Printing guide

The information on this page is a guide only, settings can vary between colours and printers and you may need to go outside of these ranges to achieve prints on your machine

We do our best to keep this information up to date and accurate, if you believe some information is incorrect please contact us with your suggestions Thankyou

Some filaments let off potentially harmful fumes, Always print in a well ventilated area

Basic print settings table

Material	Print temp	Heated bed	Enclosed printer	Difficulty 1-10
PLA	200-220	X		2
PLA+	210-230	X		3
ABS	230-270	XX	X	7
PETG	230-250	XX		4
ASA	230-260	XX	X	5
PC	250-280	XX	XX	9
PA	240-280	XX	XX	9
Low temp wood	170-190	X		3
TPU	200-225	X		7
Carbon fibre PLA	210-230	XX		4

X Recommended. XX needed.

PLA and Variants

PLA is a Biodegradable plastic made from Corn starch, and is a renewable resource. It is by far currently the most popular plastic used in FDM 3D printing,

The ease of printing, great strength, and environmental factors make this plastic a great choice for most printing situations.

First time using our PLA we recommend the following settings

220 nozzle temperature
60mm/s print speed
60 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan off for first 2 layers 100 percent for the rest of the print.

to fine tune the settings drop the temp by 5 degrees, if it seems to get blocked increase the temp by 5 degrees until you hit the sweet spot. 60 degree bed is highly recommended however if it is not available it is possible to get PLA to stick to the bed in most situations. most of the time it should be ok to drop the bed temp to as low as 45 degrees after the first layer to save on power, however this will not always work.

PLA does absorb moisture from the air and will effect the print quality / ability to stick to the bed over time, it is recommended to keep in an air tight container when not in use

Variants

PLA+, Carbon fiber, Glow in the dark Follow the same instructions as standard PLA with the following exceptions.

Carbon fiber: Speed drop to 45mm/s, temp increase from optimal PLA settings by 10 degrees.

PLA+: temp increase from optimal PLA settings by 10 degrees

Glow in the dark: 5 degrees hotter nozzle,

Glow in the dark and carbon fiber filaments are extra abrasive on the nozzle a hardened nozzle is recommended. these nozzles will usually have a bad thermal conductance (depending on type), and as such will require a slower speed and higher temp

ABS

ABS has been around as a printing material for a long time, and it still has it place today, This filament does let off styrene fumes, so it is recommended to print this filament in a well ventilated area.

ABS offers a range of benefits, it is strong, resistant to UV and heat, and due to it dissolving in acetone it can be cleaned up using acetone vapor

Recommended settings for your first print:

250 nozzle temperature
50mm/s print speed
100 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan off
print in a fully closed enclosure
Print in Well ventilated area

ABS is quiet difficult to print with due to the plastic shrinking slightly when cooling, a printing enclosure is recommended especially for larger prints, this allows for more heat to be retained in the print allowing it to cool together once the print is completed preventing warping during the print process. If the filament seems to be getting blocked at 250 degrees but your printer cannot go higher you can decrease the print speed, this allows the plastic more time to melt without the need to upgrade to an all metal hotend.

PETG

PETG has become one of the more popular printing materials, with the glass like natural colour it allows for a large variety of vibrant colours, with minimal warping, more strength and temperature resistance than PLA this filament is a great easy to print alternative to PLA, downside is the filament will string and will be very touch to get settings right to prevent this, it is also more effected by moisture, so be sure to keep it in an airtight container when not in use

Starting settings for PETG

240 nozzle temperature
60mm/s print speed
60 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan on after first 2 layers

ASA

ASA is a great contender as a quality, strong, resilient and easy to use filament. The drawback to ASA is the higher price tag and the the lack of availability and variations of colour / styles.

Starting settings for ASA

250 nozzle temperature
50mm/s print speed
80 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan off
Print in Well ventilated area

PC

PC ( polycarbonate ) is only available from us in natural (clear), this is one of the most difficult filament to print with, it has significant warping and requires a high nozzle temperature.

Recommended starting settings

270 nozzle temperature
40mm/s print speed
110 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan off

PA

PA ( Nylon ) this is a very difficult filament to print with, Nylon has an amazing abrasion resistance, and is self lubricating making it great for moving parts eg, wheels / gears. but due to these properties and the fact that nylon warps it is very difficult to get good bed adhesion. Nylon is also extremely hydroscopic and will absorb to much moisture in a very short time ruining print quality and layer / bed adhesion

Recommended starting settings

255 nozzle temperature
40mm/s print speed
80 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan off
dry before printing
print out of a filament dryer
Print in Well ventilated area

Low temp wood

low temp wood filament is made by plastic infused with wood particles, this gives the filament a more matt / less glossy look, a slight grainy feel and lets it respond well to sanding.

Recommended starting settings

190 nozzle temperature
40mm/s print speed
50 degree bed
retraction on
cooling fan on after first layer
No less than a 0.4mm nozzle

TPU

TPU is a flexible filament, and cannot be printed on all printers. check with your printer manufacturer to see if TPU is suitable. if you cant find any info on your printer or would like to give it a go you can try the following

Check the location of the filament drive gear, if the gear and motor are on the top connected to the extruder by a Bowden tube you will have a very difficult time getting TPU to work.

Filament requires a fair amount of pressure to push filament through the nozzle and due to the flexibility it is likely this force till cause the filament to squeeze out somewhere its not meant to before the nozzle, slight modifications can be made to many printers eg. a tiny bit of Bowden tube anywhere that the filament is likely to kink out. the following settings can also help ease the amount of pressure required

220 nozzle temperature
Retraction off or very slow
lower layer height 0.15 or less (less filament required per mm moved)
print speed 30mm/s
Ensure any Bowden tubes are as strait as possible ( print in the far corner to keep it strait)

on top of this TPU filament does not perform well with overhangs.