Starter Temperatures & Printing Guide

As each desktop 3D printer has its own unique characteristics, you might need to tweak around with your temperature settings a bit to get the best results. To obtain optimal results for your prints you need to take into account variables like your 3D printer’s nozzle diameter, your printing speed settings, and layer height. Every printer is different, for each material/printer, make sure to take notes of what works and what doesn't.

Your print bed MUST BE LEVEL & CLEAN. You can use acetone and a towel (lint free) to clean your surface and make sure it is free from oils and dirt before printing.

If your printer is equipped with a heated print bed, make sure you turn it on, especially for ABS.

PLA (Original Series) PLA (Creative Series) smart ABS
ABS (Original Series) ABS (Creative Series) Soft PLA
HIPS TPU (Flexible Polyurethane) Bendlay
PVA Flame Retardant ABS Laywood
Nylon PA6 Wood Laybrick
PETG Conductive / Anti-Static ABS Thermochrome PLA
Polycarbonate (PC) EasyFil PLA
PolyMax PLA EasyFil ABS
Taulman3D T-Glase PolyFlex EasyWood Coconut
Taulman3D Nylon 618 Porolay Porous Gel
Taulman3D Nylon 645 NinjaFlex
Taulman3D Bridge Carbon Fiber PLA
Taulman3D PCTPE Polycarbonate ABS (PC-ABS)
High Temperature PLA

