Hi! I searched the forum but couldn’t find an answer. I’m trying to print several parts of the same object with Bambu Sparkle or Bambu metal filaments, but the shine differs, causing noticeable colour changes. I tried adjusting the seam and position on the plate, but it didn’t help.
Any guess?
Thank you!!
Without seeing your model and how it sits on the build plate after slicing, it’s all guesswork. Post a screenshot of the sliced model on the plate and clearly point out where you’re seeing the anomaly—this gives the community a real shot at helping you.
The three biggest factors affecting surface “shininess” or “flatness” are:
Secondary factors worth checking:
When I’m dialing in a new filament, I always start with fundamentals. These use minimal material and yield fast insights:
Manually calibrate the filament
Don’t rely on factory defaults or auto-calibration. Always test and tune manually.
Dry the filament
Don’t be fooled by “factory sealed” labels. There are plenty of examples where users pulled 5g+ of water out of “sealed” PLA.
Also, “I dried it for X hours” means nothing unless you verify by weight. Weigh it before, during, and after. When the weight stops dropping, it’s dry.
Run a first-layer test
Print a small, thin sheet (e.g., 100x100mm x 0.4mm). It should be solid and fairly opaque. Gaps between lines suggest flow or temp calibration is off.
Print two basic shapes of different heights
Use a cube and a cylinder. Make one twice as tall as the other. If you see a change in gloss or texture on the taller object starting at the layer height where the shorter object ends, that’s a strong indicator that speed (or cooling) is affecting how the filament sets up.
Try silent mode
This is a one-click test: it cuts all movement speeds by 50%. If that improves your print, then speed is a factor. You can get more surgical later by adjusting speeds for individual moves, but realistically, if speed is the culprit, your filament profile probably needs a full recalibration.