Polymaker PolyLite Dual Silk PLA 1kg 1.75mm Filament

Printing Settings

Note: Based on 0.4 mm nozzle. Printing conditions may vary with different printers and nozzle diameters

Tips for printing dichromatic filament

1. Dichromatic / dual colour filaments print the best when the outside perimeters of the part are all printed in the same direction for each layer, not all slicers do this by default. You can view the direction of the tool path in slicer preview.

2. PolyLite Dual Silk PLA is wound carefully to ensure correct colour alignment on the spool. To achieve the best result, make sure the filament doesn't twist in the feeding path. If the filament twists during printing, the position of the two colours will shift throughout the print resulting in a striping effect. Some users find this effect desirable while others don't. Some level of twisting is common with most 3D printers on the market but excessive twisting may be more likely with some printers depending on their spool mount, hot end and extruder design. Using a high quality dual geared direct drive extruder and mounting the spool in a straight position that avoids twisting can help reduce this striping effect.

3. Smaller melt zones are better for dichromatic / dual colour filaments. This effect works because our 3D printers print with a laminar flow and so the two colours don't mix. Volcano-style hotends or CHT-style nozzles can produce mixing that reduces the dual-colour visual effect.

4. It can be useful to print an alignment coin to tell you exactly where the colour change will occur. The angle will be different for every printer setup, but we have found that if the printer and spool stay in the same orientation, the alignment doesn't change from spool to spool.

Tips for printing Silk PLA filament

1. It's not recommended to use Silk PLA on printers which suffer from heat creep.

2. Under normal conditions Silk PLA should print with a high gloss however with high printing speeds Silk PLA may not melt correctly resulting in a dull or inconsistent surface finish. Using a slower speed for perimeters, limiting volumetric flow to 8 cubic mm/s and trying a slightly higher nozzle temperature can help.

For other tips printing PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk, feel free to contact us!

Specification

Compatibility

PolyLite™ PLA Silk has been engineered with compatibility in mind to print excellently on a wide range of 3D printers. Although PolyLite™ PLA features Jam-Free™ technology it is not possible to implement this technology in silk filaments such as PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk.

Of course with thousands of unique 3d printer models on the market, we can't guarantee each filament type will work with every 3D printer. Slicer experience and setting adjustment is always required to get the most out of a material. Before jumping into an ambitious project we always recommend printing some known calibration tests to build or make adjustments to the filament profile.

If your printer suffers from heat creep and has difficulty printing other brands of PLA or Silk PLA due to heat-creep related jamming, PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk may risk jamming on your extruder.

Technical Data

All testing specimens were printed under the following conditions: Nozzle Temperature = 220˚C, build plate temperature = 40˚C, infil = 100%, cooling fan = ON
All specimens were conditioned at room temperature for 24h prior to testing.

THERMAL PROPERTIES

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

We have full MDS and technical data sheets for PolyLite™ PLA Silk and all other Polymaker products. Contact us to enquire!

The typical values presented in Polymakers data sheet are intended for reference and comparison purposes only. Due to the nature of 3D printing they should not be used for design specifications or quality control purposes.

STORAGE & DRYING

All plastics are hygroscopic meaning they absorb moisture from the air which can affect printing quality and strength of printed parts. How quickly this absorption occurs depends on the material and your environment. Polymakers PolyLite™ Dual Silk PLA filaments are dried and packaged in a vacuum sealed bag with desiccant to ensure the best printing quality. When not in use PolyLite™ Dual Silk PLA should be stored away from sunlight and sealed in the packaged resealable bag.

Although filaments can be dried, drying will speed up the aging process of the plastic making it more brittle over time. Preventing the filament from absorbing moisture in the first place is the best solution to keep your filament working to its maximum potential. For long term storage we highly recommend storing in a sealed container with dry desiccant that reduces the relative humidity to 10-20% RH.

In-house we manage our filaments with Polymakers PolyDryer™ which keep offers best-in-class sealing to protect filaments from absorbing moisture 

If you hear popping sounds and notice that the surface quality of your print is uneven or the colour is not consistent, this is a likely indicator that the filament has absorbed too much moisture. Spools of PolyLite™ Dual Silk PLA can be dried with Polymaker PolyDryer™ using power level 1. Alternatively if you have a convection oven that is accurate at low temperatures, users can dry filament in a preheated convection oven at 55˚C for up to 6 hours. Results may vary depending on the accuracy of your oven so please be conservative. For more information about filament drying please read our user guide.

FAQ

Q: Does PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk feature Jam-Free™ technology?
A: To achieve the silk surface finish, PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk does not feature the Jam-Free™ technology implemented in PolyLite™ PLA and other Polymaker PLA filaments.

Q: Does Silk PLA print the same as Regular PLA?
A: Silk PLA is blend of PLA with other plastics and is regarded for it's high gloss and silky surface finish, settings and printer play a big part in the final output. As with any modified formula or blend, the best settings and the capabilities of Silk PLA will be different to PLA,but both Silk PLA and regular PLA share very similar ball-park settings enabling Silk PLA to offer the ease-of-use that PLA is known for.

Q: Can PLA be printed at large scales without warping?
A: One of the benefits of PLA is the ability to print large parts with excellent dimensional stability; we have many customers printing large full-size printing projects in PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk. Please note that while PLA materials don't warp in most situations, printing with poor first layer adhesion can cause any material to warp and printing or the heated bed too hot can cause any PLA filament to crystallize rapidly, creating internal stress and warping.

Q: What support materials can I use with this product?
A: Polymaker’s PolyDissolve™ S1 or PolySupport™ filament are the recommended support filaments for PolyLite™ PLA Dual Silk. If your 3D printer is not equipped for multi-material, self-support can be used.

Q: Should I rewind this filament if I want to use it with a different spool?
A: We strongly advise against tampering with the product by rewinding. See our article for full details about the risks. All Polymaker filaments are wound with tension but without strain. Rewinding completely rearranges the curvature of the winding and this strain over time can cause most plastics to catastrophically break. If for some reason your printer is locked into fitting less than standard sized spools, there may be safe printable adaptors or external mounting solutions available.

Don't know where to start? Or which filament will suit your application? We have a broad range of support options including telephone support. Contact us today!