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Materials Guide
What each material needs, what it's good for, and which printers can handle it. Sorted from easiest to most demanding.
Overview
| Material | Difficulty | Temp (hotend) | Temp (bed) | Enclosure needed | Printers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | Easy | 190–220°C | 55–65°C | No | All |
| PETG | Easy | 230–250°C | 70–85°C | No | All |
| TPU | Medium | 220–240°C | 35–45°C | No | All (direct drive) |
| ABS | Medium | 230–250°C | 100–110°C | Yes | P1S, P2S, X1C, H2S, H2D |
| ASA | Medium | 240–260°C | 95–110°C | Yes | P1S, P2S, X1C, H2S, H2D |
| PLA-CF / PETG-CF | Medium | 210–240°C | 55–80°C | No (ABS-CF: Yes) | All (hardened nozzle) |
| PA (Nylon) | Hard | 250–280°C | 70–90°C | Yes (+ chamber) | P2S (marginal), H2S, H2D |
| PA-CF | Hard | 270–300°C | 80–100°C | Yes + active chamber | H2S, H2D |
| PC | Hard | 260–300°C+ | 100–120°C | Yes + active chamber | H2S, H2D |
PLA (Polylactic Acid) is the default material for a reason. It's easy to print, widely available, produces minimal fumes, and the print quality is excellent. PLA+ is a modified formula with improved impact resistance and flexibility, worth the small price premium for functional parts.
When to use PLA
- Decorative models and figurines
- Prototypes and concept models
- Everyday items (phone stands, organizers, clips)
- Multi-colour models (colour contrast is excellent)
PLA limitations
- Poor heat resistance: softens around 55–60°C. Don't use in hot cars or near heat sources.
- Brittle compared to PETG or ABS; snaps rather than flexing
- Not ideal for high-stress mechanical applications
- Breaks down slowly with moisture over years (though not a short-term concern)
| PLA Settings | |
|---|---|
| Hotend temp | 190–220°C |
| Bed temp | 55–65°C |
| Print speed | Up to 300 mm/s practical |
| Cooling fan | 100% (after layer 3) |
| Enclosure | Not needed (open door/top if enclosed) |
| Nozzle | Standard stainless |
| Bed adhesion | Clean PEI, no glue needed |
| Moisture sensitivity | Low |
Tip: PLA in an enclosed printer
On the P1S/P2S/X1C, keep the top panel open or cracked when printing PLA. The chamber can get warm enough to soften PLA during long prints. Not always an issue, but opening it ensures proper cooling.
PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) sits between PLA and ABS in most properties. Better heat resistance than PLA (up to ~80°C), more flexible and impact-resistant than PLA, no warping issues, and prints without an enclosure. It's the second go-to material for most practical parts.
When to use PETG
- Functional parts that need some flex (clips, brackets)
- Items that will see moderate heat (above 55°C but below 80°C)
- Outdoor items that don't need UV resistance (PETG isn't UV-stable long-term)
- Food-adjacent items (technically food-safe but depends on printing conditions; research your specific setup)
PETG gotchas
- PETG bonds strongly to bare PEI: use glue stick (Pritt or similar) as a release agent, or it can pull chunks of PEI coating off when removing
- Strings more than PLA. Dial in retraction and ensure filament is dry.
- More moisture-sensitive than PLA. Store sealed with desiccant.
- Tends to ooze more during travel. Reduce temperature slightly versus the default profile.
| PETG Settings | |
|---|---|
| Hotend temp | 230–250°C |
| Bed temp | 70–85°C |
| Print speed | 150–250 mm/s practical |
| Cooling fan | 50–80% (less than PLA) |
| Enclosure | Not needed |
| Nozzle | Standard stainless |
| Bed adhesion | Glue stick on PEI (prevent over-adhesion) |
| Moisture sensitivity | Medium. Dry before use if stored open. |
TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is the flexible filament of choice. Shore hardness varies: 95A is slightly flexible (like a phone case), 85A is very flexible (like a soft rubber band). Bambu printers handle TPU well thanks to the direct drive extruder. The short filament path from gear to nozzle reduces the buckling that makes TPU difficult on Bowden setups.
Print TPU slowly
TPU cannot be pushed fast. 30–50 mm/s is the practical range for good results. Higher speeds cause under-extrusion as the flexible filament buckles under extrusion pressure. Reduce retraction distance (too much retraction pulls the soft filament back into the gears).
Use cases
- Phone cases and bumpers
- Flexible hinges and joints
- Anti-vibration mounts and feet
- Seals and gaskets (with appropriate Shore hardness)
- Gripper pads and handles
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) has better heat resistance than PLA (up to ~100°C) and is tougher and more machinable. It's the material LEGO bricks are made from. The downside: it warps aggressively and off-gasses unpleasant fumes during printing.
ABS requires an enclosed printer with passive or active chamber heating. On the P1S/P2S/X1C, pre-heat the chamber to at least 40°C before starting (run bed at 105°C for 15 minutes with the door closed). On the H2S/H2D, set the active chamber to 60°C.
ABS fumes
ABS produces styrene vapour and fine particulates during printing. Always use an enclosed printer with HEPA + carbon filtration (P1S, P2S, X1C, H2S, H2D). Don't print ABS on an open-frame machine in an enclosed room. Ensure the room has some ventilation even with an enclosed printer.
Consider switching to ASA for outdoor/UV-exposed parts. It's easier to print than ABS with better UV stability. For indoor parts where UV doesn't matter, ABS remains a solid choice.
ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) is ABS's outdoor cousin. Similar mechanical properties, similar print requirements, but with much better UV resistance. Outdoor parts that get direct sunlight (garden clips, car exterior parts, outdoor enclosures) are better printed in ASA than ABS or PETG.
