Materials · For beginners
PLA Silk
PLA with a metallic or silky shine: it looks great, but it's fussier to print and weaker.
Easy to printLooks great
What changes most if you're coming from PLA:
What it's for
- Vases, figures and decorative pieces where the shine is what matters.
- Eye-catching parts that won't carry any load.
What it's not for
- Parts that must hold weight or take knocks: the additives that make it shine make the layers bond less.
- Parts exposed to heat, same as PLA.
If you're coming from another material
- Nozzle temperature220 °C 220 °CAbout the same: it melts at a similar temperature.
- Bed temperature65 °C 55 °C10 °C cooler. With PLA's bed temperature, the base gets too soft and comes out deformed.
- Part fan60–80 % 60–80 %Similar: it cools with about the same airflow.
- Max volumetric speed12 mm³/s 7.5 mm³/sIt melts more slowly: the profile limits how much plastic comes out per second, so the printer slows down (about 63% of PLA's flow).
- Softens at45 °C 45 °CIt handles heat about the same.
What it's like to print
- It melts more slowly than regular PLA: its profile lowers the volumetric speed, and pushing it leaves dull patches.
- It looks best with smooth walls and few visible seams.
- The bed runs a bit cooler than with regular PLA.
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.
| Nozzle | 220 °C (190–240) |
|---|---|
| Bed, textured plate | 55 °C |
| Bed, smooth plate (PEI) | 55 °C |
| Bed, cool plate | 35 °C |
| Fan | 60–80 % |
| Max flow | 7.5 mm³/s |
| Softens at | 45 °C |
| Hardened nozzle | not needed |
Moisture
Like PLA: it absorbs little, but when damp it loses its shine and strings.
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
- Max volumetric speedFilament › FilamentGoing slower gives an even shine; too fast leaves dull bands.
- Nozzle temperatureFilament › FilamentA bit more heat usually means more shine, but also more stringing.
Typical problems:Bands of shine on the wallsThe seam showsThe part breaks or the layers split
Calibrate first:1Temperature4Max 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
PLAPETGPCTGTPUABSASAPC (polycarbonate)Nylon (PA)PP (polypropylene)HIPSFiber-filled (CF and GF)Soluble supports (PVA and BVOH)