PLA as a 3D printing material has some obvious advantages, but it’s important to recognize that this material isn’t perfect and has some drawbacks. Below, we’ve listed some of the benefits and disadvantages of this material.

Pros

• Easy to print: PLA is super easy to print with; almost all 3D printers can print this material, and it doesn’t need a heated bed. PLA requires relatively low temperatures compared to other printing materials, can be printed somewhat fast (around 60 mm/s), and doesn’t require an enclosure.
• Inexpensive: PLA is pretty cheap to buy compared to other, more specialized printing materials such as nylon or polycarbonate (PC), making it a great option for makers on a budget.
• Wide range of colors and options: PLA comes in many different forms, and manufacturers have made this filament in almost any color you can think of. Additionally, there are composite and special-purpose PLA filaments, such as carbon-fiber-infused PLA, glittery PLA, and even scented PLA.
• Eco-friendlier: PLA is derived from renewable resources instead of petrochemicals, like most other thermoplastics. Further, studies have shown that the production of PLA consumes 65% less energy and produces substantially fewer greenhouse gases than are produced by conventional plastics.
• Non-toxic: PLA is non-toxic when it can be kept uncontaminated, expanding its applications to areas such as the medical and food industries.

Cons

• Brittle and relatively weak: The most obvious disadvantage of PLA is its low flexural strength. 3D printed PLA parts are significantly weaker than injection-molded parts and even parts 3D printed in other materials, such as PETG and ABS. PLA parts also don’t usually bend; they snap very quickly after enough force is applied, meaning the material is very brittle.
• Poor temperature resistance: On top of not being the strongest material out there, PLA isn’t very heat resistant, either. PLA has a low glass transition temperature, so parts printed in this material tend to deform under hot conditions, making PLA a less-than-ideal material for outdoor use.
• Not that biodegradable: While many tout PLA’s biodegradability, practically speaking, it’s not. The conditions for it to degrade naturally in the environment are very rare. It’s more accurate to say that PLA is industrially compostable.

PLA is the most popular 3D printing material, but it has plenty of uses besides 3D printing:

• Food packaging: PLA is a non-toxic and theoretically food-safe material, making it a great plastic for food packaging because it won’t contaminate food. For example, BioPak, a food packaging company, has successfully used PLA to make a food-safe food-packing.
• Medical: PLA’s non-toxic composition makes it useful in the medical and healthcare industry. PLA has been used in tissue engineering due to its compatibility with the human body.
• Prototyping: Prototyping in PLA is typically done with 3D printing, and it’s a great way for businesses and individuals to bring an idea to life. That’s because PLA is super easy to print, inexpensive, and can be used with any FDM 3D printer.
• Textiles: PLA is also used to produce fibers and other textiles due to its breathability, low weight, and compatibility with coloring dyes. In particular, you may find it used in the fiber filling of cushions and quilts, carpets, diapers, and even apparel fabrics.
• Cosmetics: The cosmetics industry is a huge contributor to plastic waste, and PLA is gaining popularity as a packaging alternative for its eco-friendliness.

Now that you know the industries where PLA is most used, below are a few ways that PLA components are produced:

• 3D printing: FDM 3D printing is a very common way to produce parts in PLA. The material is very easy to print, and it doesn’t need high temperatures, a heated bed, or a direct extrusion setup.
• Injection molding: Injection molding is the most popular method of manufacturing thermoplastics since it can be used to produce a wide variety of parts from Lego bricks to internal car parts (such as dashboards). Single-use PLA utensils are manufactured using this method.
• Thermoforming and blow molding: If you’ve ever been handed disposable food packaging labeled as PLA, it’s likely been processed with one of these two methods. Thermoforming takes a sheet of PLA, heats to soften it, and presses it against a mold so that the PLA conforms to its shape. Blow molding is a similar concept, but starts with a tube and uses pressurized air to expand the cylinder into a bottle-shaped mold.

