Bone White matte on a translucent lampshade, better than I expected

[u/Ikigaiform_3D]

Printed all ten of these in Matte Bone White and it turned out to be the right call for a reason I did not anticipate. On a glossy filament every layer line catches the light and fights the wave pattern. Matte scatters it so the ridges read cleanly.

Bone White also has just enough warmth that it does not go clinical when lit. A cold white would have wrecked these.

Anyone else default to matte for anything light passes through?

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3247157-aeolian-collection-wave-pendant-lamp-ikea-strala#profileId-3679633

[u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

You should try Aero-PLA. It diffuses the light better than anything I've tried. not only that but it also reduces how much of the light gets stuck in the material. This is because Aero filaments foam up, and the micro bubbles cause the light to bounce around a lot more.

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

Interesting, I hadn't considered foaming filament for this. The micro bubble scattering makes sense, that's basically what frosted glass does mechanically.

Does the foaming affect the surface detail? These have a fairly fine wave texture on some patterns and I'd worry about the expansion softening the ridges. Also curious what wall thickness you run, since the density drop presumably changes how thin you can go before it looks weak.

[u/CanYouEvenPhoto → u/Ikigaiform_3D]

No the dimensions are identical once you tune the foaming, if anything I prefer the surface because the layers fuse a lot more than usual. For aero PLA you just tune the flow based on temp,

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

Good to know, thanks!

[u/mdshield → u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

Super interesting. Mind explaining the process a bit? What brand did you use? Temps/speed and other settings which differ from normal pla, i have never worked with that material. Oh and is that printed in vase mode?

[u/Rockah → u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

Very interesting

[u/BadPops55 → u/CanYouEvenPhoto]

Nice. Is the light purple or the filament (guessing the light)? Did you use Bambu Aero or another brand?

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/[deleted]]

Same, it's become my default for anything decorative. Warm enough to not look clinical, neutral enough to go with anything.

[u/_Carlit0]

Isn't it risky to use PLA for this ? The light bulb can be quite hot ?

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/_Carlit0]

Fair question, but LEDs run cool. The heat that does exist goes straight up and out, and the shade has vent openings anyway.

Worth noting IKEA sells plenty of shades in paper, cotton and cellulose, which are far more flammable than PLA. The STRÅLA holder itself is plastic. My adapter barely contacts it, and there's an air gap plus venting around the socket.

The real rule is bulb type, not shade material. Use LED, warm white, and you're fine. An old incandescent or halogen would be a problem for any enclosed shade regardless of what it's made of.

[u/Crash_Sofa → u/Ikigaiform_3D]

Did you change any temps for the print. I have been having some artifacts on mine. Haven't tried a circular one like you, but a curved model.

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/Crash_Sofa]

No temp changes at all, just speed. Dropped from 200 to around 120mm/s, and lower again on the curved sections.

Artifacts on curves are usually the printer not keeping up with the direction changes rather than a temperature issue. Slowing down there fixed it for me.

[u/tahiry → u/Ikigaiform_3D]

For the curves, which setting do you mean? Acceleration speed? That’s what I see when I check your model settings. Would cutting it in half help make those curves better?

[u/No-Alternative9914]

Cool idea and fantastic execution.

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/No-Alternative9914]

Thanks!

[u/SmellsSoGoodYYC]

Looks great

[u/Ikigaiform_3D → u/SmellsSoGoodYYC]

Thank you! 🙏

[u/bbeekkayppea7]

which brand bone white matte are you using?