Most experienced users find ASA slightly easier to print than ABS: marginally less warp-prone and a bit more forgiving of temperature variations. Same enclosure requirements apply.
ASA vs ABS decision
If it will see sunlight: use ASA. If it's an indoor part: ABS or ASA are both fine (ASA slightly easier). For high-impact applications: ABS-CF or ASA-CF composites add significant rigidity.
Carbon fibre (CF) and glass fibre (GF) filled filaments add short fibres to a base polymer (PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, PA, etc.) to increase stiffness and reduce weight. They're not "carbon fibre" in the structural sense; they're composites with chopped CF strands that improve rigidity and dimensional stability.
What CF filaments actually improve
- Stiffness: much stiffer than the unfilled version (less flex under load)
- Dimensional stability: less warping, better dimensional accuracy
- Surface finish: matte finish popular for functional parts
- Print temp: many CF filaments print at similar temps to the base material
The catch: nozzle wear
CF filaments are highly abrasive. A standard stainless steel nozzle will visibly wear within a few hundred grams of CF filament: the orifice diameter increases, causing under-extrusion and poor quality. Always use a hardened steel or tungsten carbide nozzle for any CF or GF filament. Bambu sells hardened nozzles; so do CHT and other third parties.
Don't mix nozzles
If you've been printing CF through a nozzle, don't then use it for precision PLA printing: the enlarged orifice will cause over-extrusion. Keep dedicated nozzles for abrasive and non-abrasive materials, or replace before switching.
Common CF filament types
| Filament | Base material | Printers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA-CF | PLA | All (hardened nozzle) | Easiest CF. Good for rigid display parts. |
| PETG-CF | PETG | All (hardened nozzle) | Better heat resistance than PLA-CF. Popular for functional parts. |
| ABS-CF | ABS | Enclosed only | Needs enclosure. Very stiff. Common for engineering brackets. |
| ASA-CF | ASA | Enclosed only | Like ABS-CF but UV-stable. Great outdoor functional parts. |
| PA-CF | Nylon (PA) | H2S, H2D | Highest performance. Needs active chamber + 350°C hotend. |
Nylon (Polyamide, PA) is a family of engineering materials. PA6, PA12, PA11, with excellent toughness, chemical resistance, and fatigue life. Gears, hinges, load-bearing brackets, and parts that flex repeatedly are classic nylon applications.
The main challenges
Moisture: Nylon is hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture from the air rapidly and the absorbed water causes bubbling, weak layer adhesion, and poor surface finish when printing. Always print from a dry box or dryer. Dry new spools before their first use (80°C, 8+ hours). Store sealed with desiccant.
Enclosure requirements: Nylon needs a warm enclosure to prevent delamination. The passive chambers of the P1S/P2S can handle some PA grades but are marginal. For serious PA work, especially PA6 or PA-CF: the H2S's 65°C active chamber gives consistent, reliable results.
Bed adhesion: Nylon doesn't love PEI. Use glue stick, PEI with glue, or dedicated nylon build plates. A brim is almost always necessary.
Polycarbonate is one of the toughest 3D printing materials available. Excellent heat resistance (up to 130°C), impact resistance far beyond ABS or Nylon, and optical clarity in transparent grades. Used for protective housings, lenses, and high-impact structural parts.
PC requires high extrusion temperatures (260–300°C+), a heated bed at 100–120°C, and an actively heated chamber. This means the H2S and H2D are the only Bambu machines suited for PC. The passive chambers of the P-series cannot maintain the temperature required to prevent PC from delaminating.
PC is unforgiving
PC shrinks significantly on cooling. Print speeds must be conservative, the chamber must be pre-heated fully before the print starts, and cooling fans should be minimal or off. Even on capable machines, PC requires careful dialling in. Don't expect first-print success.
Moisture in filament is the cause of more print failures than people realise. Symptoms: crackling sounds during extrusion, bubbles in the extrusion, weak layer adhesion, rough surface finish, and excessive stringing.
Drying temperatures and times
| Material | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| PLA | 45–50°C | 4–6 hours |
| PETG | 60–65°C | 4–6 hours |
| ABS / ASA | 70–80°C | 4–6 hours |
| TPU | 50–60°C | 4–8 hours |
| PA (Nylon) | 80–90°C | 8–12 hours |
| PC | 80–90°C | 8–12 hours |
| PVA | 45°C | 4–6 hours (PVA degrades at high temps, so don't exceed this) |
A food dehydrator ($30–60) works well. Purpose-built filament dryers (Bambu, Sunlu, eSUN) are also good. Your kitchen oven is a last resort: it's difficult to maintain accurate low temperatures and can warp spools.
Preventing moisture uptake
Store spools in resealable bags or airtight boxes with silica gel desiccant. Colour-indicator desiccant tells you when it needs replacing. For PA and PC specifically, store in the original sealed bag until ready to print and run from a dry box actively during the print.
| Nozzle type | Good for | Avoid with | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel (stock) | PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS | Any CF/GF filament | Wears rapidly with abrasive filaments. |
| Hardened steel | PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ABS-CF, ASA-CF | N/A | Best all-rounder for abrasive filaments. Small flow reduction vs stainless. |
| Tungsten carbide | PA-CF, PC-CF, abrasive filaments | N/A | Maximum durability. More expensive but lasts much longer than hardened steel. |
| 0.4mm (stock size) | Most prints | Ultra-fine detail | Best balance of speed and detail. |
| 0.2mm | Fine detail, miniatures | CF filaments (clogs) | Slow. Use for detail-critical parts only. |
| 0.6mm | Large structural parts, fast prints | Fine detail | Prints 2–3× faster than 0.4mm for same layer height. |
| 0.8mm | Vases, large low-detail parts | Anything requiring detail | Very fast but coarse. |