3D printers fail with inconsistent PLA filament colors
26 posts in the last 30 days, all from r/3Dprinting.
“Hi all I have an Anycubic Kobra S1 with the ace 2 pro I have been having the same issue with filament backup / replacement when a spool runs out I have Sunlu PLA+ in black in slot 2 & 4 (in this example) both set to the same colour and material in both the slicer and the Ace 2…”
“I absolutely HATE the color identifications on filaments. Filament from the vendor Sunlu same filament PLA+ 2.0 color: White. Why can't they like use hex code to declare color at a minimum if not go all out using pantone? It brings angst to max when I try my bestest to use same…”
“I’ve only printed with Elegoo PLA plus white and black. This problem is unique to the white filament. What settings should I change? The filament is brand new so I doubt it’s wet.”
Users report that Sunlu PLA filament rolls purchased at different times produce vastly different colors and print qualities, with older rolls performing better. This inconsistency disrupts workflows and requires additional troubleshooting.
SOURCES (60)
“Something's wrong here. This was a brand new roll of pla straight out of the package. Ama humidity is in the single digits. I don't understand what is wrong here. submitted by /u/Montanabioguy [link] [comments]”
“What's everyone's favorite brand of matte PLA that turns out really, truly matte finish? (Preferably with a good color selection.) Some "matte" stuff is nearly indistinguishable from regular! Panchroma by Polymaker sure looks and feels matte on the spool but still ends up sort of satin-finished. submitted by /u/rinky79 [link] [comments]”
“Printing white PLA at 205 deg. Probsbly needs to be cleaned gang submitted by /u/Brobee_ [link] [comments]”
“Hi all I have an Anycubic Kobra S1 with the ace 2 pro I have been having the same issue with filament backup / replacement when a spool runs out I have Sunlu PLA+ in black in slot 2 & 4 (in this example) both set to the same colour and material in both the slicer and the Ace 2 Pro settings and “filament backup” turned on My slot 4 has run out but it hasn’t / won’t switch to slot 2 to finish printing - I’m out for the remainder of the night hence why I has set up the backup just in case Any i”
“I absolutely HATE the color identifications on filaments. Filament from the vendor Sunlu same filament PLA+ 2.0 color: White. Why can't they like use hex code to declare color at a minimum if not go all out using pantone? It brings angst to max when I try my bestest to use same vendor to ensure consistency but nope. Not just Sunlu but Deeplee, Elegoo etc ...tried many others.. Does anyone know of a vendor they've been using for the last year and not bought in bulk where you could very we”
“I’ve only printed with Elegoo PLA plus white and black. This problem is unique to the white filament. What settings should I change? The filament is brand new so I doubt it’s wet. submitted by /u/No-Reputation72 [link] [comments]”
“I've now run thru 12kg (2 tool green and 10 grey) of this stuff and drying it as much as recommended, but every single role on two identical machines constantly snaps. This stuff is brittle trash. Print setup is ea with a polydryer box feeding into Bambu P1S. I have over 5K hours on each machine so this isn't my first rodeo. I don't usually complain but this is absolutely ridiculous. DO NOT BUY THIS TRASH. submitted by /u/Tit4nTwe4Kz [link] [comments]”
“I'm trying to print a prop that's meant to be made of jade but I can't find any filament that looks right. Most of the Jade coloured ones are on the darker side. submitted by /u/PFFAFL [link] [comments]”
“Hey Guys, I am currently playing around with the settings to get the Silk shine right. Something between 50mm/s and 230/235 degrees seemed nice so far. While going for another try of speedtest I noticed that the inner surface of this tower kinda looks nicer / shinier than the outer surface. It’s two lines per layer so it might be a wrong setting and the inner one is actually the speed which should be outside? Also appears smoother and less rough. Is it just the model maybe? Any ideas? subm”
“Hey guys, i just bought 2 spools of esun grey filament (pla+) and they seem to be "glued together" both of the spools came like this. Is this a known problem? its like the filament its glued from the bottom part of the pla wire its glued to the upper part of the wire of the same spool, it makes sound while printing and sometimes the printer is not able to pull hard enough to unstick the glued part. Sorry for my bad english! ty in advance submitted by /u/Cool_Ad7330 [link] &”
“Hello there, I got my hands onto really cheap filament that is being advertised as „recycled”. 15zł ~3.5$ per 0.75KG. There is a link where i bought it from https://allegro.pl/oferta/filament-smartfil-1-75-mm-pla-recycled-black-750g-czarny-do-drukarki-3d-18964917803 If i can make my utensils holder eco friendly, WHY NOT. Your thoughts on quality? submitted by /u/ThreeVelociraptors [link] [comments]”
“Won’t print beige filament. Only beige. I’ve tried Elegoo and Bambu labs refill. Both PLA It all started when I put wood pla through it. Clog after clog. So I was like all right, never mind I’ll just use beige because it’s close to the same color. But it’s still clogging. I’ve ran filament in between the wood and the beige, and all my prints came out perfect. Put the beige back in there and instant clog. Basically, I think I’m just looking for anyone that has ran into the exact same problem. It’”
