Bambu Studio 2.8.4 · Bambu Lab A1 · 0.4 mm nozzle
Which profile should I use?
Every slicer comes with print profiles: a default one, and others that are finer, faster or stronger. Here are the 10 that Bambu Studio has for the Bambu Lab A1: which one to pick for what you're printing, and what really changes between them.
In Orca Slicer, PrusaSlicer or Cura the profiles have other names and numbers, but they change the same things: layer height (detail versus time), walls and infill (strength) and, sometimes, speed.
What are you printing?
Something for every day0.20mm Standard0.2 mm layers, 2 walls and 15% infill: the balance between time, finish and strength. Good for almost everything.A figure or something detailed0.12mm Fine0.12 mm layers: the lines are barely visible. That's 1.7 times the layers of 0.20mm Standard, so it takes quite a bit longer.A part that will carry load0.20mm StrengthThe same layer, but 6 walls and 25% infill (0.20mm Standard: 2 and 15%): much stronger, using more filament and more time.A quick test or something nobody sees0.24mm Draft0.24 mm layers: 17% fewer layers than 0.20mm Standard. The fastest is 0.28mm Extra Draft (29% fewer), with very visible lines.The best finish, whatever it takes0.08mm High Quality0.08 mm layers (2.5 times 0.20mm Standard's) and, on top of that, the outer wall at 60 mm/s instead of 200: the finest the machine can do, but it takes a very long time.
What changes from one profile to another
Three things move. Layers: the thinner they are, the more of them a part needs and the longer it takes, roughly in the same proportion. Walls and infill: they make the part stronger, at the cost of filament and time. Speed: “Strength” and “High Quality” also slow down the outer wall.
“slower”: the outer wall runs slower than in the factory profile. Layers come from dividing the height by each profile's layer height.
What the name means
- Standard
- the factory one: 0.20 mm layers, a balance between time and finish. Good for almost everything.
- Fine · Extra Fine
- thinner layers (0.12 and 0.08) at the same speeds: the lines are barely visible, but it takes quite a bit longer.
- Optimal
- a middle point (0.16) between Standard and Fine.
- Draft · Extra Draft
- thicker layers (0.24 and 0.28): it prints sooner and the lines show more. For tests and parts nobody will look at.
- High Quality
- besides the thin layer, it lowers speeds and acceleration and uses Gyroid infill: the best the machine can do, taking much longer.
- Strength
- same 0.20 layer, but 6 walls and 25% infill: much stronger parts, using more filament and more time.
With “Advanced” off you only see the 10 basic settings that change. Turn it on in the panel to also see the 17 advanced ones.With “Advanced” on you see all 27 settings that change; the advanced ones are marked advanced. Turn it off in the panel to keep only the 10 basic ones.
Going deeper: compare two profiles
| Setting | A | B | What changes and why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer heightQuality › Layer height | This is the setting the profile is named after (the “0.20mm” in “0.20mm Standard”). Thinner layers: nearly invisible lines, but the print takes longer. Thicker layers: it prints faster, but the lines are more visible. | ||
| Top surface line widthQuality › Line width | With thick layers (0.24 and 0.28 mm) Bambu widens the line of the last layer a little (0.45 mm instead of 0.42 mm) so it covers the gaps in the infill better. | ||
| Ironing flowQuality › Ironing | With 0.08 mm layers the ironing pass lets out less plastic (8% instead of 10%), because the layer is so thin that the extra would be too much. | ||
| Number of wallsStrength › Walls | “Strength” goes from 2 to 6 walls. Nothing adds more strength to a part, and it does much more than raising the infill. | ||
| Top shell layersStrength › Top/bottom shells | Bambu aims for a similar top thickness in every profile: with thin layers it uses more layers, and with thick layers, fewer. For example, 9 layers of 0.08 mm add up to 0.72 mm, and 4 layers of 0.28 mm add up to 1.12 mm. | ||
| Top shell thicknessStrength › Top/bottom shells | The minimum top thickness follows the layer height: 0.8 mm in the 0.08 mm profiles, 0.6 mm in the 0.12 mm ones, and 1.0 mm from 0.16 mm up. If the top shell layers don’t reach that thickness, the program adds as many as needed. | ||
| Top paint penetration layersStrength › Top/bottom shells | Only matters if you paint the part in several colors: it sets how many layers deep the color painted on the top face goes. It goes hand in hand with the top shell layers: thin layers need more so the color underneath doesn’t show through. | ||
| Bottom shell layersStrength › Top/bottom shells | Same idea as the top shell layers: thin layers need more of them (7 at 0.08 mm; 3 from 0.20 mm up) so the bottom ends up about as thick and the infill doesn’t show through. | ||
