# What filament works best for lamps and lithophanes?

Translucent PETG is the clear row we do have, and PolyLite PLA's heat deflection is 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa, which is the heat number, not a bulb rating. The comments supplied here do not choose a lamp filament. One points at a NASA paper, one is about a fire extinguisher, and two are about a resin lithophane of a dog. This catalog stores no optical transmission percent.

The comments supplied here do not choose a lamp filament. One points at a NASA paper, one is about a fire extinguisher, and two are about a resin lithophane of a dog. This catalog stores no optical transmission percent. Translucent PETG is the clear row we do have, and PolyLite PLA's heat deflection is 60 °C (140 °F) at 0.45 MPa, which is the heat number, not a bulb rating.

A lamp shade and a lithophane both pass light. This bank's comments do not say which filament does it. [Clear filament](/answers/transparent) is the PETG and PCTG process, including the slow-speed comment that is not a sheet. [Heat](/answers/heat) is what happens if the light source is hot enough to soften PLA. [PLA printing](/answers/pla_print) is the ordinary PLA setup.
## What the catalog can say

[PolyLite PLA](/brand/polymaker/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](/brand/bambu-lab/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](/brand/bambu-lab/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.

Updated 2026-10-22. Sources accessed 2026-10-22. Use case: Clear.

## Ranked filaments

| Rank | Filament | Nozzle | Bed | Price per kg |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Polymaker Polylite PLA | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 25–60 °C (77–140 °F) | — |
| 2 | Bambu Lab PLA Basic | 190–230 °C (374–446 °F) | 35–45 °C (95–113 °F) | — |
| 3 | Bambu Lab PETG Translucent | 220–250 °C (428–482 °F) | 70–90 °C (158–194 °F) | — |

## Sources

- [PolyLite PLA TDS EN V5.4](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0548/7299/7945/files/PolyLite_PLA_TDS_EN_V5.4.pdf) (datasheet)
- [Bambu PLA Basic technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0584/7236/6216/files/Bambu_PLA_Basic_Technical_Data_Sheet_bf3411ce-be39-4db7-9669-1b4671d2196b.pdf?v=1734060943) (datasheet)
- [Bambu PETG Translucent technical data sheet](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0574/3116/2995/files/Bambu_PETG_Translucent_Technical_Data_Sheet.pdf?v=1704680051) (datasheet)
- [Polymaker PolyLite PLA product page](https://us.polymaker.com/products/polylite-pla) (manufacturer)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/177x4r5/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/3Dprinting](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/uo28fg/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/BambuLab](https://www.reddit.com/r/BambuLab/comments/1tr0gxc/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/16xsyt1/) (reddit)
- [a Reddit thread in r/prusa3d](https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/1iy0c2a/) (reddit)

HTML: https://filamentfacts.com/answers/lamp