Although we’ve already mentioned a few material properties, such as brittleness, PLA plastic has many other properties worth discussing:

• Strength: PLA isn’t a plastic known for its strength (that would be nylon or PC), but a PLA part’s strength is more dependent on how it was made rather than the material itself. For example, using a higher infill density and layer height would yield a stronger 3D printed part.
• Flexibility: PLA is a stiff plastic, meaning it has a low flexural strength compared to other plastics, especially flexible ones such as TPU. Additionally, as we’ve mentioned, PLA is brittle. Instead of bending, it usually snaps and breaks.
• Temperature resistance: PLA requires relatively low printing temperatures, but this also means it’ll be less resistant to elevated temperatures after printing. This is why it’s recommended that you not use PLA for parts that are meant to be outdoors or to be used in direct sunlight, as they can easily become disfigured. And, as seen above, avoid the dishwasher if the parts need to be washed.
• UV resistance: PLA can discolor when exposed over long periods to UV rays. In combination with high temperatures, this degradation can be faster and cause embrittlement.
• Chemical resistance: PLA isn’t soluble in solvents such as acetone or isopropyl alcohol and, overall, PLA plastic is a chemically resistant and stable material. However, you can still use solvents such as ethyl acetate and mixtures like XTC3D to dissolve or layer-smooth PLA parts.

PLA is naturally a great material for 3D printing, unlike other plastics such as nylon or polycarbonate, which don’t transfer as easily into additive manufacturing. Overall, PLA has a great printing performance, due to a few factors.

First, PLA doesn’t require a heated bed, enclosure, or direct extrusion setup, so the equipment needed to print this material isn’t expensive, sometimes even costing under $100. Materials such as ABS, PETG, and TPU all require at least one of these things to create quality prints.

Second, PLA is widely accessible, and the consumer 3D printing industry has grown enough that PLA filament is readily available online. It’s also pretty cheap, starting from around $20 per kilogram. Other filaments, such as PETG, cost a few extra dollars per kilogram, and there are fewer options.

Third, PLA is quite tolerant of varying print settings (within reason), so achieving a good print is pretty easy without a lengthy testing process to perfect slicer settings. Most default slicer profiles will leave you with a satisfactory model right off the bat, and just a little bit of adjustment can improve your prints even more. In contrast, ABS, PETG, and TPU are all sensitive to slicer settings, so your slicer profiles for these materials need to be delicately tuned to produce good prints.

Last, PLA can be printed more quickly than most other materials, and due to the desire for rapid prototyping, PLA is popular for quickly developing prototypes. No one wants to wait around for days until their first prototype is produced because, by then, they may have moved on to the next prototype!

Over the years, many unique types of PLA filament have emerged, giving the consumer many choices:

Standard & Recycled

First and foremost, standard PLA is the regular type of PLA prevalent in the 3D printing industry, with no unique or special features besides the basic properties of the PLA material and the best affordability.

Not much different from standard options, recycled PLA is becoming increasingly available and is of excellent quality when purchased from trusted manufacturers.

Aesthetic

Here’s where PLA really shines – literally. As a great choice for decorative prints, filament manufacturers have gotten very creative with the possibilities (although we can’t promise any strength-wise benefits). One of the most common variants is silk PLA, which yields a super shiny, smooth, and silky finish to parts, popular for pieces such as vases. Glittery or sparkly PLA contains large glitter particles that are very visible, so you can have a printed part that sparkles. Glow-in-the-dark PLA will luminesce in the dark due to special additives in the filament. There are also dual-color, rainbow, and gradient filaments to give PLA parts a colorful pop, no paint required. For a unique look, try out transparent or matte PLA filaments.

Taking a slightly different approach to aesthetic filaments, composite filaments aimed at mimicking a natural material can elevate 3D prints to a new level. Wood PLA often contains actual wood particles to give it a realistic carven-wood appearance, great for prints like plaques. Marble PLA filament is another popular option, and sometimes (but not always) contains small particles of stone to yield a marble-like, speckled finish.

Functional

“Plus” and “Pro” are common terms in the filament business to describe a material that has been mixed with special additives to enhance its performance, usually concerning its strength. Pro PLA and PLA+ are great options if you want to print functional, real-world-use parts that will be subject to physical stresses but in a material that’s still easy to print.

For even more strength, carbon fiber PLA is a composite filament that contains carbon fiber particles to increase the PLA’s strength and durability while maintaining most of its ease-of-use properties.