“Struggling to find a filament this color it's supposed to be black but it's more of a dark brownish grey. I'd prefer pla but any help is appreciated thanks! submitted by /u/Stressedamphib [link] [comments]”
“For me, it’s Polar’s Retro Platinum PLA 1kg at $24.99/spool, or Prusa’s Galaxy Black PLA 1kg at $32.99/spool. submitted by /u/iamthekiller [link] [comments]”
“I got a few of these spools on a sale and I have been having just the worst time with bed adhesion and tangles on the spool. Both white and black I’m about to just resell them and buy my normal brands. Is this typical? On a Snapmaker U1 with different plates all washed and filament dried first submitted by /u/zetswei [link] [comments]”
“So this stuff seems to be a bit of a different animal. Based on their advertising I expected it to print like their regular HT-PLA or maybe the PLA-GF. I’ve only run a few prints with it but it is seaming quite different. It stuck so hard to my cryo grip I wasn’t sure it was going to come off. The pic is of the orange HT-PLA-Pro and the PETG support interface that is basically welded to it. Bad on me for not running a test but I’m like PETG ≠ PLA for supports so all good. Well I had to heat it t”
“Hey everyone, I’ve recently run into a problem with my printer. As you can clearly see in the image, some layers are lighter than others. I’ve been using this filament for a long time and never had any issues with it before. Since this happens even when printing a file that previously printed perfectly, I don't think it's a slicer setting issue. Here’s what I’ve already tried: - Changed the filament - Performed a cold pull - Restarted and fully calibrated the printer What I plan to do ne”
“I'm looking at printing some multi colour toys for my daughter so looking for best place to buy multiple colours of Pla without spending too much. 250g spools would probably be fine. I'm based in the UK and have an A1 Mini. submitted by /u/dave_k_17 [link] [comments]”
“I ordered some Sunlu filament for my A1, and the color on the spool does not match what is being printed. Its more brown than what the spool shows. It also happened with Bambu Brown filament. Any ways to fix it? Edit: It seems my eyes were playing tricks on me because it was the same shade when I canceled my 2 Hour print and compared. submitted by /u/RefuseReady2874 [link] [comments]”
“hey guys, I bought a 4 pack of Sunlu PLA + 2.0 in grey. it arrived yesterday and my prints have a grainy quality to them, lots of stringing, and another print failed this morning. I'll add some photos. I'm using the sunlu preset in bambu slicer. it was freshly unsealed so I'm thinking humidity can't be an issue here? the print uses variable layer heights, but with the exact same settings my previous print using elegoo pla was flawless. I'm not a pro by any means, so there may”
“So I tried looking around and I'm sure it doesn't exist. But looking for bundles of pla with different shades of red, blue, green etc. Anyone know of anything like that? submitted by /u/Plus_Trick_8759 [link] [comments]”
“I have been buying esun basic black pla from amazon for almost 3 years. Anything from 3 to 8 rolls per month. Never had an issue, always a more matte finish to it. Now the last few batches are all glossy and shiny. Has anyone else noticed this? submitted by /u/Individual-Cry6831 [link] [comments]”
“So for context, it’s Sunlu yellow PLA which was part of the green and yellow filament bundle (0.5kg of filament each). I manually wound the smaller filament onto a larger filament reel so it fit the AMS. I kept it in an airtight box with loose silica balls. I picked it up to use it and for some reason, these random lengths of filament is just falling off it. Like I pull a length and it lasts about 10cm. I don’t feel much resistance, it seems like the ‘hairs’ of filament is already broken off and”
“So I accidentally bought PLA+ (Sunlu) instead of PLA. I've used Sunlu PLA in the past. Many of my projects use interlocking parts, and I've dialed it in nicely with the old filament. So my question is, will the PLA+ size differently, or to put it better, size purposely to fit together? Second, it seems undetermined online whether PLA+ is toxic. The consensus is not by much, since I have the printer in my work shop would it be better to run it when I'm not in the room or would it be s”
“I want to make sure though that it has same exact color and texture because the official Bambu labs is expensive. submitted by /u/OmarHamami [link] [comments]”
“New roll and it’s got a twist in it. Didn’t notice it until 2 hours into a print that it wasn’t printing anything anymore. First roll out of 30 since I started printing with an issue 🤦🏼♂️ submitted by /u/kebmpb [link] [comments]”
“red filament is literally the only one that constantly breaks somewhere in the PTFE tube. i feel like the more vibrant the red, the more brindle it is. it happens from all kind of brands, Bambu, Anycubic and Sunlu and i drives me freaking nuts. I only print PLA in multicolor, yes it's dryed and stored properly. okay, that should be the end of my little rant. submitted by /u/AroTheGoose [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I bought some orange translucent PLA a while ago with my A1, but I've not really found much use for it. Does anyone have any models that really highlight this filament? submitted by /u/youre_so_enbious [link] [comments]”
