Description
- PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament is a degradable bioplastic derived from plants.
- Guaranteed not to have heavy metals, phthalates or BPA.
- Suited for a wide range of 3D printers (see compatibility list).
- All filament is delivered in a vacuum bag, with desiccant, wound onto a spool.
- Heated build platform not required.
- Made in Japan.
Why PLA?
Info
The wide range of available colors and translucencies and glossy feel often attract those who print for display or small household uses. Many appreciate the plant based origins and prefer the semi-sweet smell over ABS. When properly cooled, PLA seems to have higher maximum printing speeds, lower layer heights, and sharper printed corners. Combining this with low warping on parts make it a popular plastic for home printers, hobbyists, and schools.
Biodegradable, corn-based plastic. Prints at ~180-230 °C, and doesn't warp, so you can print big things without a heated bed.
- PLA will "ooze" more than ABS will -- if the nozzle is hot and there's plastic loaded, it will drip.
- For all printers, the nozzle should be about ~0.2mm away from the bed (about the thickness of a sheet of paper).
- Because of its low melting temperature, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to leave a PLA part in your car on a hot summer day, because it will warp!
- Available in 1.75mm and 2.85mm
Why PLA?
- PLA (short for polylactic acid) is a plastic made of renewable starches such as corn and sugarcane.
- It is biodegradable and does not emit a lot of ultra fines particles (UFCs).
- It produces a barely noticeable, but quite pleasant, sugary smell when extruding.
- Depending on the specifications and the color, extrusion temperature can vary between 160 and 220 °C.
- Parts printed using PLA are more rigid than ABS parts (ABS is more flexible).
- In general, parts printed using PLA have a slightly glossy finish.
- PLA is less prone to warping during print and is much more 'stickier' than ABS.
- PLA starts to become malleable (heat deflection point) at around 60 °C.
- PLA requires a bit more force to be extruded as it has a higher coefficient of friction than ABS.
- PLA is a bit more recent in the history of FDM 3D printers and has a promising future.
Tips
The printing temperature guideline for printing with our PLA filament is approximately 210°C. As each desktop 3D printer has its own unique characteristics, you might need to tweak around with your temperature settings a bit to get the best results. To obtain optimal results for your prints you need to take into account variables like your 3D printer's nozzle diameter, your printing speed settings, and layer height.
PLA has much less tendency to warp compared to ABS. Therefore it can be printed both with and without a heated print bed. However, if your desktop 3D printer does have a heated print bed it is recommended to set your print bed temperature to approximately 40° to 50° C.
A good first layer adhesion is of the utmost importance in obtaining the best results for your prints. There are several tricks to get the first layer of your PLA print to stick better to the print bed of your 3D printer.
Blue Masking Tape. PLA prints usually stick really well to blue masking tape. When preparing the print bed it is better to have tiny gaps between your strokes of masking tape, rather than having overlaps.
Overlaps of smaller pieces of tape may cause difficulties later on during the print process. We have tested a wide variety of masking tapes and found that the best results can be obtained with Eurocel Blue Masking Tape.
Coat your print bed with hairspray. Like ABS, PLA has a tendency to stick really well to extra strong hairsprays.
Blue masking tape is unlikely to leave a residue on your print bed. A hairspray coating however will leave a residue on your print bed.
