With the popularization and application of 3D printing technology, more and more people are getting in touch with and using 3D printers, as well as printing their favorite toy models, dolls from movies and TV or games. However, although it is a very enjoyable thing to print your own models with 3D printers, the setting of one of the slicing temperatures during the printing process often becomes a headache for newbies. The slicing temperature not only determines the extrusion effect of the printed material, but also directly affects the quality and success rate of the printed model. Today, UJOYBIO3D will analyze in detail how to set the slicing temperature reasonably, as well as the specific impact of slicing temperature on the printed model.

What is slicing temperature?

Slicing temperature refers to the temperature that the printer nozzle is heated to, which determines whether the 3D printed filament material can be smoothly melted and extruded through the nozzle and fit very perfectly between the model layers. Different materials (e.g. PLA, ABS, PETG, etc.) have their own recommended printing temperature ranges, so setting the slicing temperature reasonably is the first step to successful printing.

How to set the slicing temperature?

1. Confirm the recommended temperature range for filament materials

Most of the filament materials for 3D printing will be marked on the package with the recommended printing temperature range, here I will most of the materials on the market in the form of a table of examples of the recommended printing temperature, which can be used as a reference for novice printers:

Material	Optimum print temperature (°C)	Hot Bed Temperature (°C)	Remarks
PLA	190-220	50-60	Easy to print, suitable for beginners, low warpage, fan-off printing recommended.
ABS	220-250	90-110	High strength, requires closed printing environment to minimize warpage.
PETG	220-250	70-90	Combination of strength and heat resistance, easy to draw, pay attention to adjusting the retraction setting.
TPU	200-240	40-60	Flexible, slow speed (30-40mm/s) is required to avoid plugging.
Nylon	240-270	70-90	Highly hygroscopic, need to dry the material, recommended for closed printers.
PC	260-310	90-110	High strength and heat resistance, need high temperature printer and closed environment.

You can find the corresponding recommended printing temperature according to the material type and brand. On the packaging shell of the printing filament, many brands will mark the recommended printing temperature of their own brand of filament, for example, the recommended printing temperature of UJOYBIO3D's PLA+ series filament is 190-220℃, and the hot bed temperature is 40-60℃, and the recommended optimal printing temperature of UJOYBIO3D is The best printing temperature recommended by UJOYBIO3D is 220℃, which gives the best result for the finished model, with the smoothest and most delicate surface, and no wire drawing or stringing phenomenon.

2. Test the optimal slicing temperature using a temperature tower

To find the optimal printing temperature of the current printing filament, the most effective way is to first print a temperature tower (Temperature Tower), which is the industry's default recommendation of many printing experts, but also a common way to optimize the slicing temperature. The Temperature Tower is a specially designed model that gradually adjusts the print temperature at different heights. After printing, the ideal slicing temperature can be derived by observing which temperature band has the best surface quality of the model.
Generally speaking, in excess of the optimal temperature of the filament, the higher the temperature, the easier it is to produce the phenomenon of pulling or stringing, so once the phenomenon of pulling or stringing, in addition to other factors, it can be suitable to reduce the printing temperature by 10 ℃, and then test. So this can be very reflective of the role of the temperature tower, it is more intuitive to reflect what the temperature when the best printing and molding results.

Of course, there are some 3D players feel that you can take an intermediate temperature printing from the recommended temperature range interval of the filament, such as you are not sure of the specific temperature, you can start from the middle of the recommended range. For example, using PLA filament with a temperature range between 190-220, you could try printing at 205°C at this point. This may work, but it is not suitable for every printing scenario. There are many factors that affect the printed model, besides the melting temperature of the filament, there is also the nozzle, the humidity of the filament, the layer height setting, the speed of the retraction, the temperature of the printing environment and the cooling effect, and so on. For more details on these, please refer to: How to Avoid Stretching or Stringing during 3D Printing?

