Why We Only Print Lamps from Certified Materials

When you say "PLA filament," it sounds like a single thing. In reality it is a category covering a hundred different blends with very different properties. And the difference becomes clear at exactly the moment the plastic is near a heat source, in other words, in a lamp.

Common unbranded filament from an Asian marketplace costs 12 to 18 euros per kilo. The manufacturer doesn't state the exact source of the base material, there's no flammability test sheet, and often not even a precise deformation temperature. It prints fine. Under prolonged heating from a bulb, it starts behaving unpredictably: it can deform, release smoke particles, and in the worst cases, rather than igniting outright, release chlorine or sulfur compounds.

Certified filament from a European manufacturer costs 28 to 40 euros per kilo. It has a strictly defined additive content, documented tests for the RoHS directive (restriction of hazardous substances), REACH (chemical safety), and, for the best ones, UL94 (flammability of plastics) too. These are paper certificates, but they are exactly what can be attached to the final product's CE certification.

In practice, this means a 60% more expensive input for us, but also a satisfied notified body when we send a lamp for certification. And one more thing: exceptionally good layer adhesion, which the customer doesn't see but feels in their hand as compactness and sturdiness. That's why our Lumira and KUMO lamps hold up after years of daily use.

Cheap filament is worth it for decoration with no heat source nearby. For a lamp, the 15-euro-per-kilo difference is the only reasonable compromise to make, and usually not even that.