Advanced 3D Printing

PLA is where almost everyone starts 3D printing, and for good reason: it's the easiest filament to print, needs no enclosure, barely warps, and is forgiving of mistakes. If you've just unboxed a printer, this guide gets you from spool to successful first print — the right settings, what to do before you press print, and how to read the result. Why Start With PLA PLA (polylactic acid) prints at low temperatures, sticks easily, doesn't smell much, and produces crisp detail. It's the best material to learn on because it removes most of the variables that make other filaments tricky — no warping battles, no enclosure needed, no fumes to manage. Master PLA first, then step up to PETG, TPU, or ASA once you're comfortable (see our guide for those materials). PLA Print Settings Setting Starting value Nozzle temperature 200–215 °C Bed temperature 50–60 °C Print speed 50–100 mm/s (slower while learning) Cooling fan 100% (after first layer) Retraction (direct drive) 1–2 mm Retraction (Bowden) 4–6 mm First layer speed 20–25 mm/s (slow = better adhesion) Enclosure Not needed These are reliable starting points. Every printer and spool is a little different, so once you've got a successful print you can fine-tune with a temperature tower. Before You Press Print: A Checklist Level the bed / set Z-offset. The single most important step. The nozzle should be the right distance from the bed so the first layer squishes slightly. Most printers have an automatic or guided routine — run it. Clean the bed. Wipe with isopropyl alcohol. Finger grease is the most common reason a first print won't stick. Check the filament is seated. Make sure it's loaded, gripped by the extruder, and the spool turns freely without tangles. Use the right slicer profile. Pick your printer's PLA profile in your slicer (Orca, Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, etc.). Don't print an unknown profile. Start with something small. A calibration cube or a small model prints fast and tells you a lot before you commit hours to a big one. Watch the First Layer The first layer makes or breaks a print, so stay and watch it. A good first layer looks like flat, even ribbons fused side by side, with no gaps and no scraping. If the lines are round and loose, the nozzle is too high; if they're squashed and torn, it's too low. Stop and adjust the Z-offset rather than letting a bad first layer ruin the whole print. Our first-layer and bed-adhesion guide covers this in depth. Your First Print Went Wrong? Quick Fixes Problem Likely cause Guide Won't stick to the bed Z-offset, dirty bed, cold bed Bed adhesion Wispy threads between parts Stringing Fix stringing Gaps, thin or weak walls Under-extrusion Under-extrusion Blobs, rough or oversized Over-extrusion Over-extrusion Print jumped sideways / ripples Layer shift / ghosting Layer shifting When You're Ready to Dial It In Once you've got reliable prints, calibration takes them from good to great. The full sequence — temperature, flow, pressure advance, retraction — is in our Orca Slicer calibration guide, and you can confirm your extruder is accurate with the extruder calibration guide. Choosing Your First PLA Beginner frustration is often really bad filament — damp, brittle, or inconsistent in diameter. Our PLA filament is made in Spain to a tight ±0.05 mm tolerance and sealed dry, so it behaves predictably while you're still learning. For a low-sheen finish that hides layer lines, try our Matte PLA, and browse the full filament range as you expand. New to all this and not sure what to buy? Ask us — we're happy to point beginners in the right direction.

PLA is easy. The moment you move to PETG, TPU, or ASA, the same printer that produced flawless PLA starts stringing, warping, or refusing to stick. None of these materials are difficult once you know what they need — they just need different settings. This guide gives you reliable starting points for each, plus the why behind them, so you can dial in your own filament and printer quickly. A note before the numbers: every printer and spool is slightly different. Treat these as starting points, then fine-tune with a temperature tower and a flow test. Our own filament is made in Spain to consistent ISO/REACH standards, which removes one big variable — spool-to-spool inconsistency — from the equation. Quick Reference Table Setting PETG TPU (flexible) ASA Nozzle temp 230–250 °C 210–230 °C 240–260 °C Bed temp 70–90 °C 30–50 °C 90–110 °C Print speed 30–60 mm/s 15–30 mm/s 40–60 mm/s Cooling fan 30–50% 0–30% 0–20% Enclosure Optional No Strongly recommended Retraction (direct drive) 1–2 mm 0.5–1.5 mm 1–2 mm Retraction (Bowden) 4–6 mm Avoid / minimal 4–6 mm PETG: Strong, Glossy, Slightly Sticky PETG is the natural step up from PLA — tougher, more temperature-resistant, and great for functional parts. Its quirk is that it's sticky: it adheres so well it can tear chunks off your bed, and it strings if over-retracted or printed too hot. Temperature: Start at 240 °C and run a temperature tower from 230–250 °C. Too hot = stringing and blobs; too cool = weak layer bonding. Bed & adhesion: 80 °C is a reliable starting point. PETG sticks too well to smooth PEI — use a textured plate, or a glue stick / release agent as a barrier to protect the sheet. Our Magigoo Original both improves adhesion and acts as that release barrier. Cooling: