PLA silk tips ans tricks
Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2025 3:10 pm
Silk PLA QuickPrinting Tips
1- How to avoid failed print jobs when printing Silk PLA?
Silk PLA is softer and easier to break tan standard PLA as a result of the additives used to make it shiny. This can lead to some printing problems if the printing settings are not adjusted to the nature of this filament.
The most common problems and their solutions are the following:
Brittle printed parts that break when detaching from the surface or under small pressures:
Increase the number of perimeters to 4 and the infill to at least 15%. Take in count that if the model has small details these will be easy to break if printed with Silk PLA.
Failed print because filament grinding in the extruder:
Being softer, this Silk filaments can be easily grind down by the extruder’s drive gear. This happens specially in retraction intensive printjobs. In order to solve the problem follow these tips:
1- Adjust the tension of the extruder’s drive gear. Too tight or too lose tension can lead to filament grinding.
2- Adjust the retraction settings to be less aggressive. Reduce the retraction distance and retraction speed.
3- Printing several objects at the same time increases the retractions needed and can produce filament grinding. Try printing only one object at a time.
The models overstick to the platform and break when trying to detacch them:
With some surfaces and configurations the Silk filament can stick too much to the platform and create problems when detaching the parts. If we are having this issue, we need to try to decrease the adhesion following this tips:
1- Don’t use any adhesion helper such glue or spray. Print on a clean surface.
2- Decrease the heated-bed temperature, increase the printing speed for the first layer.
3- Adjust the nozzle to bed distance to avoid squizing too much the extruded material against the surface.
2- How to print shiny parts with Silk PLA
Silk PLA is meant to be shiny, but not all the printing settings deliver the same degree of shine.
Printing temperature greatly affects the shine and different temperatures allow to print with different finish.
Printing speed also affects the shine results
The models with curved surfaces enhance the shiny effect
Download the shine test cylinder, and choose the temperature that delivers the desired finish.
3- Printing temperatures
Silk PLA is meant to be shiny, but not all the printing temperatures deliver the same degree of shine
Depending on the temperature you can achieve different printing results.
Download the Shine test cylinder, and choose the temperature that delivers the desired finish.
www.reprappertech.com/shine-test
Hot-End 180°c– 205°c
Bed 40°c
Optimal printing temperature? → Depends on the 3D printer and the print job.
Lower temperatures 180°c - 185°c Higher temperatures 195°c - 205°c
Better surface quality Better layer bonding and strength
Better bridging and overhanging Allows faster printing speed
How to find the optimal temperature? → Print a temperature tower
4- How to stick the filament to the bed?
Silk PLA is has good adherence and is easy to stick, but if if you have any issue follow this list:
1- Heat up the bed to 40°c
2- Ensure the bed is perfectly levelled. Use live levelling. Check the attached document.
3- Use a speed of 20mm/s for the first layer
4- Use an adhesion helper (special surface, glue, hairspray)
5- Stringing?
1- Decrease the temperature
2- Use standard retraction parameters
Direct Extruder Bowden Extruder
Distance / Speed 1.5 mm / 30 mm/s 4 mm / 30 mm/s
3- Run a retraction test
www.reprappertech.com/retraction-test
4- Check and calibrate you e-steps
https://all3dp.com/2/extruder-calibrati ... y-steps-2/
6- How to preserve the filament dry
PLA filament soaks moisture from the environment, for that reason is packed in a vacuum bag.
If the filament soaks moisture → Became brittle and easy to break
→ The moisture reduces the printing quality
1- Keep the filament in the zip-bag between uses with the desiccant bag
2- Try to print the filament in dry environments
3- Try to finish the spool in the shorter period of time
If the filament already soaked moisture → Dry it in the oven 4 – 6 hours at 40-45°C
→ Use a special filament dehydrator or a food dehydrator
7- How to avoid knots and entanglements
Some spools may look better coiled than others not none should contain knots
99% of the times the knots are created after opening the spool due to incorrect manipulation
To avoid formation of knots always fix the tip of the filament to the holder holes in the spool.
What if I discover a knot?
