"Platinum" filament perfect for your restoration project! $21.99 per spool is a steal!

https://polarfilament.com/products/retro-platinum-pla-1kg-1-75mm

@jcm-1 Can you share what LaB, RAL or other color system value this PLA should match to?

A while back I measured platinum gray paint on a CD-ROM drive with a JZ-300 color meter.
It read:
L 76
A* 0
B* 3

I'm curious how close this PLA color would be to that.

>> Elemenoh said:

@jcm-1 Can you share what LaB, RAL or other color system value this PLA should match to? A while back I measured platinum gray paint on a CD-ROM drive with a JZ-300 color meter. It read: L 76 A* 0 B* 3 I'm curious how close this PLA color would be to that. Click to expand...

The closest RAL standard color is RAL 7044. This has been established for a couple of years now (also by me). I matched it using a nix Mini 2 color sensor, getting an RGB value, then cross referencing that to the RAL color standard. We had been getting filament from ColorFabb in the Netherlands, but they cost something like $46/750g plus shipping and import duty - so not very cost effective.

This filament from Polar Filaments was matched physically. I sent them the speaker box from inside my Color Classic (i.e. has never seen light, so no yellowing), and they matched it to that doing whatever color matching magic they do. Attached is the color swatch match to the speaker box.

Just ordered 3 spools!

Be sure to check out Joe's EXHAUSTIVE research post:

Dang it, I was trying to decided on some additional colors to buy to get free shipping and now they are sold out. Oh well, fingers crossed they'll see there is a good market for this! Three cheers for @jcm-1!

I missed out as well, but will be looking to pick up a spool or two once it's back in stock. Meanwhile, it looks like Ars picked up on this too?

EDIT: I just rechecked and it still says in stock for me. So I placed an order. Let's see what happens.

>> Nycturne said:

I missed out as well, but will be looking to pick up a spool or two once it's back in stock. Meanwhile, it looks like Ars picked up on this too? EDIT: I just rechecked and it still says in stock for me. So I placed an order. Let's see what happens. Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament Mac fan paid $900 to color-match iconic Apple beige-gray "Platinum" plastic for everyone. arstechnica.com Click to expand...

Same, was able to order as well!

Does anyone have any recommendations for settings when printing with this filament? This is the first time I've used this brand, and it's my most difficult filament to print with. I've got it mostly figured out, but my prints with it are either under extruded or over extruded. Anyone have any suggestions or can share what settings they have success with this filament?

>> mcbeav said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for settings when printing with this filament? This is the first time I've used this brand, and it's my most difficult filament to print with. I've got it mostly figured out, but my prints with it are either under extruded or over extruded. Anyone have any suggestions or can share what settings they have success with this filament? Click to expand...

What printer, firmware, and slicer are you using?

I am using an Ender 3 Pro (with silent board), with similar settings to all other filaments. Using older Cura 4.1 on High Sierra.

>> phunguss said:

What printer, firmware, and slicer are you using? I am using an Ender 3 Pro (with silent board), with similar settings to all other filaments. Using older Cura 4.1 on High Sierra. Click to expand...

I'm using a Bambu Lab A1, but it's fully enclosed. I generally use the BambuStudio slicer, but I'm open to using something else like OrcaSlicer. The printer is on the most up to date firmware version 01.06.00.00, but I am still using version 1.xxx of BambuStudio. To be honest, I don't have a ton of experience with fine tuning print settings. I have messed around a bit, but I'm still quite a novice. I generally use PolyTerra ( now Panchroma ) PLA filaments. Typically their matte PLA which I believe has wood shavings mixed into the filament, but also their PLA "PRO" which i believe is just their "PLA+". I've also used PolyTerra's ABS filament. With the Polar filament I have issues with bed adhesion at times even with using glue on the print bed. I recently replaced my extrusion motor and gears ( was having issues with all of my prints and filaments ) and that seemed to resolve some of my issues, but this has been a tough filament for me to print. I'm not sure how useful this information is, but I'm willing to try whatever to work with this filament if you have any suggestions or maybe can point me in a direction where I can get some helful info.

>> mcbeav said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for settings when printing with this filament? This is the first time I've used this brand, and it's my most difficult filament to print with. I've got it mostly figured out, but my prints with it are either under extruded or over extruded. Anyone have any suggestions or can share what settings they have success with this filament? Click to expand...

Hey! I'm the guy in the article who did the color match with Polar Filament.

tl;dr: Clean your print bed with isopropyl alcohol before every print. Nozzle temp of 220c. Raise the "first layer" bed temperature to 65c. DO NOT use glue.


I use the Bambu X1C, 0.4mm nozzle. I slice with OrcaSlicer. I ensure that I've done filament calibration (flow rate calibration and pressure advance, which will vary from printer to printer). I print on a textured PEI bed at 65c for the first layer, and 60c for subsequent layers. The nozzle temperature is set to 220c.

And... that's it.

I've also printed using the standard "Generic PLA" and "Bambu PLA" profiles, and while they don't look as nice, they print without problems.