+ What is the difference between PLA and PLA+?

Think of PLA+ as the tougher cousin of regular PLA. The addition of a biodegradable toughening agent to our PLA+ blend results in a filament that is:

• Less brittle
• tougher and more impact resistant
• Has a far longer shelf life when compared to "regular" PLA *.

(*) This doesn't mean that you should leave your PLA+ out in the elements when not printing however. It's important to still practice proper filament care by storing your PLA+ in an airtight container containing some form of desiccant and out of direct sunlight.

For our guide on proper filament care and handling, check out our filament handling guide here.

+ What properties does PLA+ share with PLA?

Quite a few:

• Printability

  PLA+ shares many of the same properties as PLA which make it one of the easiest printing experiences on the market. These Include:

  • Requiring no heated bed to be printed (although best results will come with printing on a heated bed)
  • Shares similar printing temperatures to PLA. (see recommended print settings below)
  • Flows evenly and is not prone to stringing and blobbing.
  • Easy to sand, cut and drill
  • Odorless when printing

• Low Shrinkage

  Sharing the same low shrinkage behaviour as PLA, PLA+ is great for printing dimensionally accurate models and for fit testing designs before entering full production.

• Biodegradability

  The addition of a toughening agent that is biodegradable means that our PLA+ retains the same great, eco-friendly properties as our PLA.

• Heat and UV resistance

  These stay largely unchanged over our standard PLA. The glass transition temperature of PLA+ is a few degrees higher resulting in a slightly higher printing temperature. UV resistance remains the same as our regular PLA.

+ When should I use PLA+ for 3D printing?

• You need something tougher than PLA

  When you are looking to produce a 3D printed part in PLA but require it to resist loads or survive the strains of being a functional model then PLA+ is probably for you. With a elongation at break number of 45%, it is tougher than our regular PLA and will flex before snapping. If you're printing models largely for aesthetic and non-functional purposes, PLA may be more applicable.

• You're after a different material to print in

  PLA has long been the most ubiquitous 3D printing material choice for beginners for good reason. It's ease of printing and forgiving nature means that most users usually print everything in PLA until they are ready to move on to

  Printing in a new material and wrapping your head around all the changes in print settings that one has to account for can be a daunting prospect at first.

+ What print settings for printing PLA+ do you recommend?

Start with your regular PLA settings and increase your nozzle temperature by 5-10°C and your heat bed temperature by 5-10°. We recommend 200-210°C and 60-70°C respectively.