PLA: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "== Introduction == PLA (here) stands for '''Polylactic acid or polylactide'''. It is a kind of plastic. See also: 3D printing and other articles in the [[:Category:3D p...")
 
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PLA (here) stands for '''Polylactic acid or polylactide'''. It is a kind of plastic.  
PLA (here) stands for '''Polylactic acid or polylactide'''. It is a kind of plastic.  


See also: [[3D printing]] and other articles in the [[:Category:3D printing|3D printing]] category
See also:
* [[ABS]] The other popular polymer for 3D printing
* [[3D printing]] and other articles in the [[:Category:3D printing|3D printing]] category


== ABS in 3D printing ==
== PLA in 3D printing ==


{{quotation|PLA is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world). Although PLA has been known for more than a century, it has only been of commercial interest in recent years, in light of its biodegradability. [...] PLA is slightly more brittle than ABS once it's extruded, but that is more than made up for by it's almost complete lack of warping, the ease of part removal, and the lack of any bad smells. It gives off a faint odor of Candyfloss (cotton candy) when it's printing.
{{quotation|PLA is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world). Although PLA has been known for more than a century, it has only been of commercial interest in recent years, in light of its biodegradability. [...] PLA is slightly more brittle than ABS once it's extruded, but that is more than made up for by it's almost complete lack of warping, the ease of part removal, and the lack of any bad smells. It gives off a faint odor of Candyfloss (cotton candy) when it's printing.

Revision as of 15:01, 12 June 2012

Introduction

PLA (here) stands for Polylactic acid or polylactide. It is a kind of plastic.

See also:

PLA in 3D printing

“PLA is a biodegradable, thermoplastic, aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the U.S.) or sugarcanes (rest of world). Although PLA has been known for more than a century, it has only been of commercial interest in recent years, in light of its biodegradability. [...] PLA is slightly more brittle than ABS once it's extruded, but that is more than made up for by it's almost complete lack of warping, the ease of part removal, and the lack of any bad smells. It gives off a faint odor of Candyfloss (cotton candy) when it's printing.

Due to PLA's relatively low glass transition temperature, manufatured parts can not be used in situations where temperatures are higher than about 70-80 degrees C... PLA cups cannot hold hot liquids” (BFB Wiki, retrieved June 2012)

PLA comes in variants.

Proportions + color pigments added will modify melting temperature and other behavior !

This implies that recommendations for your 3D printer only apply to the kind of PLA that was sold by the company (official recommendations) or that was bought by users (blogs, forums, wikis).

Links

Introductions
  • PLA (RepRap Wiki)
Discussions


List of suppliers
"Local" Suppliers (there are many more, see above !)