¶ Purpose
This article will guide how to slice and print a model as transparent as possible with transparent or translucent PLA/PETG filaments.
¶ Printing tips
- Dry the filament before use: Moisture in the filament can cause bubbles and voids in the extruded lines, which can affect the transparency of the printed part. We recommend drying the spool for at least 8 hours for best results.
- A 0.8mm nozzle is recommended: Larger nozzle size can minimize the number of printed lines, to minimize intersections among lines. This can improve light transmittance of the model. Also, set the top and bottom shell layers to 0, and use a linear infill pattern to ensure consistent layer direction and no overlapping. Our example shows the parameters we recommend when using a 0.4 mm nozzle.
- Use high-temperature settings: Printing at a higher temperature can ensure better melt flow and adhesion of the filament.The premise is to ensure that the filament is dry.
- Increase flow ratio: Moderately increasing the flow ratio is an effective way to enhance transparency. It can reduce the gaps between printing lines and increase the light transmission rate of the model.
- Turn off all fans during printing: Allowing the extruded filaments to cool naturally can prevent uneven shrinkage due to rapid cooling.
- Polishing the model surface properly can help increase its transparency.
*Please note that achieving high transparency in 3D printing has strict requirements on the geometry of the model.
Therefore, achieving high transparency on models with complex structures is difficult even with optimal printing parameters.Additionally, because PLA is a semi-crystalline polymer, the crystalline grains within it affect light refraction, while PETG is an amorphous polymer. Therefore, PETG generally has higher transparency than PLA.
¶ Slicing parameter settings
¶ 1 Turn off the cooling fan:
PETG settings
PLA settings
Completely turning off the fan increases the risk of PLA warping, so it is necessary to moderately reduce the fan speed based on the needs and thickness of the model.
¶ 2 Increase flow ratio and nozzle printing temperature:
PETG settings
PLA settings
3. Set the layer height to 0.1mm and the line width to 0.5mm:
4. Set the number of wall loops to 1, remove the top shell and bottom shell, set the infill density to 100%, and change the infill direction to 0° or 90° :
5. Set all speeds to 20mm/s:
¶ Printed transparent model
The effects of PLA transparent at different thicknesses are shown below (printed with a 0.6mm nozzle), with thicknesses of 1mm, 2mm, and 3mm from left to right:
¶ Preset profile
Download the demo 3MF and replace the settings for your desired models (when printing with other series‘s’ printers, you can transfered the corresponding process settings and filament settings of X1C‘s showed below).
- X1C，0.4 mm nozzle：petg_-_transparent_parameters_-_0.4_mm_nozzle.3mf
- X1C，0.6 mm nozzle：petg_-_transparent_parameters_-_0.6_mm_nozzle.3mf
- X1C，0.8 mm nozzle: petg_-_transparent_parameters_-_0.8_mm_nozzle.3mf
- X1C，0.4 mm nozzle: PLA_-_transparent_parameters_-_0.4_mm_nozzle.3mf
*Some parameter setting references: How To Print Glass by Rygar1432 | Download free STL model | Printables.com