Choosing and running a 3D printer
Should You Print with PLA, PETG, or TPU?
Summary
Use PLA for indoor items and prototypes, PETG for parts that will see more heat or knocks, and TPU for anything that has to bend or squash. Bambu Lab's material table doesn't recommend PLA for parts used at around 50 °C or higher, rates PETG above PLA for heat and impact resistance, and gives TPU the top impact score. Carbon- or glass-filled filaments need a printer with a hardened steel nozzle.
Bambu Lab's star ratings
Bambu Lab's filament table scores each material out of five stars and lists nozzle temperatures and drying settings:
| PLA | PETG | TPU | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat resistance | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Impact resistance | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Tensile strength | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Nozzle temperature | 190–240 °C | 240–270 °C | 200–250 °C |
| Drying | Recommended before use (55 °C, 8 h) | Recommended before use (70 °C, 8 h) | Required (70 °C, 8 h), plus desiccant while printing |
PLA gets three stars for tensile strength and two for heat. PETG gets one more star for heat. Bambu Lab's table allows it on open-frame printers but marks an enclosed printer as recommended, since cool room air around an open machine can weaken the bond between layers. TPU is too soft to feed through Bambu Lab's AMS or AMS lite multi-material units.
Carbon and glass fiber
For PLA-CF and PETG-CF, Bambu Lab lists a hardened steel nozzle as required and says brass and stainless steel nozzles aren't recommended. The 0.2 mm nozzle can't be used either.
The Bambu Lab A1 mini reaches 300 °C at the nozzle and 80 °C at the bed, has a stainless steel nozzle, and lists fiber-reinforced filament as not recommended. Bambu Lab names PLA, PETG, TPU, and PVA as ideal for it. The Flashforge Adventurer 5M goes to 280 °C and 110 °C and handles PLA-CF and PETG-CF with its 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle, though Flashforge states that ABS filaments aren't compatible. The ELEGOO Centauri Carbon reaches 320 °C and 110 °C and pairs a hardened steel nozzle with a fully enclosed chamber.
Sources
- Bambu Lab Wiki — Filament Guide (material table)
- Bambu Lab — A1 mini
- Flashforge — Adventurer 5M user manual
- Flashforge — Adventurer 5M
- ELEGOO — Centauri Carbon
Specs and prices are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.