Clear
What filament works best for lamps and lithophanes?
By SSS
Published . Updated .
- Nozzle190–230 °C(374–446 °F)
- Bed25–60 °C(77–140 °F)
- Speed40–60 mm/s
- Dry55 °C · 6 h(131 °F)
- Density1.17 g/cm³
Heat resistance: HDT 60 °C (140 °F) (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) · Vicat 63 °C (145 °F) (ISO 306) · Tg 61 °C (142 °F) · source →
Heat resistance: HDT 58 °C (136 °F) (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa) · Vicat 63 °C (145 °F) (ISO 306) · Tg 61 °C (142 °F) · source →
Bed, Speed, Drying, Density. Source: Polymaker product page · Last checked 14 October 2026
Ranked filaments
| Rank | Filament | Material | Nozzle | Bed | Datasheet | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polymaker · Polylite PLA | PLA | 190–230 °C374–446 °F | 25–60 °C77–140 °F | Datasheet | |
Open Filament Database nozzle 190–230 °C (374–446 °F). Product page checked 14 October 2026 lists a bed of 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) and drying at 55 °C (131 °F) for 6 h. TDS EN V5.4, checked 21 October 2026, lists heat deflection of 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 58 °C (136 °F) at 1.8 MPa, ISO 75. No light-transmission percent. | ||||||
| 2 | Bambu Lab · PLA Basic | PLA | 190–230 °C374–446 °F | 35–45 °C95–113 °F | Datasheet | |
Technical data sheet checked 14 October 2026 lists a nozzle of 190–230 °C (374–446 °F), a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), and blast-oven drying at 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h. The sheet does not grade it as a lithophane white. | ||||||
| 3 | Bambu Lab · PETG Translucent | PETG | 220–250 °C428–482 °F | 70–90 °C158–194 °F | Datasheet | |
Technical data sheet lists a nozzle of 220–250 °C (428–482 °F), a bed of 70–90 °C (158–194 °F), drying at 65 °C (149 °F) for 8 h, and print speed up to 220 mm/s. The product name says translucent. The sheet does not state a transmission percent. | ||||||
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A lamp shade and a lithophane both pass light. This bank's comments do not say which filament does it. Clear filament is the PETG and PCTG process, including the slow-speed comment that is not a sheet. Heat is what happens if the light source is hot enough to soften PLA. PLA printing is the ordinary PLA setup.
What the catalog can say
PolyLite PLA stores 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) from the Open Filament Database. The product page checked 14 October 2026 lists a bed of 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) and drying at 55 °C (131 °F) for 6 h. The TDS checked 21 October 2026 lists heat deflection of 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa and 58 °C (136 °F) at 1.8 MPa. Bambu PLA Basic lists 190–230 °C (374–446 °F), a bed of 35–45 °C (95–113 °F), and drying at 50 °C (122 °F) for 8 h, checked 14 October 2026. Bambu PETG Translucent lists 220–250 °C (428–482 °F), a bed of 70–90 °C (158–194 °F), drying at 65 °C (149 °F) for 8 h, and speed up to 220 mm/s. None of those documents states a lumen, a transmission percent, or a bulb temperature.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The page says the comments miss the question, instead of borrowing a white-PLA rule from the summary.
- Translucent PETG keeps the sheet temperatures already used on the clear-filament page.
Cons
- No row stores a lithophane thickness, a diffusion distance, or a wattage limit.
- White PLA is the editorial recommendation. These three rows are not labeled white on the fields we store.
Printer considerations
- A lamp that uses a hot bulb is a heat problem. PolyLite PLA's 60 °C (140 °F) heat deflection is a specimen test. No source here states the temperature of an incandescent bulb or an LED.
- Clear PETG settings that people post, including very slow speeds, are on the transparent page. They are not copied onto this one as a lamp profile.
- A resin lithophane is not an FDM filament. The dog comments are about resin.
Sources & notes
Published . Updated .
- PolyLite PLA TDS EN V5.4 datasheet
- Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet datasheet
- Bambu PETG Translucent technical data sheet datasheet
- Polymaker PolyLite PLA product page manufacturer
- a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
- a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d reddit
Related questions
- How do I get good PLA prints?PLA
- What filament should I use for heat?Heat resistance
- What filament prints clear/transparent?Clear
Related data
- Cheapest filament per kg
- Cheapest PLA per kg
- Will my dryer cover this filament?
- Drying dataset
- How long to dry PETG
- PLA drying temperature and time
- PETG drying temperature and time
Questions
Should a lithophane be white PLA?
The comments do not say it. Bambu PLA Basic and PolyLite PLA have published print temperatures and no transmission percent. A white spool is a color of those products, not a separate optical grade in this catalog.
Is PETG Translucent clear enough for a lamp shade?
The sheet does not say. It lists 220–250 °C (428–482 °F), a bed of 70–90 °C (158–194 °F), and drying at 65 °C (149 °F) for 8 h, and the product is named translucent. Clarity as a process is the transparent page. There is no percent on either page.