PLA filament in Batumi

What PLA is

PLA (polylactic acid) is made from renewable feedstock - corn starch or sugar cane. It is the most common material in FDM printing and the most predictable: it melts at a low temperature, barely shrinks and does not smell while printing.

How to print it

• Nozzle: 190-220 °C
• Bed: 20-60 °C, heating optional
• Cooling: full, always on
• Enclosure: not needed, and actively unhelpful - trapped heat stops the part cooling

Lay the first layer slowly, 20-25 mm/s. After that PLA is comfortable at 60-100 mm/s, and faster on high-speed machines if the cooling can keep up.

What to print

Anything that will not get hot and does not carry load: models, cases, stands, figurines, board game pieces, gifts, decor. PLA holds the finest detail of the common plastics - small relief comes out crisp.

What PLA cannot do

• It does not survive heat. A part left in a car in the sun deforms at 50-60 °C. For a dashboard, a kitchen or anything outdoors in summer, use PETG or ABS.
• It is brittle on impact. It snaps rather than bends. For gears, brackets and mounts, PETG is the better answer.
• It does not last outdoors. UV and moisture make it progressively more brittle.

Storage

PLA absorbs moisture more slowly than PETG or nylon, but it does absorb it. Wet filament crackles in the nozzle and prints a rough surface. Keep the spool in a bag with silica gel; dry a damp one for 4-6 hours at 45-50 °C.

PLA or PLA+

PLA+ is the same polylactic acid with additives that raise impact toughness. It prints the same way, costs more and is markedly harder to break. If the part will be dropped, the difference is real.