Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder 10 kg
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder is a versatile, general-purpose SLS material for producing strong, accurate, and durable functional prototypes, manufacturing aids, tooling, assemblies, and end-use parts. With excellent dimensional accuracy, high environmental stability, low moisture absorption, and up to 70% recycled powder per build, Nylon 12 is Formlabs' go-to SLS material for reliable prototyping and production.
Volume Pricing Available
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder
The Go-To General-Purpose SLS Material
Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder is a versatile, high-performance SLS thermoplastic designed for functional prototyping, manufacturing aids, rapid tooling, and end-use production. As Formlabs' go-to general-purpose SLS powder, it delivers an excellent combination of strength, dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and environmental stability.
Nylon 12 is particularly well suited for producing complex assemblies and durable functional parts without traditional support structures. Its low moisture absorption and resistance to light, heat, and chemicals help printed parts maintain their performance in demanding environments.
With a recommended 30% refresh rate, up to 70% recycled powder can be used in subsequent builds, helping reduce material waste and lower the effective cost per printed part.
Key Benefits
General-purpose SLS material: A versatile choice for a wide range of functional applications.
Excellent dimensional accuracy: Produces highly detailed parts and complex assemblies with low creep.
Strong and durable: 50 MPa ultimate tensile strength and 66 MPa flexural strength.
High environmental stability: Resistant to moisture, light, heat, and chemicals.
Low moisture absorption: Helps maintain dimensional and mechanical stability.
30% refresh rate: Up to 70% recycled powder can be used in subsequent builds.
Complex geometries: SLS printing eliminates the need for traditional support structures.
Biocompatible: Formlabs lists Nylon 12 for skin-contact and mucosal-membrane-contact applications.
Production capable: Suitable for everything from rapid prototypes to low-volume end-use manufacturing.
Recommended Applications
Functional Prototyping
Produce durable prototypes for testing form, fit, function, assembly, and real-world performance.
Small-Batch Manufacturing
Manufacture functional end-use components without the tooling investment required for traditional injection molding.
Complex Assemblies
Print multiple components with accurate interfaces and intricate geometries for assembly testing and final-use applications.
Jigs & Fixtures
Create permanent shop-floor fixtures, inspection tools, assembly aids, and other manufacturing equipment.
Rapid Tooling
Produce durable tooling and production aids quickly, helping shorten manufacturing lead times.
End-Use Parts
Nylon 12 is suitable for durable components used in a wide variety of products and industrial applications.
Biocompatible Components
Formlabs identifies Nylon 12 Powder as suitable for skin-contact and mucosal-membrane-contact applications when the appropriate manufacturing and validation requirements are met.
Material Specifications
| Property | Nylon 12 Powder |
|---|---|
| Print Technology | SLS |
| Color | Grey |
| Material Category | General Purpose |
| Ultimate Tensile Strength | 50 MPa |
| Tensile Modulus | 1,850 MPa |
| Elongation at Break — X/Y | 11% |
| Elongation at Break — Z | 6% |
| Flexural Strength | 66 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus | 1,600 MPa |
| Notched Izod Impact | 32 J/m |
| HDT @ 1.8 MPa | 87 °C |
| HDT @ 0.45 MPa | 171 °C |
| Recommended Refresh Rate | 30% |
These values reflect Formlabs' current published Nylon 12 Powder specifications. Actual part properties may vary depending on geometry, orientation, processing, and manufacturing conditions.
Dimensional Accuracy
Nylon 12 Powder is designed to produce highly accurate parts with low creep, making it particularly useful for components with tight interfaces, moving assemblies, and complex geometries.
Formlabs rates Nylon 12 as having its best dimensional accuracy and fine-feature resolution among the company's current SLS powder lineup. It is also rated highly for surface finish and print speed.
This makes Nylon 12 an excellent starting point when dimensional accuracy is more important than specialized properties such as extreme flexibility, carbon-fiber reinforcement, or increased ductility.
Environmental Stability
Nylon 12 offers excellent resistance to common environmental conditions.
Printed parts absorb very little moisture and demonstrate resistance to light, heat, and chemicals. This makes the material well suited to functional parts that may experience changing environmental conditions during their service life.
Powder Efficiency
30% Refresh Rate
Nylon 12 Powder uses a recommended 30% refresh rate, meaning up to 70% recycled powder can be incorporated into subsequent builds.
This provides a practical balance between print consistency and material efficiency, making Nylon 12 economical for both prototyping and production workflows.
For higher-volume production, Formlabs also offers substantial bulk powder discounts, with discounts increasing at larger purchase quantities.
Printer Compatibility
Nylon 12 Powder is compatible with:
Formlabs Fuse 1
Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W
Formlabs Fuse X1
Formlabs recommends Nylon 12 as a general-purpose material across the Fuse platform.
Printing Environment
Nylon 12 Powder is designed to print in an air atmosphere and does not require nitrogen for standard printing.
Formlabs' SLS powder comparison identifies Nylon 12 as an air-recommended material and rates it highly for dimensional accuracy, surface finish, print speed, fine-feature resolution, and high-aspect-ratio parts.
Post-Processing
After printing, Nylon 12 parts are depowdered using the Fuse Sift powder recovery system. Formlabs also recommends media blasting as part of the post-processing workflow for cleaning and finishing SLS parts.
The powder recovery workflow allows unused powder to be collected and incorporated into future builds, helping maximize material utilization.
Nylon 12 Compared With Other Formlabs SLS Powders
Nylon 12 is the best choice when you need a balanced, general-purpose material rather than a highly specialized property.
| Material | Best For |
|---|---|
| Nylon 12 | General-purpose functional parts, accuracy, production |
| Nylon 12 Tough | Higher ductility and reduced brittleness |
| Nylon 12 White | Clean appearance, high contrast, dyeing |
| Nylon 12 GF | Higher stiffness and reinforced parts |
| Nylon 11 | High ductility and impact resistance |
| Nylon 11 CF | Carbon-fiber reinforced performance |
| TPU 90A | Flexible and elastomeric components |
Formlabs specifically identifies Nylon 12 as its recommended general-purpose SLS material and notes that it can typically be printed successfully with standard recommendations and minimal additional tuning.
Why Choose Nylon 12 Powder?
Nylon 12 Powder is the all-around workhorse of the Formlabs SLS material lineup.
It provides a strong combination of strength, dimensional accuracy, durability, environmental stability, printability, and material efficiency, making it suitable for virtually every stage of product development.
From early functional prototypes to permanent jigs, fixtures, tooling, complex assemblies, and low-volume end-use components, Nylon 12 provides a dependable production-ready material for businesses looking to move beyond prototyping and into direct digital manufacturing.
For customers looking for a single SLS material capable of handling the widest range of applications, Formlabs Nylon 12 Powder is the natural starting point.