Some cooling (30–50%) improves overhangs and reduces stringing, but too much weakens layer adhesion. Balance is key. Stringing: PETG's signature problem. Tune retraction and temperature together — see our retraction test. Shop our PETG filament, or the certified UV-resistant PETG for outdoor parts. TPU: Flexible, Forgiving on Warping, Fussy on Speed TPU is flexible filament — perfect for phone cases, gaskets, and grips. It barely warps, so it needs little bed heat, but it's sensitive to speed and retraction because the filament is elastic and compresses in the extruder. Temperature: 220 °C is a good middle. The softer the TPU (lower Shore hardness), the more it benefits from slightly higher temps for flow. Speed: The single most important TPU setting. Print slow — 15–30 mm/s. Flexible filament buckles if pushed too fast, causing under-extrusion and jams. Retraction: Minimise it. On Bowden setups especially, long retractions cause the elastic filament to snarl. Direct-drive extruders handle TPU far better. Cooling: Low to moderate. TPU doesn't warp, so cooling mainly helps detail. Bed: 40 °C is plenty. For flexibles, our Magigoo Pro Flex is formulated specifically to hold flexible prints without over-bonding. We stock TPU in several hardnesses: TPU Flex 93A (most flexible), D53, and the D60 UV-resistant for outdoor flexible parts. ASA: The Outdoor Workhorse (That Needs an Enclosure) ASA is the go-to for outdoor and automotive parts — UV-stable, weather-resistant, and tough. It behaves like ABS, which means one thing dominates everything else: it warps, and it needs a stable, warm environment to print reliably. Enclosure: Strongly recommended, arguably essential for anything beyond small parts. A stable, warm chamber prevents the layer-separation and corner-lifting ASA is prone to. This is exactly why enclosed printers like the Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro or Bambu Lab P1S make ASA so much easier. Temperature: 250 °C nozzle is a solid start. Hotter helps layer bonding, which matters for ASA's strength. Bed: 100 °C, with an adhesion aid. Magigoo Original works well for ASA. Cooling: Minimal to none. Part cooling causes warping and cracking in ASA — let the chamber do the work. Ventilation: ASA produces fumes. Print in a ventilated space, ideally with a filtered enclosure (HEPA + carbon). Shop our Spain-made ASA filament. The Universal Workflow: Dial It In Whatever the material, the same tuning sequence gets you to perfect prints: Temperature tower first — find the temp with the best layer bonding and least stringing. How to print one. Flow / extrusion multiplier next — get dimensions and wall thickness accurate. Flow test guide. Retraction last — eliminate stringing once temp and flow are right. Retraction test guide. If you're also calibrating the extruder itself, see our extruder calibration guide. Filament Made in Spain Consistent settings start with consistent filament. We manufacture our PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, and ASA in Cantabria to ISO and REACH standards — tight diameter tolerance and repeatable properties spool to spool, so the settings you dial in today still work on your next order. Not sure which material suits your project? Ask us.

You've decided the HT90 is the right machine. This guide covers what you actually need to know to get reliable results: how to set up the machine, which head to use for which materials, settings per material class, bed adhesion, and the most common issues you'll encounter when printing high-performance polymers. First: Chamber Preheating For engineering and high-performance materials, chamber preheating is not optional — it is the first step in every print. Start heating the chamber before loading filament and before starting the print job. For PEEK and similar materials, allow the chamber to reach full temperature (90°C) and stabilise for at least 15–20 minutes before printing begins. Printing before the chamber is fully stabilised is one of the most common causes of first-layer delamination and warping in high-performance materials. For standard materials (PLA, PETG), the chamber can remain open or be heated to a lower temperature. There is no requirement to use the full 90°C for materials that don't need it. Head Selection The HT90 ships with two heads. Choosing the right one before printing is important — both are optimised for different conditions. Head Best for Max nozzle temp High-Flow Head PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, PA — standard and engineering materials up to ~300°C ~300°C High-Temperature Head PEEK, PEKK, PPS, PSU, PEI (Ultem) — all materials requiring >300°C nozzle 500°C Swapping heads takes a few minutes without tools. The load cell sensor recalibrates the first layer automatically after each swap — no manual intervention needed. Settings by Material Class Standard Materials (PLA, PETG) Nozzle temperature PLA: 200–220°C / PETG: 230–245°C Bed temperature PLA: 50–60°C / PETG: 70–85°C Chamber Not required — can print with chamber open Print speed Up to 200–300 mm/s with Input Shaper enabled (PLA) Head High-Flow The HT90 with Input Shaper is extremely fast with standard materials. Use it for high-volume prototyping in PLA or PETG and you'll see throughput that rivals dedicated high-speed machines. Engineering Materials (ABS, ASA, PA, PA-CF, PCCF) Nozzle