Materials › PLA

Price tier $$

Glow-in-the-dark PLA

PLA with glow pigment that charges in light and glows for hours. Great for fun, poor for strength.

Also called: glow pla, luminous pla, phosphorescent pla

Good for

  • Display / decorative

Not great for

  • Functional parts
  • Load-bearing / mechanical
  • Outdoor / sunlight
  • Hot environments
  • Fast / bulk printing

Typical settings

Nozzle
200-220 °C
Bed
55-60 °C
Speed
40-80 mm/s
Cooling
100% part fan

You'll need

  • Hardened steel nozzle (the glow pigment is abrasive)

Ratings

Strength
2 out of 5
Heat resistance
1 out of 5
Flexibility
1 out of 5
Ease of printing
3 out of 5
Print speed
2 out of 5
Looks / finish
3 out of 5
Durability
1 out of 5

Ratings are relative, 1-5, for a typical filament of this type. Start from your filament maker's recommended settings.

Use it for

  • Night lights, signs, toys, Halloween decorations, and anything where the glow is the point.
  • Thick, solid prints glow longest.

Watch out for

  • The pigment is abrasive. A brass nozzle wears out fast, so use hardened steel.
  • Parts are weaker and more brittle than plain PLA.
  • It glows brighter with thicker walls and after strong light (sunlight or a UV torch).

Tips

  • Print slowly with a larger nozzle (0.6 mm) to reduce clogs and get more pigment into the walls.
  • Keep it away from anything that bears load.

Commonly printed in Glow-in-the-dark PLA

Other PLA types

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