“I recently bought a Bambu Lab A1 and got 1kg of Bambu Lab Basic PLA with it. Now I want to buy more filament in different colours. Since I don’t have AMS, I’m mainly looking for individual spools. What brands/filaments do you guys recommend for: - Good quality + reliable printing - Budget/economical filament - Different colours I’m seeing around ₹1,200/kg online for some filaments. Are there cheaper options that are still good? Would love some recommendations for the best value-for-money filamen”
“Pricing for the PLA basic filament for the EU with shipping to Germany. Buying 4 rolls is cheaper than buying 3. submitted by /u/dotCookie [link] [comments]”
“My dumb ass thought that it was literally the same filament as Basic, just with a different name submitted by /u/MAENTOP [link] [comments]”
“I want to 3d print my boyfriend a master sword because he's a huge Zelda nerd but I need to get the colors right So my quest for you guys if you know about Zelda is which PLA filliments (preferably bambuLabs) would match best for the master sword from Twilight princess submitted by /u/FakeImaginaryPoet [link] [comments]”
“My first filament was Bambu PLA, next i bought Sunlu Black PLA 2 1kg spools. For wanting to paint sometimes etc should i stick to buying black PLA for now? No AMS submitted by /u/Klutzy-Dog291 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone sorry for coming up with so much trouble but can someone please help me out? This is a Bambu PLA Lite with a really uneven spool!!! submitted by /u/Creative-Owl6229 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, I recently purchased SUNLU black PLA from Amazon as I'm tired of waiting weeks for BAMBU shipping. I am running a P1S with AMS, and I printed this temp tower as a test to see what the filament settings need to be. It's my first time doing this test. I keep everything in a dry box and the hydrometer in my AMS has its reading at 84F and 10% humidity. It seems every layer has some sort of stringing and the top layer at 190C didn't even adhere. Is this a filament issue or print se”
“Printing in PLA on a Flashforge AD5X using Orca Slicer. I have black color bleeding through what is supposed to be only white. Any ideas on how to clean it up? submitted by /u/warriormagee [link] [comments]”
“Several spools have had issues breaking and getting stuck in the feeder tubes of my CFS (AMS for Creality). It has happened with colored transparent, rainbow transparent, and clear. I have one spool that I think is beyond hope, but I'm reading that drying them may be worth a try. True? I live in a relatively dry place and keep my filament closed up with dessicant, but I haven't actually dried most of it. Is there a brand of transparent PLA that people have had better luck with? sub”
Color match is not working properly when trying to print a job. The color is Blue PLA, and it reports the selected filament does not match when it's blue PLA as well.…
“Basically, this Black SUNLU PLA is being super annoying to print with. All edges are rough when using it and it warps constantly. I’ve dried it twice (6 hours each). I printed a AirPods case and got absolutely horrible results. Supports were terrible to remove and basically fused together. Lots of scrapes and stringing in random places. If this is just a wet roll, I will dry it for another 13 hours tomorrow. submitted by /u/One_Strawberry9202 [link] [comments]”
“So, I picked this stuff up at Best Buy...later finding out it was Best Buy's "Store Brand". At about 40% of the price of the Bambu filaments, I've been messing around with it lightly. It's okay. Nothing amazing. Little finicky. The price, however, is very attractive...and I'm willing to mess with it a little to find out how to make it work. The problem is that I don't have the information to feed into my slicer. The back of the box gives me Nozzle Temp, Bed Temp, an”
“Mods, please forgive me if this violates rule 2 but I can't find anything about non-printer purchase advice in there. So on to my question: I'm suddenly finding myself in need of PLA or PLA+ in bulk batches of about 10kg every few months, as I'm prototyping some parts and it's quick and easy to run for this. Does anyone have any pointers about where to find good prices on larger batches? submitted by /u/Cxrs14 [link] [comments]”
“Dried as per Bambu's own settings. 45c, 12hrs, in the AMS 2. Along with 3 other refills that were all used for the same job which were all fine. submitted by /u/Lito_ [link] [comments]”
“Midway through my print the quality changed drastically. Its crispy and hollow and easily crushable. submitted by /u/JoeTheBartender786 [link] [comments]”
“Anyone having issues with recent refill spools of SUNLU PLA+ Black from Amazon? Ive used it for over a year and never had an issue, but for the past month or two its been causing my printers to clog. This is happening on multiple printers of different makes and models. Its only the black, the white refills work just fine. What could be the issue here? submitted by /u/I_Am_Anonymous_ [link] [comments]”
“It’s printed with black PLA Mate with the smooth PEI plate. The previous print was with white PLA. Maybe the color stuck to the noozle? submitted by /u/Leading_Tradition471 [link] [comments]”
“Has anyone used Deeplee PLA+ in white? How’s the finish on it? Light sheen or more of a matte look? I’ve been using Sunlu pla+ white but I’m not thrilled with the finish. submitted by /u/SFRover73 [link] [comments]”
“Bambu A1 Two different models, both from Makerworld. Same filament….Sunlu PLA+ Big layer shift, but not the same layer. submitted by /u/Txflood3 [link] [comments]”
Posted about this a couple days ago but thought I fixed it. Bought 8 rolls of Sunlu black PLA and I can not get a print longer than 2 hours out of…