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Materials

Printago's material system enables intelligent job matching and automated printer selection across your entire printer fleet. Materials are central to how Printago routes jobs to the right printers with the right settings.

How Materials Work​

Materials in Printago consist of two levels:

1. Base Materials​

Base materials define the fundamental filament type and properties:

  • Material Type: PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU, etc.
  • Brand: Bambu Lab, Polymaker, Elegoo, etc.
  • Filament Profile: Core slicing profiles for the material, one for each printer model

2. Material Variants (Colors)​

Material variants are specific colors or finishes of a base material:

  • Color Variant: Red, Blue, Matte Black, Silk Gold, etc.
  • Profile Override: Optional color-specific slicing adjustments, one for each printer model
Material Hierarchy

Think of it as: Bambu PLA Basic (base material) → Bambu PLA Basic Red (variant)

Material Assignment​

Materials are assigned to printers and their AMS units to enable job matching and automatic printer selection.

Adding Materials​

Materials are typically added through:

  1. RFID Detection: Automatic addition when RFID filament is detected
  2. Manual Addition: Add materials during part creation or printer assignment
  3. Bulk Import: Import all missing materials currently loaded and read by your AMS units.
Import from AMS

Manual Material Creation​

To manually add a new material:

  1. Navigate to the Printing → Materials Page, and click the New Material button.
  2. Select a Brand or you can type it in if it's not in the pre-loaded list.
  3. Select a Material Type, or type one in if yours isn't found!
  4. Give the material a name and a unique identifier for the system to use for the material.
  5. Click Create
Manual Material Creation

Built-in Material Database​

Printago includes comprehensive material databases:

  • Bambu Lab Materials: All official Bambu materials and variants built-in
  • Third-Party Materials: Extensive brand dropdown with popular manufacturers (Polymaker, Elegoo, etc.) or enter custom brand names.

Adding All Material Variants​

When adding materials, you can quickly add all available color variants for known materials:

Add All Variants

Slicing Profile Configuration​

Materials require slicing profiles to work with the Cloud Slicer.

Configuring Material Profiles​

  1. Access Materials Page: Navigate to Printing → Materials
  2. Select Material: Choose the material to configure
  3. Configure Profiles: Assign slicing profiles for each combination of:
    • Printer Model (A1 Mini, X1C, P1S, etc.)
    • Nozzle Diameter (0.4mm, 0.6mm, etc.)
Material Detail Configuration
Auto-Complete Search

Profile selection boxes support auto-complete! Start typing "Matte" to quickly find "Matte PLA" profiles, or any partial text to wildcard search through available options.

Profile Resolution Priority​

When slicing, material profiles are resolved in this order:

  1. Material Variant Override (color-specific adjustments)
  2. Base Material Profile (fundamental material settings)
Material Variant Override
Profile Requirements

Materials must have configured slicing profiles for each printer model + nozzle combination they'll be used with. Missing profiles will prevent job matching.

Assigning Materials to Printers​

Materials must be assigned to printers to enable the job matching described above. See Printer Management: Material Assignment for detailed assignment instructions including RFID auto-detection and manual assignment workflows.

Material Override When Queuing Jobs​

When adding parts to the print queue, you can override the default material selection:

  1. Single Part Printing: Select different material in print dialog - see Printing Parts
  2. Bulk Printing: Configure materials individually for each part
  3. SKU Printing: Material overrides available during SKU printing - see Printing SKUs
  4. OpenSCAD Parts: Material selection affects ColorSCAD color mapping

Job Matching System​

Materials enable Printago's intelligent job-to-printer matching. For detailed information about how the print queue processes jobs and matches them to printers, see Print Queue Management.

Material Matching Levels​

Parts can specify materials at different levels of specificity:

  • Exact Variant: "Bambu PLA Basic Red" - matches only that specific color
  • Base Material: "Bambu PLA Basic" - matches any color of that material
  • Generic Type: "Any PLA" - matches any PLA material from any brand

Matching Examples​

Example 1: Exact Match

  • Part requires: "Bambu PLA Basic Red"
  • Printer has: "Bambu PLA Basic Red" ✅ Match!
  • Printer has: "Bambu PLA Basic Blue" ❌ No match

Example 2: Base Material Match

  • Part requires: "Bambu PLA Basic" (any color)
  • Printer has: "Bambu PLA Basic Red" ✅ Match!
  • Printer has: "Bambu PLA Basic Blue" ✅ Match!
  • Printer has: "Generic PLA" ❌ No match (different brand)

Example 3: Generic Type Match

  • Part requires: "Any PLA"
  • Printer has: "Bambu PLA Basic Red" ✅ Match!
  • Printer has: "Generic PLA" ✅ Match!
  • Printer has: "Any PLA" ✅ Match!

Example 4: Mismatch Scenario

  • Part requires: "Bambu PLA Basic" (specific brand/material)
  • Printer assigned: "Any PLA" (generic type)
  • Result: ❌ No match - part requirement is more specific than printer capability

Material Tips​

  • Use Specific Materials: Prefer exact material specifications for consistent results
  • Generic Fallbacks: Use "Any [Type]" for prototyping or non-critical prints
  • Profile Completeness: Ensure all materials have profiles for your printer fleet

Common Issues​

Jobs Not Matching Printers:

  • Verify material is loaded and assigned to printer
  • Check that material has slicing profiles configured
  • Ensure part material requirements match available materials

Need help with materials? Join our Discord community for support and tips from other users!