PLA

Name

Polylactide/polylactic acid, PLA for short

Type of material

Made from renewable raw materials (e.g., corn starch, sugar cane).

Biodegradable under industrial composting conditions.

More sustainable than many petroleum-based plastics, but not entirely unproblematic in everyday use.

Properties

Easy to process (low printing temperatures, little warping).

Odorless during printing.

Good dimensional stability and surface quality.

Mechanical properties

Relatively hard and stiff.

Brittle, less fracture-resistant than ABS or PETG, for example.

Temperature guidelines

Printing temperature: approx. 190–220 °C

Heating bed: 0–60 °C (often possible without)

Heat resistance: only up to max. 60 °C → may deform when exposed to heat.

Application

Suitable for prototypes, models, decorations, parts without high stress.

Less suitable for parts used outdoors or under load/heat.

Conclusion

PLA is the simplest and most popular 3D printing material – easy to print, but not very heat or stress resistant.