temperature ABS/ASA: 240–260°C / PA-CF: 260–290°C Bed temperature ABS/ASA: 100–110°C / PA-CF: 80–100°C Chamber temperature 50–80°C recommended Cooling fan Minimal or off for ABS/ASA; low (10–20%) for PA-CF Print speed 40–80 mm/s Head High-Flow (ABS/ASA) or High-Temperature (PA-CF with abrasive fill) ABS and ASA benefit substantially from the heated chamber even at 50–60°C. Warping disappears almost entirely. For PA-CF, ensure the filament is fully dry before printing — PA absorbs moisture aggressively and wet PA-CF prints will be brittle regardless of settings. High-Performance Materials (PEEK, PEKK, PPS, Ultem) Nozzle temperature PEEK: 370–400°C / PEKK: 340–380°C / PPS: 310–350°C / Ultem: 360–420°C Bed temperature 120–160°C (material dependent) Chamber temperature 80–90°C — must be fully stabilised before printing starts Cooling fan Off or minimal — semi-crystalline polymers need controlled cooling, not rapid cooling Print speed 20–50 mm/s — slower than engineering materials Head High-Temperature (required) Infill 40–80% for functional parts; rectilinear or gyroid Wall count 4–6 perimeters for structural parts Bed Surfaces for High-Temperature Materials Standard PEI surfaces are not ideal for PEEK and Ultem — adhesion can be inconsistent and removal difficult. The most reliable options: Garolite (G10/FR4): The gold standard for PEEK adhesion. Parts adhere well at temperature and release cleanly when cooled. Surface must be lightly sanded between prints to refresh adhesion. PEI with PEEK adhesion promoter: A high-temperature adhesion compound applied before printing. More consistent than bare PEI for PEEK. Borosilicate glass with PVA or PEEK adhesive: Works reliably but requires more preparation time per print. Do not use standard glue stick for PEEK prints — it will not survive the bed temperatures involved. Standard PLA/PETG adhesion solutions do not apply here. Drying — The Step Most People Skip Engineering polymer moisture absorption is not a minor issue — it is the single most common cause of print failures and substandard mechanical properties. Hydrolysis at printing temperatures permanently degrades polymer chains. Parts printed with wet PEEK or PA-CF will be brittle, regardless of how good the settings are. PEEK / PEKK / Ultem / PPS: Dry at 120°C for 4–6 hours minimum. Use a dedicated oven, not a standard filament dryer — 50–70°C is insufficient. PA-CF / PA-GF: Dry at 80–90°C for 6–12 hours. Feed from a sealed dry box during printing where possible. After drying, store in sealed containers with fresh desiccant. Do not leave spools of engineering materials on the printer between sessions. Annealing Finished Parts PEEK parts can be annealed after printing to further improve crystallinity and mechanical properties. Place finished parts in an oven at 150–180°C for 1–2 hours, then cool slowly (in the oven with the door closed). This increases crystallinity from the as-printed ~20–25% to 30–35%+, improving stiffness, chemical resistance, and dimensional stability. Allow 1–2% dimensional shrinkage during annealing — compensate at design stage for precision parts. Common Issues and Fixes First layer not adhering (PEEK) Almost always caused by insufficient bed temperature, insufficient chamber preheating time, or the wrong bed surface. Check that the chamber has been at 90°C for at least 15 minutes, bed is at the correct temperature for your surface, and that you're using garolite or an appropriate adhesion promoter. Clean the bed surface with IPA before printing. Delamination between layers Cooling too fast — either the chamber temperature is too low, the cooling fan is running at too high a percentage, or the print speed is too fast (too much time between layer depositions allows layers to cool). Reduce fan to zero for PEEK. Slow down print speed. Ensure chamber is fully stabilised before starting. Warping or lifting corners Thermal gradient too high — the part is cooling unevenly. Increase chamber temperature if not already at 90°C. Use a brim (5–8mm) for large flat parts. Ensure bed temperature is correct for your surface. Brittle parts despite correct settings Wet filament. Dry at the correct temperature (120°C for PEEK) for the full recommended time and reprint. This is nearly always the cause. Nozzle clogging Usually caused by incorrect temperature (too low for the material — under-melting), retraction that's too aggressive (pulling semi-crystalline material back into the cold zone), or contamination. Perform a cold pull with the High-Temperature head at ~250°C to clear. For PEEK, a purge with a lower-temperature material (PETG or ABS) can help clear residue. Slicers and Profiles PrusaSlicer has official profiles for the HT90 and is the recommended starting point. Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer can also be configured for the HT90 but require manual profile creation. For PEEK and other high-performance polymers, start from Prusa's official profiles and adjust gradually — these materials are less forgiving than standard filaments and chasing settings changes one at a time makes it much easier to identify what is and isn't working. Continue Reading Part 1: What the HT90 Is and Who It's For Part 2: High-Temperature Filament Guide — PEEK, PEKK, PA-CF Part 4: HT90 vs Industrial 3D Printers — Is It Right for Your Business? View the Prusa Pro HT90 →