possibly even easier to print with than both plastics once you’ve set your printer to the right specifications. eSun Nylon ePA12 Filament is based on PA12 which is a nylon ploymer wellknown for its toughness and ability to flex without fracture, perfect for mechanical parts that withstand a lot of movement. There’s an initial learning curve for how to print with this tough, highly flexible, and heat resistance material but the results you’ll enjoy are beyond worth it.

One of the only perceived negatives about nylon – although this is simple to remedy with the right equipment – is the fact that it generally requires higher temperatures during the printing process. Firstly, you need to have a heated bed capable of reaching between 70°C and 90°C, as the low friction coefficient means it is more difficult to stick hot nylon to a cold surface. Secondly, the extrusion temperature needs to be around 260°C or higher, which is hot enough to melt PTFE and cause it to expel noxious fumes. However, with a reliable All-Metal-Hotend, which we make available for upgrading most of our 3D Printers, this is not a problem as the PTFE tubing is high up in the cooling tower, situated far from the ‘melt zone’ or main heating area.

These initial difficulties for high rewards are why the 1kg spools of 1.75mm eSUN ePA12 Black Nylon Filament are popular choices for experienced 3D Makers. Once the printer is set to the right specifications, it is just as easy to print with as ABS or PLA. Just be sure to keep it dry and away from moisture, as nylon is prone to absorbing moisture out of the air, which can result in bad layer adhesion as well as popping within the extruder.  Dry Nylon Filament will print smoothly with a shining finish, while wet nylon forms air bubbles as water trapped inside the material evaporate in the heat while printing. Often, success with eSun ePA12 Nylon Filament relies on you thoroughly drying it either by placing it in an oven at 70°C for 12 hours or using a Special Filament Dryer before printing. However, once you understand the pros and cons of eSun ePA12 Nylon Filament and how to properly attune your printer, you will certainly be amazed by this wonderous filament and incredible versatility.

Typical Applications For Nylon Filament:

Our 1kg rolls of 1.75mm eSUN ePA12 Black Nylon Filament are a popular choice among Makers who want to print small objects with a lot of detail, or for those looking to print flexible and durable parts like gears, living hinges, bottlecaps and similar objects that may be subject to a lot of tensile stress. Offering many of benefits of ABS and PLA but without any of the drawbacks, nylon is definitely a worthwhile investment for a wide range of applications.

Please Note: This is regarded as a higher-difficulty polymer, and may require a lot of trial and error to get just right. For additional tips and helpful insights into the requirements and nuances of Nylon filament, or if you're unsure of just how difficult Nylon can be to print with, be sure to check out this Fantastic Nylon Printing Guide from MatterControl before investing in a whole spool.

Shenzhen eSUN Industrial Co., Ltd was established in 2002 in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and has rapidly become one of the leading international suppliers of 3D Printing Filament. They specialise in research, development and production of degradable polymer materials, and have grown their catalogue of filaments to include PLA, ABS, PC, PVA, and a wide range of other polymers and copolymers.

Their list of exclusive filament formulas include unique materials like wood, aluminium, bronze and other materials to create highly specialised filaments that can stretch, bend, be moulded or otherwise behave in very unique ways. Their filaments are also commonly characterised by their absolutely round shape, extremely low diameter tolerance, uniform colours and impressively stable melting points. These characteristics, in combination with their long-term insistent policy of “Best Quality, Reasonable Price” has garnered them a large share of the market, with their reputation commonly preceding them within knowledgeable online and offline 3D Printing communities.

eSUN’s popularity in the industry has also helped to produce sustainable partnerships with many internationally famous 3D Printer manufacturers and distributors, with DIYElectronics having sole distributorship rights to provide their 3D Printing Filaments to South Africa and neighbouring African countries.