PLA, (Polylactic Acid), filament
Made from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane, it's a natural polymer designed to substitute widely used petroleum-based plastics like PET (polyethene terephthalate). In the packaging industry, PLA plastics are often used for plastic films and food containers.
- Good default filament for desktop FDM printing.
- Can be sanded, painted, and other post processing steps.
- PROS: Low Cost, Stiff & Good Strength, Good dimensional accuracy, Good shelf life
- CONS: Low heat resistance, can ooze and need cooling fans, filament can get brittle and break, not suitable for outdoors (sunlight exposure)
- Low melting point plastic makes it great for 3D prints.
- Extruder temperature range of 190-220°C means you don't need a special hot-end or special enclosure/heated bed.
- Not suitable for hot liquids or hot environmental conditions (like inside your car on a sunny hot day).
- Lower energy cost to melt (65% less energy than other plastics) means it is more environmentally friendly than other conventional plastics.
- No toxins
- But yeah, be safe, and VOCs should be taken into consideration
- With a bonus note for PLA that it has significantly less Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions than ABS:
300,980 particles/cm3 for ABS and 65,482 particles/cm3 for PLA - Keep 3d printers in a well ventilated room.
- With a bonus note for PLA that it has significantly less Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions than ABS:
- But yeah, be safe, and VOCs should be taken into consideration
- Partially biodegradable
- Compost-able: Slowly biodegrades, and can be sped up through optimized composting environments (specialized environments/equipment). Industrial composting can break it down in months, a home compost in a year, and natural conditions it could be up to 100 years (or longer in some environments in Alaska)
- Recyclable
- Separated from others: Due to lower melting point it needs to be cleanly separated out from other plastics before attempting recycling (Grid it up and extrude into new filament).
- If collecting for recycling keep the different types of plastic separated, with the plastic types clearly marked.
- Specialty: Considered "other" plastic and not take by most recycling centers.
- PLA, under ASTM International Resin Identifier Codes, is classified as Type 7, or “Other” and not typically processed by recycling programs.
- Expensive/specialized equipment: Can get tricky for commercially viable recycling. DIY methods available but not cost effective at low volumes.
- Separated from others: Due to lower melting point it needs to be cleanly separated out from other plastics before attempting recycling (Grid it up and extrude into new filament).
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