Filament guide
This guide is the same for both kits. Use the temperatures printed on your spool's label first; the ones below are typical starting points.
1. Pick a filament
The PC runs inside the base (or the desktop in v4) and gets warm. Print every part that surrounds it in ABS or ASA (PETG at minimum): the base, floor, pedestal and monitor/desktop shell, bezel and rear cover. PLA softens around 55 °C, so use PLA, silk PLA or clear PLA only for the keyboard plate, keyboard case, mouse, badge and test pieces, or for a display model without the PC running inside.
| Filament | Use it for | Enclosed printer needed | Glue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | Keyboard, mouse, badge, test pieces | No | Medium CA (superglue) | Easiest, but softens around 55 °C. Not for parts around the PC. |
| Matte PLA | Keyboard, mouse, badge | No | Medium CA | Hides layer lines best. Same heat limit as PLA. |
| Silk PLA | Bezel, badge, rear cover | No | Medium CA | Shiny, but weaker layers. Not for the base or keyboard plate. |
| PETG | Everything (minimum for parts around the PC) | No | Medium CA or 2-part epoxy | Tougher and more heat-resistant than PLA. Strings more; dry it first. |
| Clear PLA | Keyboard, mouse, or a display model | No | Clear 2-part epoxy or clear CA | Prints frosted, not glass-clear. All the insides show, so tidy the cables. Use clear filament for the pins too. Follow the clear settings in step 2. Same heat limit as PLA. |
| Clear PETG | Everything | No | Clear 2-part epoxy | Clearer and tougher than clear PLA, with more stringing. Follow the clear settings in step 2. |
| ABS | Everything. Recommended for the base and desktop. | Yes | Acetone or ABS cement (welds) | Strong, heat-resistant, sands and smooths with acetone. Shrinks: see step 3. Ventilate the room. |
| ASA | Everything | Yes | Acetone or ASA cement (welds) | Like ABS, and holds its colour in sunlight. Shrinks: see step 3. Ventilate the room. |
| PC (polycarbonate) | Base, keyboard plate | Yes | 2-part epoxy | Strongest and most heat-resistant, but hard to print. Shrinks: see step 3. |
| TPU (flexible) | Not for this kit | — | — | Too soft for the case. Can be used to print custom rubber feet. |
| Nylon / CF blends | Not recommended | — | — | Absorbs water and warps. |
You can mix filaments. For example, print the case in PLA and the keyboard plate in PETG. Print every visible part from one spool or batch so the colour matches.
2. Settings for each filament
| Filament | Nozzle °C | Bed °C | Part cooling fan | Chamber / door | Bed prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLA, Matte PLA, Silk PLA | 200–220 | 55–65 | 100 % | Door open | Textured or smooth PEI |
| PETG, clear PETG | 230–250 | 70–80 | 30–50 % | Door open | Textured PEI, or glue stick on smooth PEI (PETG can bond too hard) |
| Clear PLA | 210–225 | 55–65 | 50–100 % | Door open | Smooth PEI for the clearest bottom faces |
| ABS | 240–260 | 90–100 | 0–20 % | Closed, chamber warm | Smooth PEI + glue stick, 5 mm brim |
| ASA | 240–260 | 90–100 | 0–30 % | Closed, chamber warm | Smooth PEI + glue stick, 5 mm brim |
| PC | 260–290 | 100–110 | 0–20 % | Closed, chamber warm | Smooth PEI + glue stick, 5 mm brim |
Settings for all filaments
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer height | 0.2 mm standard, or 0.12–0.16 mm for the best surface on visible parts |
| Walls | 4 |
| Top / bottom layers | 5 / 5 |
| Infill | 20 % gyroid |
| Seam | Back |
| Supports | Only where each kit's README says |
| Ironing | Optional, on flat tops |
| Fuzzy skin (optional matte texture) | 0.1 mm thick, 0.3 mm point distance, contour only, not holes. Never on the keyboard plate, bezel, mouse or screw parts. |
Clear filament: change these
Clear parts are full of air gaps that look cloudy. Fewer, fatter, fully-melted lines look clearer.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Layer height | 0.2–0.28 mm (thicker is clearer) |
| Infill | 100 %, rectilinear or "aligned rectilinear", same direction every layer if your slicer allows |
| Nozzle | Top of the range on the label, or 5–10 °C higher |
| Flow | 102–105 % (calibrate first) |
| Speed | Slow: about 40 mm/s outer wall, 60 mm/s infill |
| Fuzzy skin and ironing | Off |
| Supports | Use support interface or tree supports so marks stay small |
Filament use goes up with 100 % infill: allow about 4 kg for the whole computer.
3. ABS, ASA and PC: set the shrinkage first
These filaments shrink as they cool, enough to stop the keyboard switches lining up with the circuit board. Before printing the real parts:
- Print the keyboard plate (or one plate piece).
- Measure the distance from the centre of the first switch hole to the centre of the last one in a row.
- Compare with the correct value:
| Plate | Correct value |
|---|---|
kb_plate (one piece) |
209.55 mm |
kb_plate_L, kb_plate_C or kb_plate_R |
57.15 mm |
- Shrinkage % = (correct − measured) ÷ correct × 100. Enter it in the slicer's filament settings ("Shrinkage" in Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer).
- Reprint the plate and check again.
PLA and PETG don't need this.
4. Heat check (all filaments, after assembly)
Run the computer at full load for 30 minutes, then touch the top of the base above the PC. If it feels hot (more than about 45 °C), add a small USB fan over the deck vents, or reprint the two tiles above the PC in PETG, ABS, ASA or PC.