Nylon (PA12) on Bambu Lab X1 Carbon

Nozzle Temp

270 °C

Range: 260 – 280 °C

Bed Temp

80 °C

Range: 60 – 90 °C

Print Speed

50

mm/s · max 60

Layer Height

0.20

mm · max 0.28

Fan Speed

10 %

1st layer: 0 %

1st Layer Speed

20

mm/s

Retraction

0.9 mm

@ 30 mm/s

Nozzle Type

Hardened

Fitted as standard

Retraction Note

• Minimal retraction. Nylon strings badly if not dry – drying is more effective than retraction tuning.

Settings

Recommended

Range

Nozzle Temperature

270 °C

260 – 280 °C

Bed Temperature

80 °C

60 – 90 °C

Print Speed

50 mm/s

up to 60 mm/s on this printer

First Layer Speed

20 mm/s

slower is better for adhesion

Layer Height

0.16 – 0.24 mm

0.12 – 0.28 mm

Fan Speed (Normal)

0 – 20 %

–

Fan Speed (1st Layer)

0 %

–

Retraction Distance

0.9 mm

Direct drive

Retraction Speed

30 mm/s

–

Nozzle Type

Hardened steel

Required — fitted as standard on this printer

Dry Filament

80 °C for ≥ 12 h

print from a dry box in humid weather

Enclosure

Required — built in

Required — this printer is enclosed

Support Material

PVA

–

Printing Notes

PA12 is the low-moisture nylon — under 0.3 % absorption against PA6's 1 % — which makes it the easier of the two to print and the more dimensionally stable in service.

The carbon fibre loading makes it abrasive and raises continuous use temperature to 120 °C, with a 160 °C rating for short 200-hour exposures.

The X1C ships with a hardened steel nozzle and a fully enclosed chamber, so it needs none of the modifications other machines do for this material.

Bambu Studio's own generic profile is a reasonable starting point, but its temperatures are set for Bambu filament — use the figures above for OzFDM spools.

Slicer: Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer. Dry the filament at 80 °C / ≥ 12 h before a long print — every figure above assumes dry filament.

Troubleshooting

Rough surface and audible crackling — Wet filament. Twelve hours at 80 °C, then print from a dry box — nylon re-absorbs moisture within hours of opening.

Poor bed adhesion — Nylon does not like PEI. Use a garolite or PA-specific sheet, or a PVA glue-stick layer on glass.

Warping on long flat parts — Keep the chamber warm and slow to 40 mm/s. PA12 warps less than PA6 but is not warp-free.