PLA print settings
The default. Easiest material to print, stiff but brittle, and it softens in a hot car.
Nozzle 190–220 °C
Bed 20–60 °C
Part cooling 80–100 %
Enclosure Not needed
Drying 45 °C for 4 h
Shrinkage ~0.3% — low enough to ignore on most parts
Density 1.24 g/cm³
Enclosure: Prints fine in open air.
Bed surface & adhesion
Sticks to almost anything. On smooth PEI a glue stick helps release; textured PEI needs nothing.
Retraction starting points
Direct drive 0.5–2 mm
Bowden 3–6 mm
Retraction speed 25–45 mm/s
Forgiving — start mid-range and fine-tune with a retraction test tower.
Good for
Prototypes, models, display pieces Anything with fine detail or sharp overhangs Large flat parts that would warp in ABS Watch out for
Deforms around 55–60 °C — never for car interiors or anything in direct sun Brittle: snaps rather than bends under load Heat-creep clogs on long prints if the hot-end fan is weak Problems this material is prone to
Other filaments
These are widely-published starting points for the generic material, not a specification. Individual spools vary by brand, colour and additive package — always defer to the figures printed on your spool.
Every number on this page is in the app too — next to the calculators that use it, working offline at the printer.
Get it on Google Play