If you discover a knot, you will need to unroll some filament, find the spot with the knot happens and solve it.
1- How to avoid failed print jobs when printing Silk PLA?
Silk PLA is softer and easier to break tan standard PLA as a result of the additives used to make it shiny. This can lead to some printing problems if the printing settings are not adjusted to the nature of this filament.
The most common problems and their solutions are the following:
Brittle printed parts that break when detaching from the surface or under small pressures:
Increase the number of perimeters to 4 and the infill to at least 15%. Take in count that if the model has small details these will be easy to break if printed with Silk PLA.
Failed print because filament grinding in the extruder:
Being softer, this Silk filaments can be easily grind down by the extruder’s drive gear. This happens specially in retraction intensive printjobs. In order to solve the problem follow these tips:
1- Adjust the tension of the extruder’s drive gear. Too tight or too lose tension can lead to filament grinding.
2- Adjust the retraction settings to be less aggressive. Reduce the retraction distance and retraction speed.
3- Printing several objects at the same time increases the retractions needed and can produce filament grinding. Try printing only one object at a time.
The models overstick to the platform and break when trying to detacch them:
With some surfaces and configurations the Silk filament can stick too much to the platform and create problems when detaching the parts. If we are having this issue, we need to try to decrease the adhesion following this tips:
1- Don’t use any adhesion helper such glue or spray. Print on a clean surface.
2- Decrease the heated-bed temperature, increase the printing speed for the first layer.
3- Adjust the nozzle to bed distance to avoid squizing too much the extruded material against the surface.
2- How to print shiny parts with Silk PLA
Silk PLA is meant to be shiny, but not all the printing settings deliver the same degree of shine.
Printing temperature greatly affects the shine and different temperatures allow to print with different finish.
Printing speed also affects the shine results
The models with curved surfaces enhance the shiny effect
Download the shine test cylinder, and choose the temperature that delivers the desired finish.
3- Printing temperatures
Silk PLA is meant to be shiny, but not all the printing temperatures deliver the same degree of shine
Depending on the temperature you can achieve different printing results.
Download the Shine test cylinder, and choose the temperature that delivers the desired finish.
www.reprappertech.com/shine-test
Hot-End 180°c– 205°c
Bed 40°c
Optimal printing temperature? → Depends on the 3D printer and the print job.
Lower temperatures 180°c - 185°c Higher temperatures 195°c - 205°c
Better surface quality Better layer bonding and strength
Better bridging and overhanging Allows faster printing speed
How to find the optimal temperature? → Print a temperature tower
4- How to stick the filament to the bed?
Silk PLA is has good adherence and is easy to stick, but if if you have any issue follow this list:
1- Heat up the bed to 40°c
2- Ensure the bed is perfectly levelled. Use live levelling. Check the attached document.
3- Use a speed of 20mm/s for the first layer
4- Use an adhesion helper (special surface, glue, hairspray)
5- Stringing?
1- Decrease the temperature
2- Use standard retraction parameters
Direct Extruder Bowden Extruder
Distance / Speed 1.5 mm / 30 mm/s 4 mm / 30 mm/s
3- Run a retraction test
www.reprappertech.com/retraction-test
4- Check and calibrate you e-steps
https://all3dp.com/2/extruder-calibrati ... y-steps-2/
6- How to preserve the filament dry
PLA filament soaks moisture from the environment, for that reason is packed in a vacuum bag.
If the filament soaks moisture → Became brittle and easy to break
→ The moisture reduces the printing quality
1- Keep the filament in the zip-bag between uses with the desiccant bag
2- Try to print the filament in dry environments
3- Try to finish the spool in the shorter period of time
If the filament already soaked moisture → Dry it in the oven 4 – 6 hours at 40-45°C
→ Use a special filament dehydrator or a food dehydrator
7- How to avoid knots and entanglements
Some spools may look better coiled than others not none should contain knots
99% of the times the knots are created after opening the spool due to incorrect manipulation
To avoid formation of knots always fix the tip of the filament to the holder holes in the spool.
What if I discover a knot?
If you discover a knot, you will need to unroll some filament, find the spot with the knot happens and solve it.