SLS Powder · Industrial 3D Printing

Nylon 12 Tough Powder (SLS)

A ductile SLS nylon built for dimensional accuracy across the whole build chamber, with reduced warpage and the best refresh rate of the nylon powders. Nylon 12 Tough is the powder for durable prototypes and small batch production.

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60 J/m

Notched Izod Impact

Absorbs impact energy

25%

Elongation at Break

Ductile, resists cracking

1.45 GPa

Tensile Modulus

Compliant stiffness

None

Support Structures

Sintered powder needs none

Real Nylon 12 Tough SLS Parts

Actual Formlabs SLS prints in Nylon 12 Tough Powder, not renders.

Hands assembling a large lattice space-frame structure printed in Formlabs Nylon 12 Tough SLS powder — A large lattice frame assembled from sintered sections. Reduced warpage is what keeps the joints aligned.

Parts printed in Formlabs Nylon 12 Tough SLS powder, including a comb, calipers, a bottle cage, a shell and a clip — Durable everyday parts printed in Nylon 12 Tough, in the uniform matte finish.

Summary & Key Takeaways

Ductile and Impact Resistant: 60 J/m notched Izod with 25% elongation at break, well ahead of unfilled Nylon 12.
Reduced Warpage: Holds dimensional accuracy across the build chamber, which matters for large parts and full-chamber batches.
Best Refresh Rate of the Nylons: More of each build's powder is reusable, which is what keeps batch production cost effective.
Not a High-Heat Material: A 46 °C heat deflection temperature; choose Nylon 12 GF for parts that see sustained heat.

Compare Nylon 12 Tough SLS to Other 3D Printing Materials

A quick, scannable comparison against the alternatives engineers usually weigh against it. All values are shown at once; use the buttons to focus on one comparison at a time.

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Tensile modulus, flexural strength, elongation at break, impact strength, and heat deflection temperature for SLS Nylon 12 Tough versus SLS Nylon 12, SLS Nylon 11, and Tough 1000 Resin.
Property	Nylon 12 Tough SLS	Nylon 12 SLS	Nylon 11 SLS	Tough 1000
Tensile modulus	1.45 GPa	1.9 GPa	1.6 GPa	0.931 GPa
Flexural strength	42 MPa	66 MPa	55 MPa	29 MPa
Elongation at break	25%	11%	40%	180%
Notched Izod impact	60 J/m	32 J/m	71 J/m	72 J/m
Heat deflection temp (0.45 MPa)	46 °C	87 °C	46 °C	44.6 °C
Support structures	None required	None required	None required	Removable supports for overhangs

Why Choose Nylon 12 Tough Powder (SLS)?

The SLS powder aimed squarely at repeatable batch production rather than one-off prototypes.

Accurate Across the Whole Chamber

Reduced warpage means parts nested at the edge of the build come out to the same dimensions as those in the middle, which is what makes a full-chamber batch usable without sorting and rework.

Durable Without Losing Strength

A 60 J/m notched Izod impact strength and 25% elongation at break give parts real toughness for handling and field testing, roughly double unfilled Nylon 12's ductility.

Cost Effective at Volume

The best refresh rate among the nylon powders means a higher share of each build's unsintered powder is reused, which is the single biggest lever on per-part cost in small batch SLS production.

Nylon 12 Tough SLS Design Rules (DFM) at a Glance

Formlabs SLS design guidelines for the Fuse Series. Check your CAD feature dimensions against these limits before uploading your file.

Min. wall thickness (vertical · horizontal)	0.8 mm for both (same minimum whether the wall is supported or unsupported)
Min. pin/wire diameter	0.8 mm
Min. hole diameter	1.0 mm
Min. drain/escape hole (2 per powder-trapping cavity)	3.5 mm
Clearance, mating features separated after printing	0.2 mm (< 20 mm²) · 0.4 mm (> 20 mm²)
Clearance, mating features printed pre-assembled	0.3 mm (< 20 mm²) · 0.6 mm (> 20 mm²)
Clearance between unrelated parts in a build	1.0 mm min · 5.0 mm recommended
Min. embossed detail (raised text/logos)	0.15 mm deep, horizontal face · 0.35 mm deep, vertical face (4.5 mm min. text height)
Min. engraved detail (recessed text/logos)	0.1 mm deep, horizontal face · 0.15 mm deep, vertical face (3.0 mm min. text height)
Max. single-part build size	330 × 330 × 565 mm

Threaded cap ring and impeller parts printed in Formlabs Nylon 12 Tough SLS powder — A printed thread and an impeller. Both live at the feature minimums listed here.

Source: Formlabs' Design specifications for 3D models: Fuse 1, adapted to hold walls to a higher minimum than Formlabs' published figures. Nylon 12 Tough is ductile, so thin walls flex rather than crack, and its reduced warpage helps large flat faces stay true; the same minimum applies so parts survive depowdering and media blasting. These are general guidelines; thicker cross-sections, hole depth, and part geometry can shift the safe minimums for a specific design. Maximum build size reflects our largest-format SLS printer; actual build size depends on which machine your order routes to.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about designing, ordering, and using Nylon 12 Tough SLS parts on Form Now.

What is Nylon 12 Tough SLS powder?

Nylon 12 Tough Powder is a selective laser sintering (SLS) material that offers the best refresh rate among the nylon powders, high ductility, and strong dimensional accuracy across the build chamber. It prints durable parts for prototyping and small batch production with reduced warpage and without sacrificing strength.

How does Nylon 12 Tough compare to standard Nylon 12?

Nylon 12 Tough is the more ductile of the two, at 60 J/m notched Izod impact strength and 25% elongation at break against 32 J/m and 11% for Nylon 12. Standard Nylon 12 is stiffer and much more heat capable, at a 1.9 GPa tensile modulus and 87 °C heat deflection temperature versus 1.45 GPa and 46 °C.

What is Nylon 12 Tough used for?

Nylon 12 Tough is commonly used for durable prototypes, clip housings, large assemblies, and batch production runs where consistent dimensions across a full build chamber matter.

Why does refresh rate matter?

Refresh rate is the proportion of fresh powder that has to be added to reuse the unsintered powder from a previous build. A better refresh rate means more of each build's powder is recycled, which lowers per-part cost and is the main economic lever in small batch SLS production.

Do SLS Nylon 12 Tough parts need support structures?

No. SLS parts are sintered inside a bed of powder that supports the geometry as it builds, so there are no supports to design around or remove. That allows internal channels and pre-assembled moving parts, and the surface finish is uniform on every face.

What are the minimum wall thickness and hole size design rules for Nylon 12 Tough?

Per Formlabs' design specifications for SLS, we recommend a minimum wall thickness of 0.8 mm for both vertical and horizontal walls, and holes should be at least 1.0 mm in diameter. Any cavity that can trap powder needs two escape holes of at least 3.5 mm. Maximum single-part build size is 330 x 330 x 565 mm.