What bed temperature does polycarbonate need?

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What bed temperature does polycarbonate need?

Polycarbonate (PC) needs a bed between 90 and 120 °C. Bambu Lab’s PC data sheet gives 90 to 110 °C, Polymaker’s 90 to 105 °C, and Prusament PC Blend asks 110 ± 10 °C. PC-ABS needs about the same: 90 to 105 °C from Polymaker, 100 °C from Fiberlogy. Put glue stick on a PEI (polyetherimide) plate.

The number

Filament Bed temperature Plate and glue
Bambu PC, data sheet 90 to 110 °C Engineering, High Temperature or Textured PEI plate, PVP glue
Bambu PC, filament guide plate table 100 to 120 °C Engineering, Smooth PEI or Textured PEI plate with glue stick; Cool Plate and liquid glue “Not Recommended”
Bambu PC FR 90 to 110 °C Smooth or Textured PEI plate, glue
Polymaker PolyLite PC 90 to 105 °C Textured PEI, “Glue when needed”
Polymaker PolyMax PC-FR 90 to 105 °C Textured PEI, “Glue when needed”
Prusament PC Blend 110 ± 10 °C; Prusa runs 110 °C on the first layer, 115 °C after Satin sheet; smooth PEI or powder-coated sheet with glue stick
Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber 110 ± 10 °C Satin, powder-coated or smooth PEI sheet, all with glue stick
Polymaker PC-ABS 90 to 105 °C Textured PEI, “Glue when needed”
Fiberlogy PC/ABS 100 °C Smooth PEI with adhesive, textured PEI, or glass with adhesive

The figures come from the Bambu Lab PC and PC FR data sheets and its filament guide, Polymaker’s PolyLite PC, PolyMax PC-FR and PC-ABS data sheets, Fiberlogy’s PC/ABS product page, the Prusament PC Blend and PC Blend Carbon Fiber data sheets and the Prusa Knowledge Base. FR means flame retardant, and PVP glue is polyvinylpyrrolidone glue. Bambu Lab’s two documents disagree by 10 °C at each end, so both are shown.

What bed temperature for PC-ABS?

90 to 105 °C on Polymaker’s PC-ABS sheet, the same range it gives for straight PC. Fiberlogy’s PC/ABS page gives 100 °C. The ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) in the blend does not buy a cooler bed: Bambu Lab’s guide puts plain ABS at 90 to 100 °C, so PC-ABS lands at or just above it. Polymaker lists a 109 °C glass transition for PC-ABS against 113 °C for PolyLite PC.

Can my printer’s bed get hot enough?

Printer Maximum bed temperature Chamber
Bambu Lab A1 mini 80 °C Open frame
Bambu Lab P1S 100 °C Enclosed, no heater
Bambu Lab X1-Carbon 110 °C at 220 V, 120 °C at 110 V Enclosed, no heater
Original Prusa MK4S 120 °C Open frame
Prusa CORE One+ 120 °C Up to 55 °C
Bambu Lab H2D 120 °C Active heating, up to 65 °C
Creality K2 Plus 120 °C Active heater, up to 60 °C

Every figure comes from the maker’s own spec sheet or product page.

The A1 mini cannot reach the bottom of any range, and Bambu Lab rates PC “Not Recommended” on it. The P1S’s 100 °C sits mid-way through the 90 to 110 °C data sheet range and at the floor of the 100 to 120 °C plate table. Bambu Lab rates PC “Capable” on the P1S and “Ideal” on the X1-Carbon. Every 120 °C printer on the list covers every range in the first table.

Why

PC has a high glass transition, the point where it turns from rubbery to rigid: 145 °C for Bambu PC and PC FR, 113 °C for PolyLite PC. A part shrinks as it cools below that point. The bed holds the first layers warm and stuck while the layers above contract and pull at the corners. Bambu Lab’s usage guide puts it as “the anisotropic relaxation of molecular chains” generating “significant internal stress, resulting in model shrinkage and warping” when the surrounding air is cool.

