We’re all here because we love 3D printing, but naturally it’s not without its drawbacks. One of the many is that, unless you have access to a dual extruder, 3D printing a single project in multiple colors is quite finicky if possible at all.
If you’re tired of the same old monochrome prints, it’s definitely worth your time to check out multicolor filaments like rainbow PLA.
What is Rainbow PLA?
Rainbow PLA filament is just what it sounds like – multicolored filament on a single spool that prints standard 3D printing projects in different hues, changing the color as it prints.
This is great for making more vibrant and eye-catching prints without paying top dollar for a dual extruder.
Is Rainbow PLA Different from Standard PLA?
In terms of use, there’s little difference between rainbow PLA and standard filaments. The only real distinction is the extra post-processing, namely removing the layers where the hue changes for a more seamless multicolor look.
Generally speaking, rainbow PLA needs to be printed at slower speeds than standard PLA for top-quality results, and for the sparkling variants, a steel nozzle is recommended to avoid clogging.
How to Use Rainbow PLA
While the advantages of using rainbow PLA are obvious, there are some drawbacks. The primary disadvantage is that the colors you end up with are left almost entirely to chance. Unless you’re able to measure exactly how much filament you’re going to use as well as which color you’re starting with, you’ll just get what you get in terms of color variation.
This is arguably a small price to pay, however, when you consider that rainbow PLAs aren’t much more expensive than standard monochrome filaments, and regardless of your control over which colors you end up with, the end results are often nothing to be sneezed at.
Keep in mind that ‘rainbow PLA’ doesn’t always include the whole spectrum you’d expect, and many of them are gradient filaments and are often bi- or tri-colored. So while full rainbow filaments are out there, many of the ones we’ll look at today will be a bit more limited.
Before you go running to your preferred filament supplier, take a look at some of our picks for the best rainbow PLA filaments available today.
But that doesn’t mean the results aren’t great, as you’ll see for yourself.
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Sunlu PLA
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
- Print Speed: 50 – 100mm/s
- Recommended Nozzle Temperature: 210 – 235℃
- Available Colors: Rainbow, Twinkling Blue, Twinkling Black, Carbon, Marble, Wood
Pros
Reliable.
Shiny and sparkly results.
Sunlu promises a bubble- and tangle-free experience.
Cons
Low recommended print speed.
A good steel extruder is needed to minimize the risk of blockage and warping.
Sunlu PLA and PLA+ are well-known and reliable filaments that come in a standard array of colors. This includes, but is not limited to, multicolored rainbow PLA, marble filament PLA, as well as what they call ‘twinkling’ filaments.
The latter is not so much a rainbow 3D printer filament as it is a sparkly one, similar in look to glitter gel pens. The only real problem with these filaments is that they’re coarser than your standard PLAs because of the sparkling effect, and will need a good steel extruder to minimize the risk of blockage and warping.
This Twinkling PLA has also been known to be a little more brittle, and is best printed at the lower recommended speed of around 50mm/s. This does mean there’s more of a wait, but the shiny, multicolored results speak for themselves.
As with all of their PLAs, Sunlu promises a bubble- and tangle-free experience with their rainbow filaments, which is good news for those of you who’ve struggled with more difficult products.
Eryone Rainbow PLA
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
- Print Speed: 30 – 100mm/s
- Recommended Nozzle Temperature: 190 – 220℃
- Available Colors: Rainbow, Minirainbow, Classical, Lagoon, Steampunk
Pros
Great for creating some vibrant and luminous projects.
Compatible with a wide range of FDM printers.
Closest to a proper rainbow you’ll find around.
Cons
Lacks quality control.
When it comes to buying more ‘special’ filaments, there are few suppliers quite as cool as Eryone. They offer a wide range of fun materials with fun features like glow in the dark PLA filament and even scented. Of course, this includes rainbow PLA filament.
The range of available colors may be a bit confusing, but the names make sense if you take a look at their site. As much as I love the standard rainbow filament, I have to say that my personal favorite of Eryone’s collection is the Lagoon Rainbow PLA. Its silver base mixed with dark yet noticeable colors like deep green and red makes for a really cool watery effect.
Each of Eryone’s gradient filaments has its own charms, and all of them make for some interesting prints that go beyond your standard multicolor affair.
Their standard rainbow PLA includes 10 cycling colors to make some really vibrant and luminous projects. For the best results, we recommend printing as big as possible to make use of all the different hues on display.
Eryone’s multicolor PLA filaments are compatible with a wide range of FDM printers, and so they’ve even gone the extra mile to include recommended printer settings for their rainbow PLAs depending on what model you have.
