Everything About PLA, the 3D Printing Material

update on May 17th, 2023

PLA 3D Printing Material is the most common consumable on the market for 3D printing because of its low price, stable performance, and environmental friendliness, making it popular among many users. If you need a PLA 3D printing Service, contact WKproto right now!

Content

What is PLA?
Features of PLA
Why Choose PLA for 3D Printing?
What is High-quality PLA?
How to Keep PLA in good condition
Can PLA be recycled and reused?

What is PLA?

PLA is a new type of biodegradable material made from plant starch. With fermentation, the starch converts into lactic acid, which is then synthesized into polylactic acid (PLA). As a result, PLA exhibits good biodegradability and can be completely degraded by microorganisms without causing environmental pollution.

Features of PLA

Compared to other materials, PLA possesses several outstanding characteristics that contribute to its widespread use in 3D printing.

Renewable

PLA can be obtained from renewable sources, making it an environmentally friendly choice and supporting large-scale manufacturing for 3D printing.

Good heating stability and solvent resistance

PLA Items printed with a processing temperature from 170 to 230℃ demonstrate excellent thermal resistance.

Good glossiness and transparency

Similar to thin films made of polystyrene, PLA is a degradable polyester material with high transparency. It can undergo extrusion, spinning, biaxial stretching, injection blow molding, and other methods, with tensile and bending modulus comparable to traditional plastic resins.

Good tensile strength and ductility

PLA exhibits strong machinability and is suitable for various processing methods. Its good rheological properties and machinability ensure adaptability to the FDM process, commonly used in 3D printing.

Good gas, oxygen, and carbon dioxide permeability for PLA films

PLA also possesses excellent antibacterial and anti-mildew properties, making it promising for biomedical materials.

High biocompatibility

The monomer material of PLA, lactic acid, is an endogenous active substance in the human body. Finished PLA products are non-toxic and can be absorbed by the human body.

Good degradability

Unlike other 3D printing materials, PLA can be completely degraded under specific conditions. PLA will degrade into carbon dioxide and water, leaving no residue.

Why Choose PLA for 3D Printing?

Compared to other materials, PLA and ABS are more affordable and offer higher stability in quality. ABS, an engineering plastic widely used in traditional industries, possesses good mechanical properties but is prone to warping and deformation in printing. Additionally, it emits pungent odors. PLA has a lower printing temperature resulting in a minimal chance for shrinkage and warp during printing. And it is a biodegradable material that can degrade without pollution.

Due to its characteristics and compatibility with a wide range of machines, PLA is highly recommended for 3D printing, especially for new users entering the field.

What is High-quality PLA?

High-quality PLA exhibits the following characteristics:

High purity: It is essential for PLA to have high purity, ensuring a smooth printing process.

Consistent thickness: The PLA wire should have a consistent thickness throughout its length, and the cross-section of the wire should be close to a perfect circle.

You can check the quality of PLA with the following steps:

1, You can check if there are any color differences, spots, and tiny bubbles on the wire. These may indicate more recycled materials in the PLA.

2, Take out a 1-meter-long section of the PLA wire and use a measuring caliper to check for smoothness and uniform diameter. You can also use the caliper to rotate the wire to see if there are scratches or obstacles during the movement. The wire is relatively round if you have no problems during rotation.

3, During the printing process, observe the width and uniformity of the first layer. Higher-quality PLA will result in a more uniform and consistent first layer.

How to Keep PLA in good condition

It is essential to prevent absorbing moisture in the air to keep PLA in good condition because moisture would cause deterioration. When the PLA is exposed to air, in 3-6 months, it will become brittle gradually and decrease in physical strength, resulting in material breakage and plugging during printing. Therefore, you had better use up PLA within one month after unpacking.

The method for PLA keeping

You can put the PLA in a sealed container or vacuum-sealed bag for storage and add a desiccant to the bag for effective moisture prevention.

The quality guarantee period for PLA can vary. Sealed PLA can maintain quality for up to 2 years with proper storage. However, it is still not recommended to stock PLA in large quantities, especially low-quality ones, which may become brittle over time, even in a vacuum.

Can PLA be recycled and reused?

Regarding recycling PLA, it is theoretically possible to recycle and reuse it, but the cost and equipment required make it impossible for individuals.

The process involves material cleaning, fragmentation, and reshaping. Also, you have to ensure high purity. The impurities in recycled PLA can cause nozzle blockages and affect print quality. It is recommended to add only a small amount of recycled material to the new PLA to minimize potential issues if you want to have a try with recycled PLA.

WKproto is a professional rapid prototyping and low-volume production manufacturer in 3D printing services from China, including PLA 3D printing services. Feel free to contact us for any inquiries or requests.