A layered polycarbonate part on a heated bed, with arrows showing its upper layers contracting and its ends curled up off the bedThe bed holds the first layers of PC warm and stuck while the layers above contract and pull at the corners.2Corner pulled up1Upper layers contract as they cool3Hot bed holds the first layers
  1. Upper layers contract as they cool
  2. Corner pulled up
  3. Hot bed holds the first layers
The bed holds the first layers of PC warm and stuck while the layers above contract and pull at the corners.

That is why makers pair a hot bed with an enclosure. Polymaker asks for a 70 to 100 °C chamber for PolyLite PC; Bambu Lab’s PC sheet asks 45 to 60 °C. Without a chamber heater the bed is the only heat source, and Bambu Lab says raising it “indirectly raises the chamber temperature.” A cold room works against the bed too. Prusa reports “Bed thermal runaway” errors below about 18 °C ambient, when the printer cannot hold PC’s bed temperature.

PC also bonds too well to bare smooth PEI. Prusa warns its “great adhesion might damage the surface”, so every smooth PEI entry in the table pairs it with glue as a separation layer.

How to check it on your own print

  • Set it per plate in the slicer. In Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer the bed field sits under the filament’s settings, one per plate type, with an initial-layer and an other-layers value. In PrusaSlicer it is Filament Settings, Filament, Temperature, where Bed has a First layer and an Other layers value.
  • Start where the makers test. Bambu Lab and Polymaker printed their PC test bars on a 100 °C bed; Prusa printed PC Blend’s at 115 °C on all layers.
  • On a 100 °C bed, preheat. For the P1S and X1-Carbon in a cold room, Bambu Lab’s advice is to hold the bed at maximum for 15 minutes before the print starts.
  • Glue every PEI surface. Use glue stick on smooth and textured PEI; Bambu Lab marks liquid glue “Not Recommended” for PC.
  • If corners still lift, cut the shrinkage load. Bambu Lab suggests infill at or below 50 percent and no more than 6 walls. Prusament adds a 4 mm brim for PC Blend parts over 5 cm.
  • If the printer throws a thermal error, warm the room. Prusa ties it to rooms below about 18 °C.

A set bed temperature is not the temperature on top of the sheet; that gap is on bed surface temperature. For ABS on its own, see ABS bed temperature.

Sources

  1. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V2.0, PC, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  2. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0, PC FR, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  3. Filament guide: Printer, Nozzle, AMS, Build Plate, Glue Compatibility and Required Parameters, Bambu Lab Wiki (accessed October 15, 2026)
  4. ABS / ASA / PC Usage Guide, Bambu Lab Wiki (accessed October 15, 2026)
  5. PolyLite PC Technical Data Sheet, Polymaker Wiki (accessed October 15, 2026)
  6. PolyMax PC-FR Technical Data Sheet, Polymaker Wiki (accessed October 15, 2026)
  7. Polymaker PC-ABS Technical Data Sheet, Polymaker Wiki (accessed October 15, 2026)
  8. PC/ABS Filament, printing parameters, Fiberlogy (accessed October 15, 2026)
  9. Prusament PC Blend Technical Datasheet, Version 1.1 (Prusa Polymers) (accessed October 15, 2026)
  10. Prusament PC Blend Carbon Fiber Technical Datasheet, Version 2.0 (Prusa Polymers) (accessed October 15, 2026)
  11. Polycarbonate (PC), Prusa Knowledge Base (accessed October 15, 2026)
  12. Bambu Lab A1 mini Technical Specification, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  13. Bambu Lab P1S Technical Specifications, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  14. Bambu Lab X1-Carbon Technical Specifications, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  15. H2D Spec Sheet, Bambu Lab (accessed October 15, 2026)
  16. Original Prusa MK4S, technical parameters, Prusa Research (accessed October 15, 2026)
  17. Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2), technical parameters, Prusa Research (accessed October 15, 2026)
  18. K2 Plus Combo 3D Printer, specifications, Creality (accessed October 15, 2026)