PLA Magnetic: density, print temperature and when to choose it
PLA Magnetic is PLA with a high proportion of fine iron powder. It's important to understand the effect precisely: the material is ferromagnetic, meaning it's attracted to magnets, but it isn't itself a permanent magnet — a standard printer can't magnetize the finished part to the point of "attracting metal on its own"; a separate magnetizing coil is needed after printing for that.
Key properties
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | ≈1.9 g/cm³ (noticeably higher than plain PLA — iron powder is heavy) |
| Nozzle temperature | 195–220°C |
| Bed temperature | 50–60°C |
| Part cooling | 50–80% |
| Shrinkage | minimal |
| Enclosure required | no |
When to use it
- Decorative and functional parts that need to be attracted to magnetic mounts (magnetic holders, fridge attachments).
- Prototypes of mechanisms with magnetic latches, where attraction to a permanent magnet matters, not the part's own magnetic field.
- Items meant for artificial "rusted" aging — the iron filler on the surface genuinely oxidizes over time, sometimes used as a decorative effect.
When to pick something else
- You want real weight and the look of cast metal without interest in magnetic properties — look at PLA-Metal with bronze or copper; it doesn't rust and polishes better.
- The part will contact moisture — the iron filler is prone to corrosion; for a humid environment, copper/bronze-based PLA-Metal or plain PLA is better.
- You need high stiffness without magnetic properties — consider PLA-CF or PLA-GF.
Pros and cons
Pros: genuinely attracted to magnets, an unusual visual and tactile effect, the surface can be aged to look rusted if desired.
Cons: the iron powder is prone to corrosion on moisture contact, abrasive to brass nozzles, doesn't create its own magnetic field without separate magnetizing, the part is noticeably heavier than plain PLA.
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High density means more grams of material for the same part volume — calculate consumption by mass, not the volume rules of thumb you'd use for PLA. Add hardened-nozzle depreciation for the powder's abrasiveness, and if you need a "real magnet" effect, separately budget magnetizing on external equipment — the printer itself doesn't do that.