Aside from filaments formulated for strength, there are PLA variants that aim to improve other important physical properties. These include soft PLA, a flexible TPU-like filament, heat-resistant PLA, and conductive PLA for low-magnitude electrical projects.

The Full Rundown

The Best PLA Filament Special Types

As we’ve mentioned, PLA plastic is sourced from plants such as corn instead of harmful materials like crude oil, which most other plastics are made from. This means PLA is a sustainable material for the most part, as plants are relatively renewable.

However, the plants required to produce PLA are important as a food source, and some could argue that it’s not in the planet’s best interest to use these limited crops to make plastic over food. Currently, there are research efforts looking to use crop byproducts instead of the crop itself to produce PLA.

PLA is also technically biodegradable, but it takes a long time, even in an ideal environment, for PLA plastic parts to degrade. One study found that in a controlled composting environment, with heat and decomposing organisms to expedite the process, PLA plastic took three months to break down.

It would take even longer than three months for PLA to decompose in natural, uncontrolled conditions. So, it’s not like you can just toss all your old 3DBenchys in the composter or on the ground. Instead, it’s best to send PLA to a special facility capable of recycling 3D printing scraps whenever possible. Alternatively, you can recycle your PLA scraps yourself with enough commitment!

You can also aim to reduce your consumption of virgin material by purchasing recycled filament. The methods for recycling printing waste have greatly improved in recent years, but some companies also source their recyclate from industrial waste. Either way, recycled PLA filament can still print just as beautifully as brand-new material.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?

Is PLA Recyclable? – Simply Answered

Lastly, it’s important to discuss the toxicity and food safety of PLA plastic, as this is a key consideration of using any material. PLA is a non-toxic material and can theoretically be used for producing food-safe items, unlike other 3D printing plastics such as ABS. However, many other factors contribute to the food safety of PLA, especially if it’s a 3D printed part.

Just because a material is non-toxic doesn’t mean it’s safe to come in contact with food. For example, FDM 3D printing creates parts layer-by-layer, and there are tiny gaps between these layers. These gaps can trap foreign particles, potentially contaminating the part and providing a nice home for bacteria.

Before even putting the part in contact with food, keep in mind that the PLA filament is fed through an extruder, tube, hot end, and nozzle – all locations where other, potentially unsafe, materials come into contact with the PLA. We recommend consulting our guide to printing food-safe parts before attempting to print anything that will come into contact with food.

Moreover, additives such as plasticizers are often added to PLA filaments, which can have unknown (and untested) consequences on the filament’s food safety. Additives can leech out of the material, especially when in contact with certain liquids or at elevated temperatures. That’s why it’s best to stick with PLA filaments that are formulated and manufactured according to food-safe standards.

With this in mind, it’s important to remember that while pure PLA plastic is non-toxic and food-safe, other materials and particles can affect the safety of the finished part.

Stay Safe

The Best Food-Safe 3D Printer Filaments

Now that you know the pros, cons, and types of PLA, you may want a spool or two of your own! While many companies make claims about the quality of the filament, a few are known for their reputation and consistent quality from spool to spool. Below are some quality brands of PLA filament:

Prusament

Prusament is Prusa Research’s filament sector, and they make an assortment of materials, including several options for PLA. They even offer a recycled PLA filament in a few color options. Their standard PLA comes in over 20 different colors, including silk and glitter variations, and is well-trusted by makers.

Prusament PLA

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Polymaker

Polymaker sells a few different types of PLA. Their arguably most notable option, PolyLite, comes in a huge variety of colors, including silk, glitter, glow-in-the-dark, translucent, dual-color, and color-changing. A more functional option is their PolyMax, an impact-resistant filament. PolyTerra, their eco-friendly choice, is available in a wide selection of matte and pastel colors, in addition to composites like PolyWood. A new addition to their lineup is PolySonic, a fast-printing PLA.

Fillamentum

Fillamentum is a higher-end filament manufacturer, and their PLA filaments are some of the best out there, known for their unique colors (e.g. crystal clear) and great printing performance. If you’re looking for a sustainable option, their NonOilen filament is PLA blended with PHB, another bio-based and biodegradable polymer.