The taffy rule
Pull warm taffy slowly and it stays smooth and glossy. Pull it too quickly and it looks cloudy. Silk PLA responds in much the same way.
Reliable starting points
- Start with a known Generic PLA Silk profile.
- Try 220-230 C within the filament maker's range.
- Start the bed around 55-60 C and adjust for the plate.
- Use about 7.5 mm3/s maximum volume as a starting point.
- Keep outer walls slow and steady.
- Use enough cooling for shape, but not so much that the gloss disappears.
A simple tuning order
- Start with the silk preset and maker's temperature range.
- Slow the outer wall and cap volumetric flow before changing many settings.
- Print a small test with curves and flat faces, then compare shine and layer consistency.
For more shine, slow down the visible surfaces and give the filament time to flow smoothly.