| Bottom paint penetration layersStrength › Top/bottom shells | The same for the bottom face: it follows the bottom shell layers, and thin layers need more of them to cover the color inside. | ||
| Infill densityStrength › Sparse infill | “Strength” raises infill from 15 to 25%: more plastic inside, a stronger part, and a bit more time and filament. | ||
| Infill patternStrength › Sparse infill | The “High Quality” profiles use “Gyroid” because it spreads strength in every direction and leaves a smoother top; the “Grid” pattern is faster and works for almost everything. | ||
| Skin infill densityStrength › Sparse infill | Only matters with the “Locked Zag” pattern. “Strength” raises it to 25%, just like regular infill. | ||
| Skeleton infill densityStrength › Sparse infill | Only matters with the “Locked Zag” pattern. “Strength” raises it to 25%, just like regular infill. | ||
| Outer wall speedSpeed › Other layers speed | The outer wall is the one you see. At 200 mm/s the A1 makes the most of its speed; at 60 mm/s it comes out smoother, with fewer vibration marks. That’s why the “High Quality” profiles lower it, and “Strength” does too, so the walls bond better to each other. | ||
| Inner wall speedSpeed › Other layers speed | Inner walls aren’t visible, so they run faster than the outer wall (300 mm/s in “Standard”). The fine profiles that aren’t “High Quality” raise them to 350 because each line carries little plastic. The “High Quality” profiles slow them down (120–150) so they don’t push on or overheat the outer wall. With thick layers they drop to 230 and 200, because each line carries a lot of plastic and the nozzle can’t melt it that fast. | ||
| Sparse infill speedSpeed › Other layers speed | This is the fastest part of the print because it isn’t visible. With very thin layers it goes even faster (450 mm/s at 0.08 mm) because each line carries very little plastic. The “High Quality” profiles slow it down (150–200) to reduce vibration, and with thick layers it drops to 230 and 200. | ||
| Internal solid infill speedSpeed › Other layers speed | Internal solid infill isn’t visible either and follows the same logic as the inner walls: faster with thin layers (300–350 mm/s), slower in the “High Quality” profiles (150–200) and also with thick layers (230 and 200), where each line carries more plastic. | ||
| Top surface speedSpeed › Other layers speed | The “High Quality” profiles slow down the last layer (150 mm/s instead of 200) so it comes out smoother and more even. | ||
| Overhang speed, 10 to 25%Speed › Other layers speed | Speed for gentle overhangs (10 to 25% of the line hanging in the air). Profiles under 0.20 mm already slow them to 60 mm/s; from 0.20 mm up they aren’t slowed at all (0) because they hang out so little that they cause no trouble. | ||
| Overhang speed, 25 to 50%Speed › Other layers speed | Speed for medium overhangs (25 to 50% in the air): 30 mm/s in profiles under 0.20 mm and 50 from 0.20 mm up. Going slower gives the plastic time to cool before it sags. | ||
| Overhang speed, 50 to 75%Speed › Other layers speed | Speed for steep overhangs (50 to 75% in the air): 10 mm/s in profiles under 0.20 mm and 30 from 0.20 mm up. The fine profiles aim for the best finish, so they slow down more. | ||
| Gap infill speedSpeed › Other layers speed | Speed for filling the narrow gaps left between walls: it follows the rest of the profile’s speeds (up with thin layers, down in the “High Quality” profiles and with thick layers). | ||
| Normal printing accelerationSpeed › Acceleration | Overall acceleration drops from 6000 to 4000 mm/s² in the “High Quality” profiles: the printer starts and stops more gently, vibrates less, and corners come out cleaner, at the cost of a bit more time. | ||
| Outer wall accelerationSpeed › Acceleration | The “High Quality” profiles accelerate much more gently on the outer wall (2000 mm/s² instead of 5000) to avoid the vibration ripples you see near corners. | ||
| Threshold angleSupport › Support | Support is added under overhangs that are flatter than this angle. With thin layers each layer sticks out very little past the one below, so the printer can handle flatter overhangs on its own and the threshold goes down: 15° at 0.08 mm, 20° at 0.12 mm, and 25° at 0.16 mm, compared with 30° in “Standard”. With thick layers it goes up: 35° at 0.24 mm and 40° at 0.28 mm. | ||
| Top Z distanceSupport › Advanced | The gap between the support and the part resting on it is usually exactly one layer: Bambu matches it to the layer height, up to 0.20 mm. | ||
| Bottom Z distanceSupport › Advanced | Same idea as the “Top Z distance”: one layer of gap between the part and the support resting on it, up to 0.20 mm. |
These two profiles are identical in everything shown.
The panel on the left always shows the “0.20mm Standard” factory profile, the one Bambu Studio loads when you pick this printer.