PLA-Wood (WoodFill): density, print temperature and when to choose it
PLA-Wood (WoodFill) is PLA with a filler of ground wood or cork (usually 20–40% by weight). It gives a genuine wood texture at the cut surface, sands, stains, and even burns like real wood, and by varying nozzle temperature between layers you can create a growth-ring effect.
Key properties
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | ≈1.15 g/cm³ (wood particles are lighter than the polymer) |
| Nozzle temperature | 190–215°C (lower gives a lighter tone, higher gives a darker "scorched" effect) |
| Bed temperature | 50–60°C |
| Part cooling | 50–80% |
| Shrinkage | minimal, like plain PLA |
| Enclosure required | no |
When to use it
- Decorative items, souvenirs, boxes, frames — where the texture and fresh-wood smell while printing matter.
- Models meant to be sanded, stained/oiled, or tinted like real wood.
- Items with a growth-ring effect from manually varying nozzle temperature along the height (rings, vases, plates).
When to pick something else
- You need mechanical strength or impact resistance — the wood particles make the material more brittle; use plain PLA or PLA+ instead.
- The part is functional rather than decorative and dimensional repeatability matters — the wood filler behaves less predictably on small nozzles (prone to clogging).
- You want a metal effect and weight — look at PLA-Metal.
Pros and cons
Pros: a realistic wood texture and smell while printing, sands, drills, and stains like real wood, a pleasant tactile finish.
Cons: abrasive, coarse particles easily clog nozzles of 0.4 mm and smaller, the plastic is more brittle, the spool's shelf life is shorter — the wood filler is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture quickly.
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WoodFill needs more frequent filament drying before printing (the wood filler pulls moisture more aggressively than PLA alone), and clogged nozzles raise the defect rate and maintenance time — budget that as labor, not just spool price. Post-processing (sanding, staining) is a significant separate cost line for decorative items made from this material.