Nylon (PA12) on Prusa MK4

Nozzle Temp

270 °C

Range: 260 – 280 °C

Bed Temp

80 °C

Range: 60 – 90 °C

Print Speed

50

mm/s · max 60

Layer Height

0.20

mm · max 0.28

Fan Speed

10 %

1st layer: 0 %

1st Layer Speed

20

mm/s

Retraction

1.0 mm

@ 35 mm/s

Nozzle Type

Hardened

Required — abrasive

Retraction Note

• Minimal retraction. Nylon strings — drying is more effective than retraction tuning.

Settings

Recommended

Range

Nozzle Temperature

270 °C

260 – 280 °C

Bed Temperature

80 °C

60 – 90 °C

Print Speed

50 mm/s

up to 60 mm/s on this printer

First Layer Speed

20 mm/s

slower is better for adhesion

Layer Height

0.16 – 0.24 mm

0.12 – 0.28 mm

Fan Speed (Normal)

0 – 20 %

–

Fan Speed (1st Layer)

0 %

–

Retraction Distance

1.0 mm

Direct drive

Retraction Speed

35 mm/s

–

Nozzle Type

Hardened steel

Required — this filament will destroy brass

Dry Filament

80 °C for ≥ 12 h

print from a dry box in humid weather

Enclosure

Required — add one

Required — this printer is open-frame, so an enclosure must be added

Support Material

PVA

–

Printing Notes

PA12 is the low-moisture nylon — under 0.3 % absorption against PA6's 1 % — which makes it the easier of the two to print and the more dimensionally stable in service.

The carbon fibre loading makes it abrasive and raises continuous use temperature to 120 °C, with a 160 °C rating for short 200-hour exposures.

The Nextruder's short filament path keeps retraction around 1 mm — a fraction of what a Bowden machine needs, and close to PrusaSlicer's stock value.

Input Shaper is enabled by default on the MK4, so the speeds above are achievable without the ringing you would get on an older machine.

Slicer: PrusaSlicer. Dry the filament at 80 °C / ≥ 12 h before a long print — every figure above assumes dry filament.

Troubleshooting

Rough surface and audible crackling — Wet filament. Twelve hours at 80 °C, then print from a dry box — nylon re-absorbs moisture within hours of opening.

Poor bed adhesion — Nylon does not like PEI. Use a garolite or PA-specific sheet, or a PVA glue-stick layer on glass.

Warping on long flat parts — Keep the chamber warm and slow to 40 mm/s. PA12 warps less than PA6 but is not warp-free.