Materials · For beginners
PLA
The everyday material: easy, stiff and great at detail. If you're just starting, start here.
Easy to printStiff and firmLooks great
What changes most if you're coming from PETG:
What it's for
- Figures, models, decorations and gifts: it copies detail very well.
- Prototypes to test an idea or a size before making it in another material.
- Everyday parts inside the house that don't get hot: organizers, holders, boxes.
What it's not for
- Parts that go inside a car or sit in the sun: it softens with little heat and warps.
- Parts that bend or take repeated knocks: it's stiff and, when it fails, it snaps instead of bending.
If you're coming from another material
- Nozzle temperature255 °C 220 °C35 °C cooler. Printed as hot as PETG, it oozes and strings.
- Bed temperature80 °C 65 °C15 °C cooler. With PETG's bed temperature, the base gets too soft and comes out deformed.
- Part fan40–90 % 60–80 %More air. This material needs to cool quickly to hold its shape, especially on overhangs and small details.
- Max volumetric speed8 mm³/s 12 mm³/sIt takes more plastic per second: the profile lets it print faster.
- Softens at70 °C 45 °CIt softens 25 °C sooner: better for parts that don't get hot.
What it's like to print
- It sticks well to the plate and barely warps: it forgives mistakes.
- It likes a strong fan: cooling quickly gives it clean overhangs and bridges.
- “PLA High Speed” is the same material made to melt faster: its profile lets more plastic through per second.
Starting values
From Bambu Studio's generic profile for the A1: they're meant for any brand, so they're cautious. They're a starting point; the calibration tests get you to your filament's own values.
| PLA | PLA High Speed | |
|---|---|---|
| Nozzle | 220 °C (190–240) | 220 °C (190–240) |
| Bed, textured plate | 65 °C | 65 °C |
| Bed, smooth plate (PEI) | 65 °C | 65 °C |
| Bed, cool plate | 35 °C | 35 °C |
| Fan | 60–80 % | 60–80 % |
| Max flow | 12 mm³/s | 18 mm³/s |
| Softens at | 45 °C | 45 °C |
| Hardened nozzle | not needed | not needed |
Moisture
It absorbs little moisture, but after months in the open air it starts stringing, crackling in the nozzle and coming out more brittle. Kept sealed with desiccant, it lasts a long time.
Drying time and temperature come from your filament's maker: every brand and blend is different, so we don't give numbers here. Look for them on the filament's label or the brand's data sheet.
The settings that change the most
- Nozzle temperatureFilament › FilamentEvery brand and color melts a little differently: the temperature tower finds yours.
- Maximum fan speedFilament › CoolingMore air means better overhangs and small details.
- Max volumetric speedFilament › FilamentThe limit of how much plastic it melts per second: it decides how fast it can print.
Typical problems:Strings or cobwebs between partsOverhangs droop or look rough underneathThe part comes off the plate
Calibrate first:1Temperature2Flow4Max volumetric speed
The numbers come from Bambu Studio and the A1, but the material is the same on any FDM printer: on another machine or slicer, the values are similar and everything explained here still applies.
Other materials
PLA SilkPETGPCTGTPUABSASAPC (polycarbonate)Nylon (PA)PP (polypropylene)HIPSFiber-filled (CF and GF)Soluble supports (PVA and BVOH)