{"id":166191,"date":"2023-02-01T14:34:28","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T06:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&#038;p=166191"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:34:28","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T06:34:28","slug":"pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","title":{"rendered":"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the first filament used by beginners to 3D printing, as it is expected to have relatively predictable results. However, the quality of PLA may vary depending on the manufacturer. Even filaments from the same manufacturer but of different colors may have different printing properties.<\/p>\n<h2>Cheap PLA from eBay<\/h2>\n<p>What is most surprising here is that the price does not reflect the quality. Some lesser-known producers offer a decent quality but cheaper filament. Often \u201cno-brand\u201d PLA found on eBay produces very satisfactory results. Our 3D Printing Guardian project, a themed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/3dwithus.com\/3d-printing-guardian-spool-holder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wall-mounted spool holder<\/a>, came out brilliantly using light blue PLA.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">3D Printing Guardian \u2013 Light Blue PLA from eBay (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Buying filament from eBay can be a good money saver, but there is a catch. A seller may run out of a particular color and it can be hard to find the matching shade to continue a project. Occasionally, the item delivered does not match the advertised product. Looking for a specific shade of blue accidentally spurred quite a collection of blues.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/ff04e4a72d4fcf67.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PLA \u2013 Shades of Blue (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On the other hand, the availability of so many colors makes PLA the most frequently used 3D printing material. It is fun to experiment with different colors, even creating multicolored objects on a desktop 3D printer at home.<\/p>\n<h2>PLA 3D Printing Properties<\/h2>\n<p>The material properties are extremely important, especially when just learning how to 3D print. The faulty parts in your print can be caused not only by wrong slicer settings or poor performance of a 3D printer.<\/p>\n<p>Material type is a big factor here as well. For beginners in 3D printing, it is not recommended to switch to other types of material until you are confident with PLA. It also sticks to the printing bed better than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/3dwithus.com\/abs-filament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/17b16bb76591aaa5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">ABS \u2013 3D Printing Bed Adhesion Issue (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Printing out the same test file using different PLA spools provides the evidence of quality variance. When\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/3dwithus.com\/3d-printing-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tested<\/a>, one object had a rougher surface and looked more \u201cspongy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the object printed with 3D material from another spool came out smooth with sharper ends and better bridging.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, PLA produces quite strong objects with good accuracy. This 3D material is splash resistant. However, it takes water in between the layers if exposed to it for a long time. This means it is not weather\/waterproof.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"3D Printer Test - Cura Settings\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u-wNzrKV6Zw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Watch Out<\/h3>\n<p>Filament width continuity \u2013 check with calipers.<br \/>\nFilament\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/3dwithus.com\/3d-printing-filament-moisture-absorption-drying-filament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moisture-absorbing<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 store with desiccant dehumidifiers<\/p>\n<h2>Recycling<\/h2>\n<p>PLA is biodegradable which makes it greener compared to ABS for example. However, throwing PLA waste in the bin still means polluting. It would be good to have a recycling machine for domestic use. The amount of 3D prints that could be shredded and reused is growing endlessly.<\/p>\n<h2>PLA+<\/h2>\n<p>Take extra care and check the description and printing settings if you see PLA+. This is because \u201cplus\u201d usually means \u201cextra reinforced\u201d. Stronger material should be a plus, but bear in mind that the flow rate and bed adhesion may be different.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/ba3a36850ad0781c.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">SUNLU PLA+ Blue &amp; Black \u2013 same brand, same filament, but slightly different result. (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Above is a shelf bracket 3D printed in SUNLU Blue+ and SUNLU Black+. According to the SUNLU description\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/38VkP74\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">on Amazon<\/a>, the \u201cplus\u201d denotes \u201cless brittle\u201d. We are satisfied with both filaments, but we still notice that their first layer behavior is different when printing the same object using the same slicer settings.<\/p>\n<h2>PLA \u2013 Pellets<\/h2>\n<p>Using pellets is much cheaper compared to the filament. Hopefully, there will be a desktop 3D printer designed that will enable using pellets when 3D printing at home. Combined with domestic recycling shredder, using PLA can become much greener. A chair 3D printed with pellets, presented at TCTShow by WASP team was strong enough to hold a 100-kilo man.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/abadfae3aadd1756.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">WASProject Chair \u2013 3D Printed with PLA Pellets (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another interesting desktop 3D printer material to try is the color changing filament. Such thermochromic material changes its color depending on the temperature. Let\u2019s test how the color changing PLA works, and where it can be used. We will also touch upon \u201cglow in the dark\u201d and \u201crainbow\u201d filaments.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/6b13ae822cad9e70.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Color Changing Filament \u2013 Thermochromic 3D Printer Material Review (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>STL files:<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myminifactory.com\/object\/monkey-3dblockzoo-25769\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#3dblockzoo monkey<\/a>\u00a0by PrintThatThing.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thingiverse.com\/make:185320\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tower of Pi Pen Holder<\/a>\u00a0by roman_hegglin.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/3cabeaead22aaf5f.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tower of Pi \u2013 Verbatim Green and Blue PLA (Photo: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gumroad.com\/l\/shelfbracket\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">3D Printable Shelf Bracket<\/a>\u00a0by Joel Telling.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thingiverse.com\/thing:2975065\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Puzzle Cube<\/a>\u00a0by WildRoseBuilds.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/3dwithus.com\/pla\">PLA Filament Review &#8211; Best for Beginners &#8211; 3D Printing Materials (3dwithus.com)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the first filament used by beginners to 3D printing, as it is expected to have relatively predictable results. However, the quality of PLA may vary depending [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"kbtopic":[122],"kbtag":[126,354,61,287],"class_list":["post-166191","kb","type-kb","status-publish","hentry","kbtopic-mtl","kbtag-3d-printing","kbtag-filament","kbtag-material","kbtag-pla"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament - FacFox Docs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FacFox Docs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/facfox3d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@facfox3d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament\",\"name\":\"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament - FacFox Docs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-01T06:34:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/\",\"name\":\"FacFox Docs\",\"description\":\"Knowledgebase of manufacturing\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#organization\",\"name\":\"FACFOX,INC.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/foxdoc-favicon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/foxdoc-favicon.png\",\"width\":132,\"height\":133,\"caption\":\"FACFOX,INC.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/facfox3d\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/facfox3d\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/facfox3d\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament - FacFox Docs","description":"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament","og_description":"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.","og_url":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","og_site_name":"FacFox Docs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/facfox3d","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@facfox3d","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","url":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament","name":"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament - FacFox Docs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png","datePublished":"2023-02-01T06:34:28+00:00","description":"PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer. PLA is normally the PLA (Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used 3D printing materials. You often get a spool of it when you buy a new printer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/img.facfox.com\/imgs\/2023\/02\/01\/bd5348a8ec5669a2.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/pla-best-for-beginners-3d-printing-filament#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PLA \u2013 Best for Beginners \u2013 3D Printing Filament"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/","name":"FacFox Docs","description":"Knowledgebase of manufacturing","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#organization","name":"FACFOX,INC.","url":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/foxdoc-favicon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/foxdoc-favicon.png","width":132,"height":133,"caption":"FACFOX,INC."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/facfox3d","https:\/\/x.com\/facfox3d","https:\/\/instagram.com\/facfox3d"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb\/166191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb\/166191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166193,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kb\/166191\/revisions\/166193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kbtopic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kbtopic?post=166191"},{"taxonomy":"kbtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kbtag?post=166191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}