 Material

Temperature

Comments

PLA (Original & Creative Series) 215°C - 235°C
  • PLA can be printed both with and without a heated print bed, but if your desktop 3D printer does have a heated print bed it is recommended to set your print bed temperature to approximately 60°C - 80°C.
  • First layer usually 5°C-10°C higher than subsequent layers.
  • Glow in the dark use 5°C-10°C higher.
  • Sticks well to Blue painter's tape.
  • Sticks well to extra strong hair spray.
  • Sticks well with "ABS Juice" (scrap ABS filament dissolved in acetone)
ABS (Original & Creative Series) 230°C - 240°C
  • Heated print bed recommended. Set your print bed temperature to approximately 80°C - 100°C. After the first few layers, it’s best to turn down your print bed temperature a bit.
  • Glow in the dark ABS use 250°C
  • Sticks well to Polyimide/Kapton tape, PET tape, Blue tape.
  • Sticks well to extra strong hair spray.
  • Sticks well with "ABS Juice" (scrap ABS filament dissolved in acetone).
smartABS Aprox. 250°C
  • If foam comes out of the nozzle, the material has to be dried at ~ 75°C for two hours.
  • Follow same recommendations as regular ABS.
HIPS 230°C - 250°C
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 115°C.
  • HIPS remain pliable until it's cool. Do not remove your print until fully cooled or it will bend.
  • Will dissolve in approximately 8 to 24 hours when fully submerged in a Limonene bath.
PVA 190°C - 220°C
  • Dissolves into regular tap water. Simply depositing your part in water will allow the PVA to begin dissolving. Results can be agitated by using hot water and mixing.
  • Some good results also noticed at 180°C with heated bed at 40°C.
  • If the temperature on the heated bed is too high, it leaves the PVA flexible and will allow it to shift.
  • Decomposes rapidly above 200°C
  • When used as support material, increase the density of the PVA support.
  • You'll need a printer that has two extruders to utilize PVA as a support material
  • Sticks better to PLA than ABS when used as a support material.
  • When used with ABS as a support material, you should keet the PVA support VERY close (0.1mm) to the ABS surface and use high support density for the PVA.
  • PVA used as a raft will stick well to tape.
  • PVA should be completely dry/dried for best results.
  • Print at a low speed.
Soft PLA 210°C - 220°C
  • Print slow. Significantly lower your print speed. Please try printing at 10-20mm/s.
  • Reduce retraction
  • For the build plate, it is recommended to use blue masking tape with a thin layer of glue stick on top.
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 60°C - 100°C.
  • Direct feed printer recommended.
  • Use a bit of lubricant (like WD40) in your bowden tube, although bowden extruders are not ideal for printing flexible filaments.
  • Make sure filament is clean (free from hand grease).
  • Performs best in printers with direct-drive extruders
  • For proper feeding, a spring-loaded feed mechanism with a roller bearing is required. Also, the extruder must support the filament between the exit of the drive gear and the entrance to the melt chamber.
  • The use of PTFE (teflon) guide tubes may be beneficial to further reduce pull at the extruder.
NinjaFlex 210°C - 225°C
  • Refer to the following link for official settings: http://www.ninjaflex3d.com/support/using-ninjaflex/printer-settings
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 20°C - 50°C.
  • Performs best in printers with direct-drive extruders.
  • Bowden extruders are not ideal for printing flexible filaments.
  • For proper feeding, a spring-loaded feed mechanism with a roller bearing is required. Also, the extruder must support the filament between the exit of the drive gear and the entrance to the melt chamber.
  • The use of PTFE guide tubes may be beneficial to further reduce pull at the extruder.
  • A heated build plate is not required in order to successfully print with NinjaFlex.
  • NinjaFlex bonds well to most surfaces (including aluminum and glass, blue painters tape, etc.), so coating the build platform is not necessary. Kapton tape can be used with NinjaFlex, but the adhesion of the printed part to the tape may be stronger than the adhesive holding the tape to the build platform.
  • NinjaFlex generally works well at similar extruder settings to ABS; however, adjusting the printer’s retraction settings can improve stop/start print quality. Also, it may be necessary to reduce the print speed to approximately 30mm/s.
  • For 1.75mm filament, 2-3mm of retraction works well.
  • For tall thin parts, supports may need to be designed-in to prevent the model from flexing as the print head traverses.
  • For bridging, NinjaFlex behaves similarly to ABS and may be substituted in prints designed for ABS.
  • When switching from another polymer (such as ABS or PLA) purge thoroughly before starting a print.
BendLay 215°C - 240°C
  • While printing with high speed, best layer adhesion can be obtained at 240°C.
  • Soluble in brake cleaner; acetone will make Bendlay crumble.
  • Sticks well to ABS and PLA
Laywoo-D3 165°C - 250°C
  • 165°C - 180°C for bright/light color wood effect.
  • 210°C - 245°C for darker wood effect.
  • Sticks well to the print bed, no heated bed necessary.
  • We recommend using a 0.5mm nozzle to prevent the nozzle from clogging.
Laybrick 165°C - 210°C
  • 165°C for smoother surfaces.
  • 210°C for rougher surfaces.
  • Sticks well to the print bed, no heated bed necessary.
  • Fan needs to be on.
  • Wait 2-4 hours after printing until object is hardened, before removing it from platform.
  • Try to print in warm rooms (20°C or more), the the filament is more bendable then.
  • Use M227 code: f.e. S 30000 P 10000.
  • Layer-thickness from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.
  • Slicing: object fill max. 25%.
Thermochrome PLA Aprox. 210°C
  • Follow same recommendations as regular PLA.
  • If printed part is < 29°C it will have an opaque anthracite Grey color.
  • If printed part is > 29°C it will have a translucent / White color.
Nylon PA 6 240°C - 280°C
  • Can't be printed on glass.
  • Print on cardboard to prevent warping. Best results achieved on Garolite. Other/cheaper alternatives include poplar wood or PVA/UHU Glue.
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 120°C. (This may vary depending on your print surface)
  • If foam comes out of the nozzle, the material has to be dried at ~ 148°C for 3-4 hours.
  • Overfilling the part will make a gooey mess.
PETG 230°C - 250°C
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 60°C. If not using a heated bed, try raising your hot-end temperature by a few degrees.
  • To get the optimal temperature; start from 230°C and continue to raise the temperature until the printers starts browning the print regularly, from that point, drop the temperature by a couple of degrees and your set. Make a note for follow-on prints.
  • Print on PVA mixed in water, 1 to 4, 1 to 3 ratio. Let it dry after application.
