3D Printing Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [pla]

Polylactic Acid, also known as PLA, is a common biodegradable thermoplastic polymer.

PLA or Polylactic Acid is a biodegradable and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester that is the most common plastic to begin 3D printing with, since it can be printed without a heated bed. It comes in various colors, typically on spools between 500 g and 3000 g.

"PLA is harder than ABS, melts at a lower temperature (around 180°C to 220°C), and has a glass transition temperature between 60-65 °C, so is potentially a very useful material. It does exhibit higher friction than ABS however which can make it difficult to extrude and more susceptible to extruder jams." (RepRap Wiki)

It is "derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch (in the United States), tapioca roots, chips or starch (mostly in Asia), or sugarcane (in the rest of the world)." (Wikipedia entry)

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How do I give 3D-printed parts in PLA a shiny smooth finish?

The surfaces of my printed parts using PLA plastic look rough and uneven. Would changing filament to a better one make any difference? If not, what kind of methods can I use to achieve a smoother finish for my for 3D-printed objects?
kenorb
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How is PLA different from ABS material?

What are the main differences when using ABS over PLA and vice versa?
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How to recycle filament material from printed parts?

Is it possible to re-use ABS or PLA filament material from printed parts? If so, what is the techniques to reform it?
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What is PLA+? How is it different from PLA?

Question What is PLA+? How is it different than PLA? I'm looking for science, composition, formula, safety concerns (or lack thereof), etc. Background I picked up a roll of PLA+ at Microcenter (their in-house Inland brand) because it was on…
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Does filament have to be stored in an airtight environment?

For standard ABS and PLA filament, most distributors recommend storing the filament in an airtight bag. Does not doing this actually make print quality worse? I have left mine in the open for a year and have had no noticeable problems.
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What glues for bonding printed PLA to injection-molded plastic?

I will be creating a small tube styled piece to use as a junction between two pieces of plastic. The idea is to reattach the two pieces and provide strength so they don't break apart again. I plan on using PLA. My question is, will superglue…
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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What to do with failed/unwanted 3D prints?

I am planning on getting a 3D printer soon and I was just wondering, what do you do with 3D prints that either failed or were prototypes that you no longer want? I tried looking online but the closest I got was effects on environment, turning prints…
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What are the reasons for my 3D prints having large numbers of strings between parts of a layer?

I am printing a print using PLA on a Prusa i3 printer and an MK8 extruder, at 210 degrees celsius, 60 mm/sec, sliced with slic3r. The print consists of a base, with 4 tower-like projections that then join with a near-vertical overhang slope that…
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Can I mix ABS and PLA when recycling filament?

I'm thinking of recycling some filament from a couple of recently failed prints. I can reuse them in the future for basic prototypes, so I'm not concerned with whatever weird mixture of colors come out (they are of a few different colors). The thing…
HDE 226868
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Can aged PLA be refurbished?

Inspired by another question and due to the fact that some of my filament will face the same problem when I will use them again, I wanted to know if there are proven recipies to get rid of water that has ben incorporated to PLA filament from…
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How to remove white marks from PLA

When you cut or break a PLA model (for example to remove support) it often leaves an ugly while mark where the removed piece was connected. Sanding also tend to leave dull white scratches on the sanded surface. What can I do to restore the white…
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Can you put PLA parts in your car (in the sun)?

I'm in the process of building my own head unit / stereo prototype for a car, which will have a 3D-printed enclosure. My concern is that cars can get quite hot in the sun, and even more so if you live in hot climates. Some estimations put the…
user10974
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Why keep the bed heated after initial layer(s) with PLA (or PETG)?

I'm printing on an Ender 5 with the default flex/magnetic build surface. I read that PLA and PETG may sometimes be printed without any bed heating at all and also that bed heating is the main contributor to the power consumption of a printer. As I…
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Uses for PLA scraps

I recently got a 3D printer and have been experimenting with it a lot, resulting in a lot of failed prints (as well as successes, fortunately). I'd like to, if possible, find a way to reuse the material from these failed prints. I am thinking about…
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Prints are now sticking too well to the bed. What to do?

I'm a beginner. I've a Printrbot Play with a heated bed add-on. I'm using it exclusively with PLA. It worked great initially, but then I took the nozzle out and put it back in, and the Z calibration was lost (and I didn't know the calibration was a…
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