# 3D printing a raised circuit plaque with the 3D Printed Racing Circuit preset > a famous circuit printed as a raised ridge on a racing-red plate This is the 3D-print sibling of the Race Track plaque. Instead of cutting black acrylic and gluing it to a red backplate, you print a single stacked relief: a solid racing-red disc with the circuit standing proud on top as a continuous raised ridge. It ships set up on the Silverstone Grand Prix layout at zoom 14 and switches to any circuit in the race track library, or to a GPX lap of your local kart track. The track is built as a Solid body, not a laser Score line. A scored centerline has no width and nothing to print; here the track is a real filled ribbon (width 9) that becomes a chunky, continuous ridge, and because it's one closed loop, there are no fragile loose strands to worry about on the bed. ## What you need ### 3D printing (intended) - Any FDM printer; PLA or PETG - Two filament colors: racing red for the backplate (the preset's `#C0181F`) and black (or white) for the raised track ridge, or a single color if you'll paint - A slicer that accepts 3MF (Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer) - Optional: keyhole-hanger insert or a small printed easel stand ### Optional flat laser version - 3 mm red [acrylic](https://yxecreations.com/pages/acrylic-sheets) backplate and 3 mm black acrylic for the track ribbon - Laser cutter, acrylic adhesive or [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) ## 1. Start from the preset Open [the 3D Printed Racing Circuit preset](/map-designer?preset=race-track-3d). It loads on the Silverstone Grand Prix layout at zoom 14 in a circle frame with a black border ring. To switch circuits, edit the **Track** layer, set **Route source** to **Race track** and search; Spa, Suzuka, Monza and Laguna Seca are all in the list. **Zoom to route** then moves the map to the new track. A kart track that isn't listed can be uploaded as a GPX or KML lap on the **Upload file** tab. - Zoom so the full circuit fits inside the circle with breathing room: 13.8 to 14.5 covers most grand prix tracks; small karting circuits may need 15+. - Compose around the track's iconic corner: put Eau Rouge or the Suzuka esses where the eye lands first. - Venues with several layouts list each one separately in the picker, and the length shown after you pick tells similar layouts apart. ## 2. Tune the layers Two layers, top to bottom: - **Track**: a Route layer from the race track library, width 9, black. It exports as a real filled ribbon: a continuous closed loop. On the print it stands proud of the backplate as a raised ridge. Width 9 is tuned so the ridge is chunky enough to print cleanly at plaque size; nudge it up for small kart tracks that need visual weight. - **Backplate**: a solid racing-red (`#C0181F`) disc, the physical bottom of the print. The black border ring from the 10-unit global border frames it with a matching raised lip. Note there are no thin access-road layers here: the laser version engraves those, but at width 2 they are too fine to print as ridges, so the 3D preset drops them for a clean, logo-like silhouette. ## 3. Export - **3D printing (two-color):** export the **3MF**; the red backplate and the dark track come through as separate objects you assign filaments to in the slicer. - **3D printing (single color or two-piece):** export the **STL** to print in one filament and paint, or to print the track and backplate as separate parts in different materials and bond them. - Small-polygon cleanup is optional here, since the library track is one closed loop with no stray fragments. ## 3D Printing ### Print the track as a raised circuit 1. Export the **3MF** and open it in your slicer: the racing-red backplate and the dark track ridge come through as separate filament colors. 2. Check the scale: 180 to 250 mm across keeps the width-9 track ridge chunky and continuous. A 250 mm disc is a strong wall size. 3. Assign filaments: red for the backplate, black or white for the Track layer. With an **STL** you print in one color and paint, or set a manual filament change at the height where the track ridge begins. 4. Print **flat on a smooth plate** with 0.2 mm layers, no supports: the track simply steps up off the disc like a real circuit map. 5. For a two-piece look, print the track and backplate separately from STL in different materials, then bond them with [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) 467 transfer tape. 6. Add a keyhole-hanger insert or a printed easel stand. The closed track ridge means there are no fragile loose strands on the bed: it prints reliably and makes a great gift paired with race-day photos. ## Laser Cutting & Engraving ### Flat laser version 1. Prefer a flat plaque? Cut the **Backplate** circle from red acrylic and the **Track** ribbon from black acrylic. 2. Dry-fit and glue the ribbon onto the disc with tiny dots of adhesive at the straights (never at thin corner sections), or use [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) 467/468 for zero squeeze-out. Add a keyhole hanger or easel stand. ## Make it yours - Engrave or emboss the circuit name, country, and lap record along the border ring before exporting. - Print the track ridge in white or a livery color (papaya, rosso, silver) over the red plate for a driver tribute. - Start/finish detail: mark the start line with a small raised dash in a contrasting filament. - Home-circuit pairing: this preset for the track, the City Map preset for the host town, printed side by side. - Mini fobs: a 50 mm version with just the Track layer plus a hanger hole, finished with [snap clips](https://yxecreations.com/products/keychain-snap-clips-multiple-colours); batch a whole season calendar of circuits. - Swap the circle for the hexagon export shape and build a wall of hex plaques, one per circuit visited. - Print at chunky scale and use the raised ridge as a tactile track for a desk toy. --- Open the tool: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/race-track-3d Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/race-track-3d