Drop File

PLA melts at a relatively low temperature of about 175 degrees Celsius. Unlike so-called thermoset materials, PLA can be heated past its melting point multiple times with very little degradation. It’s a hard material, but that also means it’s somewhat brittle, and once it breaks, it likes to shatter. Only this material is proven for 50 microns layer height.

However, PLA is not a perfect material and, just like every other plastic, has some disadvantages. The low melting temperature also means low-temperature resistance. Parts start to lose mechanical strength at temperatures over 60 °C.

The combination of being both biodegradable and having low-temperature resistance means that it’s not ideal for outdoor use, not to mention low UV-resistance. Also, PLA is only soluble in chemicals like chloroform or hot benzene. So when connecting multiple pieces, you’re better off using just glue.

Even though PLA is biodegradable, and the material on its own is food safe, we do not suggest to repeatedly drink or eat from your 3D prints. Because of the small fractures on the print surface, bacteria can build up in there over time. You can prevent this by applying a food-safe coating. When post-processing PLA, it’s better to use wet sanding. Without water you'll quickly start heating the plastic by friction, it will melt locally and make it hard to keep sanding.

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ABOUT PETG

PETG is a very tough material with good thermal resistance. Its use is universal but especially suitable for mechanical parts and both indoor and outdoor use. PETG has almost no warping, so printing large objects isn’t a problem. We use PETG to print parts for our printers!

PETG is one of our favorite materials for 3D printing. It’s almost as easy to print as PLA, but it can offer many mechanical properties that PLA prints just cannot achieve. The G in the acronym PETG stands for Glycol which is added during the manufacturing process. Glycol modifies the properties of PET, so that it’s easier to print, less brittle and clearer when printing with semi-transparent variants. PETG has low thermal expansion, so even when printing big objects, and without an enclosure, it rarely lifts from the bed and warps. In addition to that, PETG is ductile. It has a healthy amount of flex which can prevent parts from breaking under pressure.

Unlike PLA or ABS, PETG tends to ooze a bit and may leave strings of plastic on your print. You can fight this with increasing retraction and playing with hotend temperature, but if you use our filament presets in Slic3r or Prusa Control, we already did that for you and the amount of stringing is minimal. If you witness a tiny bit of stringing anyway, you can get rid of it by quickly blasting your finished prints with a heat gun.

If you can handle the oozing and strong adhesion, you’ll be left with a very durable print, that is considerably temperature resistant and usable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Notes

1.75 mm filament is manufactured with precision of +- 0.02 mm

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