Polylatic Acid
PLA
Easy Setup
- Easy Storage
- No Special Conditions
- Minimal Warping
Things to keep in mind:
- Keep your printer away from windows and vents if possible
- Avoid humid climates
- Remove filament when not being used
Low Temperature
Recommended:
Nozzle: 210C
Bed: 60C
Other options:
- First Layer: 215C
- Other Layers: 210C
If there is no heated bed: Recommended:
Nozzle: 200C
Great for Most Applications
Tensile Strength: 50Mpa
Material Behavior:
- Brittle
- Hygroscopic (absorbs moisture)
- UV Degradation
Debugging Prints
Stringing
Typically seen as a result of high traffic movements.
Main Causes:
- Retraction too low
- Temperature too high
Clean up:
Apply light heat
*too much heat will melt your part!
Cut off zits
Supports
Support overhang angles less than 45 degrees
How to fix: Reslice and add supports
Recommended settings:
Style: Organic
Overhang Threshold: 45
Top Contact: 0.2
Bridging
Typically caused by temperature and print speed
*Time consuming-Takes some time to tune
How to fix:
Lower temperature
Lower print speed
*Requires a good ratio of the two
Warping
Typically caused by sharp corners and poor cooling.
How to fix:
Lower print speed
Lower temperature
Round sharp corners
Next step (if needed):
Clean nozzle
Dry filament
Bed Adhesion
Main Causes:
- Poor contact area with the build plate*
- Bed leveling
- Print speed too fast
- Layer height too high
- Not enough cooling
- Residue on build plate*
- Nozzle clog
- Moisture in filament
*Most Common
How to Fix:
Add a brim
Slow down the print speed
Turn on the cooling fan/Lower the temperature
Clean the build plate