  • No cooling required during the print
  • No raft. (if the print bed is not heated, consider using brim instead, 5 or more mm wide.)
Taulman T-Glase 207°C - 238°C
  • Easily prints to acrylic, glass, Kapton and other platforms
  • T-glase is a thicker melt and likes higher temps from small nozzles. If t-glase is too cold, it will not extrude well.
  • If t-glase is too hot, it will print a lot of bubbles in the threads.
  • Optimum temperature is about 212°C to 224°C, but will print down to 207°C and up to about 238°C+.
  • Try 238°C with a .4mm or .25mm nozzles
  • To find the optimal temperature for your setup and printer, we suggest starting at 238°C and increasing the temperature (even if it prints fine) until you see a lot of bubbles at about the 4th layer up (first layer is slower so it will have some bubbles). Once you find that spot, reduce the temperature down by 5°C and you're set. Make a note for follow-on prints.
  • Complete details available here: http://www.taulman3d.com/t-glase-features.html
Taulman Nylon 618 Aprox. 245°C
  • 618 will not print/stick to glass or aluminum print beds.
  • The best print bed material for a new user is a flat piece of unfinished poplar wood or blue painters tape.
  • Complete details available here: http://www.taulman3d.com/618-features.html
Taulman Nylon 645 Aprox. 245°C
  • 645 will not print/stick to glass or aluminum print beds.
  • The best print bed material for a new user is a flat piece of unfinished poplar wood or blue painters tape.
  • Complete details available here: http://www.taulman3d.com/645-features.html
Taulman "Bridge" Nylon Aprox. 245°C
Polycarbonate (PC) 250°C - 320°C
  • If left out for in the open air for a few days (or less in a humid environment), will need to be dried before printing. 120°C for 4 hours.
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 120°C - 130°C.
  • Printing at higher flow-rates will require higher extruder temperatures for a consistent melt.
  • Those with Bowden style extruders will need to watch for signs of excessive force where the Bowden tube meets the filament driver and hotend.
  • Sticks well to "ABS Juice" (brushed down before hand)
  • Sticks well to Kapton tape when using heated print bed.
  • Some users experience success with a Garolite heated bed. Other had good results with superglue on cool glass and then heating the bed to 125C - 130C.
PolyMax PLA 180°C - 240°C
  • For the 1.75mm, the recommended printing temperature is 185°C - 200°C with a heated print bed OR 200°C - 230°C without a heated print bed.
  • For the 3.00mm, the recommended printing temperature range is 200°C - 230°C.
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 60°C - 70°C.
  • The recommended printing speed is 40 - 120 mm/s.
PolyFlex 210°C - 240°C
  • Recommended printing temperature is: 220°C - 235°C.
  • Heated print bed not required.
  • Recommended printing speed: 30 - 60 mm/s.
  • For proper feeding, a spring-loaded feed mechanism is recommended.
  • Good adhesion to most build plate surfaces including as blue tape, Kapton/Polyimide tape, etc.
  • Can be used on dual-extruder printers.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA 190°C - 230°C
  • Processing is comparable to standard PLA.
  • No heated bed required.
  • Due to increased brittleness, process may be less consistent on smaller nozzles and/or bowden type machines.
  • Nozzle size: 0.35mm - 0.5mm
  • Good results were achieved when printing using a 0.5mm nozzle and direct-drive spring loaded pinch-roll style extrusion head. Layer adhesion was excellent and warpage was low.
Polycarbonate ABS (PC-ABS) 260°C - 285°C
  • Heated bed is recommended. Cross-sectional area should be minimized.
  • Drying in an oven for ~ 1hr at 85°C - 95°C may be required for bubble free high strength prints.
  • Nozzle size: 0.25mm - 0.5mm
  • Good results achieved when printing small parts using a .5mm nozzle and direct-drive spring loaded pinch-roll style extrusion head.
High Temperature PLA 190°C - 230°C
  • Processing is comparable to standard PLA.
  • No heated bed required, though a heated bed may help crystallize the material after printing and make oven soaking unnecessary for some parts.
  • Nozzle size: 0.25mm - 0.5mm
  • Good results achieved when printing using a .5mm nozzle and direct-drive spring loaded pinch-roll style extrusion head. Layer adhesion was excellent and warpage was low.
EasyFil 2.85mm PLA 210°C - 220°C
  • Can be printed both with and without a heated print bed. However, if your printer is equipped with a heated print bed we recommend to set your heat bed temperature to 35° - 60°C.
  • Sticks well to blue masking tape and extra strong hairspray
  • Print speed guidline: 40 - 80 mm/s
EasyFil 2.85mm ABS 220°C - 260°C
  • Recommended to use a heated print bed. Ideally your print bed temperature should be set at approximately 90°C - 110 °C.
  • ABS will bend under too much heat. After the first few layers, it’s best to turn down your print bed temperature a bit.
  • Sticks well to Kapton, PET tape, extra strong hair spray and ABS juice.
TPU (Flexible Polyurethane) 195°C - 230°C
  • Print slow. Please try printing at 30mm/s or even less.
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 70°C.
  • Cooling fan: On
  • Performs best in printers with direct-drive extruders.
  • Bowden type extruders are not ideal for printing flexible filaments.
  • Reduce retraction.
  • Your extruder should support the filament between the exit of the drive gear. to the entrance to the melt chamber.
  • When switching from another polymer (such as ABS or PLA) purge thoroughly before starting a print.
Flame Retardant/Resistant ABS 230°C - 250°C
  • Same as printing normal ABS.
  • Heated print bed recommended. Set your print bed temperature to approximately 110°C.
Wood 200°C - 260°C
  • Set your print bed temperature to approximately 90°C-110°C.
  • Cooling fan: ON
Conductive / Anti-Static ABS 230°C - 250°C
  • Same as printing normal ABS.
  • Heated print bed recommended. Set your print bed temperature to approximately 110°C.
  • Cooling fan not necessary
EasyWood Coconut 210°C - 220°C
  • Can be printed without a heated print bed. If your printer is however equipped with a heated print bed we recommend to set your heat bed temperature to ± 35° to 60°C.
  • Sticks well to an unprepared print bed or masking tape.
  • Print speed guideline: 40 - 100 mm/s
Porolay Porous Gel 225°C - 235°C
  • Remember that this is an experimental material for experienced users!
  • A heated bed is not necessary
  • Store filament in a dry place, if it gets wet over time, dry it in oven at 80° for several hours; After drying printed objects will be hot-sealable.
  • For maximum flexibility rinse printed object in tap water for 1 to 4 days. Shorten rinsing time by printing less walls/shells and less filling %.
Taulman3D Flexible PCTPE 225°C - 230°C
  • Prints on bowdens or direct drive extruder.
  • Prints on glass with a 50% water/PVA glaze heated to 40°C
Revised: January 23, 2015