Conductive PLA print settings
Carbon-Loaded Conductive PLA · Intermediate
Conductive PLA (Carbon-Loaded Conductive PLA) prints at 195-220°C with the bed at 50-60°C. No enclosure needed. Drying is rarely necessary.
PLA loaded with conductive carbon black. It conducts well enough for a capacitive touch pad or a low-current sensor trace, and nowhere near well enough to be treated as wire.
Settings at a glance
Ranges are typical manufacturer-published figures for this material class, not measurements we took. Always start with your filament maker’s own numbers where they differ. The price is an indicative street price for a 1 kg spool, not a live quote.
Good for
- Capacitive touch surfaces
- Low-voltage sensor traces
- Static-dissipative fixtures
- Educational circuit demonstrations
Avoid for
- Mains voltage or anything above extra-low voltage
- Power-carrying conductors
- Long traces where resistance accumulates
- Structural parts
The problem people actually hit
Its resistance is orders of magnitude higher than metal, and it rises with trace length, so a circuit that works across 20mm fails across 200mm. Treat it as a resistive material, never as a substitute for wire, and never put it near mains voltage.
Drying
Mildly hygroscopic. Dry at 45C for 4-6 hours.
Buying Conductive PLA
Conductive PLA is stocked unevenly by general retailers. A specialist supplier is usually the better source, both for availability and because they publish the spec sheet. Typical street price is $50-90 per 1 kg spool.
Check before you order
- Diameter 1.75mm unless your printer takes 2.85mm. Check before ordering, not after.
- Published diameter tolerance. ±0.02mm is good, ±0.05mm is loose and shows up as inconsistent extrusion.
Specialist suppliers
Deep engineering-material catalogue and published spec sheets, including grades general retailers do not stock.
Specialist stockist with strong coverage of nylon and carbon-fibre filled materials.
Named because they stock this class of material and publish specifications. We have no commercial relationship with either, and these are ordinary links.
Not sure this is the right material? Compare all materials.
What you need to print Conductive PLA
Gear that Conductive PLA genuinely requires, with the specification that decides whether a given unit will actually work.
Heat-set threaded inserts
Brass, M3 unless your design says otherwise
Printed threads strip. If you are making capacitive touch surfaces out of Conductive PLA, melting brass inserts in gives you a metal thread that survives being undone more than once.
See heat-set threaded inserts on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links above are affiliate links, and using them costs you nothing extra.
Conductive PLA questions
- What temperature do you print Conductive PLA at?
- Conductive PLA prints at a nozzle temperature of 195-220C with the bed at 50-60C. Start at the lower end of the nozzle range and raise it in 5C steps until layers bond cleanly.
- Does Conductive PLA need an enclosure?
- No. Conductive PLA prints fine on an open-frame printer at normal room temperature.
- Do you need to dry Conductive PLA?
- Mildly hygroscopic. Dry at 45C for 4-6 hours.
- What is Conductive PLA good for?
- Conductive PLA suits capacitive touch surfaces, low-voltage sensor traces, static-dissipative fixtures, educational circuit demonstrations. Avoid it for mains voltage or anything above extra-low voltage, power-carrying conductors, long traces where resistance accumulates, structural parts.
- How much does Conductive PLA cost?
- A 1 kg spool of Conductive PLA typically sells for $50-90. That is an indicative street price rather than a live figure, so check the retailer for today's cost.
Conductive PLA or PLA?
PLA (Polylactic Acid) prints at 180-220°C with a 50-60°C bed and needs no enclosure. The default beginner filament. Prints cool, sticks well, warps very little, and needs no enclosure. It gives up heat resistance in exchange for all of that.
Read the PLA settings guide →After the print
The workshop steps that matter most for Conductive PLA.