3. Fine-tuning speed and temperature on the printer

At high speeds, melting the filament requires slightly higher temperatures to ensure that the filament material melts quickly and extrudes smoothly. For low-speed printing, you can appropriately reduce the slice temperature to avoid material overheating caused by pulling or overflow, in general, in order to achieve the optimal printing temperature of the filament, the slower the speed, the better the printing effect, the finished product quality is also more beautiful.

Setting of slicing temperature on 3D printers

In addition to the impact of speed, in the above methods, to find the best printing temperature for filament, we can also be set on the printer, due to different printer settings

4. Consider ambient temperature and equipment conditions

If you are in a low ambient temperature, then you need to slightly increase the slice temperature when printing to compensate for the effect of the environment on the cooling of the material. When using a closed printer, on the other hand, the slice temperature is usually more stable, so you can try printing at the recommended value first and then adjust it according to the printing results.

Of course, in addition to the ambient temperature, humidity is also one of the factors, you can first dehumidification before printing.

5. Setting on the printing software

In addition to the printer and the filament material itself, we can also can be set on the 3D printing software, the following is UJOYBIO3D recorded Bambu Studio slicing software to set the slicing temperature method, also applies to other brands of 3D printers.

The effect of slicing temperature on the printed model

1. The effect of too low slicing temperature

Generally, it will cause the nozzle to extrude insufficient filament, the filament material is not completely melted, resulting in printing interruption or insufficient adhesion between layers, then the surface of the printed model will be a little rough, there may be obvious delamination or missing details, and the aesthetics is insufficient.

There is also some risk of plugging, as low temperatures can cause filament material to build up inside the nozzle, which in turn clogs the nozzle.

2. Effects of too high cutting temperatures

When the slicing temperature is too high, the melted filament will be extruded excessively, and the filament material will flow too much, resulting in blurred edges or filled-in details of the model, or even the phenomenon of pulling overflow or even stringing, thus affecting the appearance of the model.
Due to the high temperature of the slices may lead to uneven cooling of the material, especially for materials such as ABS and nylon, which will cause warping or cracking, and likewise affect the appearance of the finished model.

3. Effect of appropriate temperature

From the above analysis, the slicing temperature is set to the best when the filament material has good interlayer adhesion, the material melts and cools at the appropriate temperature, the layer to layer adhesion is strong, enhance the strength of the model, and at the same time print out the model of the surface is delicate, no obvious delamination, the nozzle to reduce the blockage, the model does not have warped edges and other issues, the printing process is more fluent.

Common Problems and Solutions of Slicing Temperature Setting

Problem 1: There are bubbles or burn marks on the surface of the printed model.

Reason: the temperature is too high.

Solution: Reduce the nozzle temperature by 5-10 ℃ each time, you can refer to the method described above until the problem disappears.

Problem 2: Poor bonding or delamination between model layers.

Cause: Temperature too low.

Solution: Increase the nozzle temperature by 5-10°C each time, also refer to the method described above, and adjust the printing speed until the problem disappears.

Problem 3: Nozzle clogging during printing.

Reason: nozzles have foreign objects, the temperature is set too low or the quality of the material.

Solution: Check and clean the nozzle clogging foreign objects, check the quality of the filament material, or replace a roll of filament material, and appropriately increase the slicing temperature.

Summarize

Setting the appropriate slicing temperature of the 3D printer is a key step in the success of 3D printing, which directly determines the quality and strength of the printed model. By understanding filament material properties, printing environment and equipment performance, and optimizing temperature settings through testing, you will be able to obtain high-quality print results more easily. Whether you're a novice or an experienced user, keeping these tips in mind will make your 3D printing journey smoother.

UJOYBIO3D Printing Model Effect of Setting the Appropriate Slicing Temperature

For 3D printing novices, we recommend UJOYBIO3D's PLA+ filament, which is perfect for novices to use in the early stage of 3D printing and is very clearly labeled on the package with a printing temperature of 190-220°C. So you don't have to worry that if you use UJOYBIO3D's PLA+ filament, you will forget about the optimal printing temperature, which will result in you don't know how to set the slicing temperature, which will affect the finished product drawing or stringing phenomenon, affecting the quality of the finished model.