This eliminates a lot of the guesswork and trial and error that could otherwise waste perfectly good filament on the first few tries. This helpful info combined with their detailed FAQs means you won’t be left guessing for long even if you do run into any issues.
Eryone’s rainbow PLA filament is the closest to a proper rainbow you’ll likely find around, and so is ideal for those of you who want to maximize color and hue variation in your 3D printer projects. While just about any size project will work well with its different colors, only larger projects will really be able to take advantage of all 10 hues.
eSun Luminous Rainbow PLA
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
- Print Speed: 40 – 100mm/s
- Recommended Nozzle Temperature: 210 – 230℃
- Available Colors: Rainbow, Twinkling
Pros
Makes excellent prints that look cool, smooth, and practically luminescent.
Great printability.
Cons
More abrasive than most PLAs.
Not for less powerful machines.
While eSun’s range of what they call ‘aesthetic PLAs’ may not be as creative as Eryone’s, their luminous PLA filament is a cool addition to any filament collection. I say cool not just to show that I like it, but because the color gradient also focuses on what are considered colder colors.
‘Rainbow’ may not be the best description of eSun’s luminous PLA filament, as the colors it prints don’t cover as wide a spectrum as you’d expect. That being said, the vibrance of the green and yellow are made more eye-catching by the subtle brown notes as well, adding to the illustriousness by a controlled color clash.
The colors you’ll see appearing most prominently with this mix of hues will be purple, vibrant blue, and a glowing green. This makes for excellent prints that look cool, smooth, and practically luminescent as the name implies.
While the printability of the luminous PLA filament is great, it is more abrasive than most PLAs, and so a printer equipped with a steel or ruby nozzle is recommended, though the best results and minimum chance of clogging will be from a hardened steel nozzle.
Basically, eSun’s luminous rainbow PLA is not for less powerful machines, as its coarseness is likely to clog and damage lesser extruders. So you should only really consider it if you’re confident your printer can handle it without clogging.
Amolen Shiny Multicolor PLA Filament
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
- Print Speed: 30 – 60mm/s
- Recommended Nozzle Temperature: 190 – 220℃
- Available Colors: Sparkling Rainbow
Pros
Has a sparkling gel pen effect.
Jam- and tangle-free experience.
Provides top-quality results.
Cons
Only a color change every 15 meters.
Slow recommended print speeds.
Amolen’s shiny multicolor PLA filament is one of my favorites on this list purely by aesthetics. Like the Sunlu filaments above, it has the sparkling gel pen effect that really stands out.
What I particularly like about Amolen’s rainbow PLA is that it somehow manages to blend the different hues so naturally that you don’t even notice at first glance that it is only made up of three colors, red, green, and yellow.
Boasting a jam- and tangle-free experience, this shiny filament is a great option if you want a stressless print with particularly colorful results.
Keep in mind, however, that there is only a color change every 15 meters, so you’ll need to have a larger printer and make bigger projects to get the most out of this filament, as it will be wasted on smaller projects. Compare that to Eryone’s 10 meter change, and you’ll recognize a big difference.
This recommendation combined with its relatively slow recommended printing speed does mean that you’ll be waiting a long time for top-quality results.
If you’re patient and have a big 3D printer, then the Amolen shiny multicolor PLA filament is definitely worth checking out.
Zi-Rui Color Changing PLA
- Price: Check price on Amazon here
- Print Speed: 50 – 90mm/s
- Recommended Nozzle Temperature: 190 – 220℃
- Available Colors: Multicolored (Changes Based on Temperature)
Pros
Changes color long after printing depending on the temperature it’s kept at.
Easy to use.
Cons
Won’t be of use if you don’t live in a warm state or country.
A sort of odd one out on our list here is the Zi-Rui color-changing filament. If you’re familiar with clear filaments, then you’ll know that their transparency is dependent on a few factors, one of which is the printing temperature.
While the Zi-Rui color changing filament will also change somewhat depending on the nozzle temperature, the thing that makes it particularly special is that it will change color long after printing depending on the temperature it’s kept at.
Its standard color is a dark pine green which will become an orange color if heated to over 31℃ (~88°F) and then yellow above 45℃ (113°F).
While this is a neat feature, naturally not that many places tend to get that hot that frequently. This makes it ideal only in places that get reach these temperatures on at least a semi-regular basis. If you happen to live in a warmer state or country, you’ll likely see the best results from this in a sunroom or greenhouse.
It may be tempting to keep this kind of multicolored filament out in the sun, but that will cause its various colors to fade faster, which is why I’ve recommended warmer indoor spaces to keep it in peak condition for longer.
Naturally, the key feature of the Zi-Rui filament will go to waste in more moderate or cold climates, so it’s only really useful for those of you who enjoy particularly blistering summers.
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