PLA<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0PETG<\/a>\u00a0are two of the most popular filament materials available to hobbyists, both with their advantages and disadvantages regarding printability, strength, and more. In this article, we\u2019ll review the main differences between PLA and PETG and what makes each material better suited for specific applications and purposes.<\/p>\n 3D Printing Materials \u2013 The Ultimate Guide<\/a><\/p>\n Before we look at the differences between PLA and PETG, it\u2019s important to review each filament material on its own merits. So first, we\u2019ll go over how each material is sourced, as well as the main benefits and disadvantages of each.<\/p>\n First up, PLA is the commonly used abbreviation for\u00a0polylactic acid<\/a>. PLA is the most popular 3D printing filament material and is also commonly used in the food packaging industry due to its food safety properties, which we\u2019ll talk about later.<\/p>\n To give some background, raw PLA plastic is sourced from crops like corn and sugar cane. Plant starch is extracted from the crops, and a type of sugar is extracted from the starch by mixing it with special chemicals. The sugar is then fermented and either condensed or polymerized to create the raw version of PLA plastic.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most notable aspect of PLA is how easy it is to print with. Basically any\u00a0FDM 3D printer<\/a>\u00a0can print with PLA due to its low melting and glass transition temperatures. Additionally, PLA isn\u2019t super sensitive to the surrounding environment and works with a range of slicer settings, so you can achieve decent prints without too much work.<\/p>\n However, no material is all good, and the main downside of PLA is its lack of strength. Parts printed in PLA are known to be very brittle due to the low layer-to-layer adhesion of 3D printed models. Also, high temperatures and UV rays are known to discolor and even deform parts printed in PLA, making it a poor material choice for parts meant to be outside and under the sun.<\/p>\n Polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified<\/a>, or PETG, is another popular 3D printing material. PETG is a modified version of PET, the plastic you likely associate with disposable water bottles and other clear containers. The main difference between PETG and PET lies in the \u2018G\u2019, which signifies the glycol modification that lowers PETG\u2019s melting point and makes it easier to 3D print.<\/p>\n Like its base material, PETG is mainly sourced from crude oil, specifically the chemical components ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. These chemicals are extracted from the oil and then heated and mixed to create raw PETG plastic. While oil obviously isn\u2019t the most environmentally friendly resource, many recycling centers accept PETG, so this type of plastic isn\u2019t completely harmful to the environment.<\/p>\n PETG is best known for its durability and strength, and the plastic is resistant to high temperatures, UV rays, water, chemical solvents, and more. All of this makes PETG an ideal filament material option for printing parts that will exist in harsh environments or have to undergo a lot of physical stresses.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, PETG requires somewhat high printing temperatures, which limits the number of compatible printers. Additionally, there are a few common printing and part quality issues, like over-adhesion and\u00a0stringing<\/a>, that make the material more difficult to work with. Nonetheless, PETG is still a great filament material option with a lot of applications.<\/p>\n As we mentioned, PLA requires comparatively\u00a0low printing temperatures<\/a>. Most PLA filaments can be printed with a nozzle temperature of around 210 \u00b0C and an optional bed temperature of up to 60 \u00b0C. On the other hand, PETG requires notably\u00a0higher temperatures<\/a>, with a suggested nozzle temperature between 220 \u00b0C and 250 \u00b0C and a bed temperature around 75 \u00b0C. While a difference of 15 \u00b0C may not seem like much, it\u2019s a significant enough variation that means that more printers are able to print with with PLA than with PETG.<\/p>\n PLA is also a lot less sensitive to printing factors, such as the printing environment and imperfect slicer settings, compared to PETG. It\u2019s not uncommon to achieve high-quality prints in PLA with a\u00a0default PLA printing profile.<\/p>\n However, PETG is a little more difficult to work with. Especially if you don\u2019t calibrate your extruder, tune your retraction settings, and find the best temperatures and speeds, you\u2019ll likely experience stringing on your PETG prints.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re unfamiliar with the problem, stringing is when extra material flows out of the nozzle when it shouldn\u2019t, leaving small wisps of extra plastic all around your print (it\u2019s not a good look). With PETG, you\u2019re also more likely to have issues with\u00a0bed adhesion<\/a>, as the filament tends to over-adhere to the build plate, making it more difficult to remove prints from the bed compared to PLA.<\/p>\n In terms of mechanical properties, PETG is well-known for its high strength, which is a result of the raw material\u2019s natural strength combined with the increased layer-to-layer adhesion produced with the higher printing temperatures. PLA\u2019s layer adhesion is less impressive, and PLA prints can be extremely brittle, making this material far from the best option for a print that will face any tension. PETG isn\u2019t just strong compared to PLA, though; parts printed in PETG, when printed with optimal settings, usually can\u2019t be broken by bending them with your hands (depending on the model, of course).<\/p>\n While strength is one thing, resistance to the elements, which we\u2019ll refer to as durability, is also very important for a 3D printing material. If you\u2019ve ever printed with PLA, you\u2019ll know that it\u2019s not super durable. For example, if left outside and under the sun for more than an hour, parts printed in PLA will start to deform because the UV rays and warm temperature are enough to soften the material.<\/p>\n This is not anywhere near the case for PETG, though, as this thermoplastic material is one of the most durable plastics, not just in 3D printing but in manufacturing as a whole. PETG\u2019s got a long list of things that it\u2019s resistant to, including UV rays, high temperatures, water, and acetone. All of this makes PETG a great option for printing any models that will be used outdoors or face harsh environments.<\/p>\n It\u2019s more than the properties of the materials and how to print them that set PLA and PETG apart. For one, there\u2019s the environmental friendliness of the materials. PLA tends to come from natural sources like corn crops, while PETG comes from less-than-environmentally-friendly crude oil.<\/p>\n While producing PLA is, therefore, less harmful than making PETG plastic, this doesn\u2019t end the debate over which material is more environmentally friendly. PETG is a\u00a0recyclable plastic<\/a>\u00a0that can be dropped off at recycling centers to be melted down and hopefully repurposed. Unfortunately, PLA isn\u2019t generally recyclable, and there\u2019s not a lot you can do with wasted PLA prints. And while PLA is\u00a0biodegradable<\/a>\u00a0and PETG isn\u2019t, it can take hundreds of years for parts printed in PLA to fully degrade, even in optimal conditions.<\/p>\n With everything in mind, neither plastic is particularly friendly for the environment. However, if one had to be a winner, PLA would likely take the cake due to its natural source materials and biodegradability.<\/p>\nThe Contenders<\/h3>\n
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PLA<\/h3>\n
PETG<\/h3>\n
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Printing<\/h3>\n
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Mechanical Properties<\/h3>\n
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More Differences<\/h3>\n
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