Polypropylene (PP) print settings
Polypropylene: light, flexible and nearly chemical-proof. The one common filament that sticks to almost nothing, including your build plate.
Nozzle 220–250 °C
Bed 85–100 °C
Part cooling 20–50 %
Enclosure Required
Drying Not routinely needed
Shrinkage 1.5–2.5 % — the worst of any common filament
Density 0.90 g/cm³
Enclosure: Expect warping, splitting layers or failed prints without one.
Bed surface & adhesion
Packing tape or a PP build sheet — PP bonds to itself and to little else. It will not stick to PEI or glass.
Retraction starting points
Direct drive 0.5–2 mm
Bowden 3–6 mm
Retraction speed 25–45 mm/s
Low retraction usually suffices; an enclosure also reduces stringing.
Good for
Living hinges — PP survives thousands of flex cycles that snap PLA Containers for solvents, fuels and cleaning chemicals Light, semi-flexible parts that must not crack Watch out for
Warps more than ABS; a large flat part is a fight even in an enclosure Standard build surfaces will not hold it — tape the bed or buy a PP sheet Low stiffness: it bends under load rather than holding its shape Barely takes up moisture, so no drying — the one thing it makes easy 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