Slicer Settings
Bambu Lab · X1C · H2C · A1 mini
Recommended Bambu Studio profiles for every common filament — temps, cooling, speed, retraction, adhesion, and the two things that actually bite you: whether it needs an enclosure and whether it needs a hardened nozzle. Capability is flagged for your fleet (X1C & H2C do everything; the open-frame A1 mini can't run the warpy engineering materials). Verify exact flow/MVS against your live profile.
Material explorer
Select what you have in stock → Bambu settings populate for just those (saved on this device)
PLA
The default — cheap, crisp, easy
Prints crisp at low temp with full cooling. Sags around 55 °C — not for heat or cars.
PETG
Tough, water- & UV-decent, still easy
Welds chemically to bare smooth PEI and rips chunks out — use glue stick as a release agent.
What should I print this in?
Best material(s) by use case
Outdoor / UV
ASA resists UV & weather without yellowing; PETG holds up and is far easier to print.
Quality & strength
Walls, infill, layers & ironing — pick a goal, get the geometry settings
Standard / Everyday
Bambu's balanced default for most prints
The do-everything preset — good strength-to-speed balance. Start here and adjust.
Settings glossary
What each knob does + Bambu recommendation
Layer height
Vertical resolution — thinner = finer detail & smoother curves, but slower.
Rec · 0.20 mm default · 0.12–0.16 detail · 0.28–0.32 draft (on a 0.4 mm nozzle; keep ≤ 75% of nozzle Ø).
Wall loops
Number of perimeter shells — the single biggest lever on strength and surface quality.
Rec · 2 default · 3–4 functional · 4–5 max. Add walls before infill for strength.
Top / bottom layers
Solid shells on horizontal faces — controls watertightness and stops 'pillowing'.
Rec · 3–4 typical · 5 for smooth tops or watertight parts.
Infill density
How much interior lattice — trades strength/weight against time & filament.
Rec · 15% default · 10–15% general · 25–50% functional · 100% tiny/strong. Diminishing returns past ~50%.
Infill pattern
Geometry of the lattice — affects strength direction, speed, and material use.
Rec · Gyroid = isotropic all-rounder (default) · Grid/Cubic = strong & fast · Adaptive Cubic = saves time · Rectilinear = fastest but weaker.
Ironing (smoothing)
A second hot pass over top surfaces that melts ridges flat for a smooth finish.
Rec · 'Top surface only' on show faces; adds print time — skip it on hidden tops.
Supports
Scaffolding under overhangs so they don't sag.
Rec · Needed past ~45–55° overhang. Tree supports = organic, easy to remove, less material; Normal = sturdier for tricky geometry. Add an interface layer for clean undersides.
Brim / skirt
A brim is a flat ring fused to the part for adhesion; a skirt just primes the nozzle.
Rec · Brim for tall, warpy, or small-footprint parts (essential for ABS/ASA/PC); skirt otherwise.
Seam
The visible vertical line where each layer starts/stops.
Rec · 'Aligned' or 'Back' to hide it; Bambu's Scarf Seam blends it away on show surfaces.
Flow & pressure advance
Calibration that keeps extrusion width and corners dimensionally accurate.
Rec · Run Bambu's auto-calibration per new filament — biggest accuracy win for functional fits.
Compare everything
All materials at a glance
| Material | Nozzle °C | Bed °C | Fan | Enclosure | X1C | H2C | A1 mini | Hard. nozzle | Warp | Ease |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | 190–230 | 35–60 | 100% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Low | Very easy |
| PLA Matte | 200–230 | 35–60 | 100% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Low | Very easy |
| PETG | 230–260 | 70–80 | 30–50% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Low–Med | Easy |
| ABS | 240–270 | 90–100 | 0–20% | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | — | High | Advanced |
| ASA | 240–270 | 90–100 | 0–10% | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | — | High | Advanced |
| TPU 95A | 220–240 | 35–45 | 20–50% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Low | Moderate |
| Nylon (PA) | 260–290 | 90–100 | 0–20% | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | — | Med–High | Expert |
| PC (Polycarbonate) | 260–280 | 90–110 | 0–10% | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | — | High | Expert |
| PLA-CF | 210–240 | 45–60 | 50–100% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Yes | Low | Easy |
| PETG-CF | 240–270 | 70–80 | 30–50% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Yes | Low–Med | Moderate |
| PA-CF (Nylon-CF) | 260–300 | 100–120 | 0–40% | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | Yes | Medium | Expert |
| PVA | 190–220 | 45–60 | 20–50% | No | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | Low | Moderate |
| HIPS | 230–250 | 90–100 | 0–low | Yes | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | — | High | Advanced |
Tips & tricks
Authoritative technique — Bambu wiki, Prusa KB, CNC Kitchen & community
Wash the plate, don't just wipe
Fingerprint oils are the #1 adhesion killer. Wipe smooth PEI with 90%+ IPA before each print; wash with soap & water every ~10–15 prints. Handle by the edges.
Auto-level + flow per new filament
Let the printer run its bed mesh and Flow Dynamics pass. A good first layer is a correct Z, not luck.
Slow the first layer
Keep first-layer speed near 50 mm/s so each line has time to bond to the plate.
Squish layer one slightly
Round, separated lines = nozzle too high. Nudge Z-offset down in ~0.02 mm steps until lines merge with a faint sheen.
Brim small or tall footprints
A 5 mm outer brim (or mouse-ear tabs) kills corner lift on small contact patches and tall-skinny parts.
Glue stick for PETG
PETG bonds too hard to bare PEI and can chip it — a thin glue layer is a release agent that protects the plate.
Bambu gotchas
AMS, nozzles, enclosures — the things that ruin prints
Hardened nozzle for ALL carbon/glass-filled (PLA-CF, PETG-CF, PA-CF) and glow/glitter fills — they shred brass. X1C ships hardened; add one on P1S/A1.
Enclosure is mandatory for ABS, ASA, PC, Nylon, and PA-CF. The open A1 / A1 mini can't reliably print these — warping, cracking, delamination.
Keep OUT of the original AMS: soft TPU (buckles in the feeder — use the bypass), PVA (absorbs cabinet moisture and jams), and cardboard-spool rolls (slip/shed).
Bed plate map: Cool → PLA/PVA · Textured PEI → the do-everything default · Engineering/High-Temp → PC, PA, CF-nylon.
Glue stick is a RELEASE agent, not just adhesion — essential on smooth PEI for PETG (prevents plate damage), and standard for PA/PC/ABS.
Dry the thirsty ones first: PA / PA-CF / PC / PVA are very hygroscopic (80 °C), plus PETG & TPU (65 °C). Wet filament hisses, strings, and delaminates.
On the enclosed X1C/P1S, open the door or top when printing PLA on long runs — trapped heat causes heat-creep clogs.