October 17, 2020
ALL ABOUT- POLYLACTIC ACID (PLA) - Makenica 3d printing
POLYLACTIC ACID is a fully biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polymer consisting of renewable raw materials such as starch, corn or sugar cane.
What is Polylactic Acid(PLA)?
It is a natural raw material used in 3D printing.
Polylactic Acid is a fully biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polymer consisting of renewable raw materials such as starch, corn or sugar cane.
Polylactic Acid is widely used to make packaging, primarily for the food industry as a substitute for fossil fuel-derived plastics, because PLA material is appropriate for food contact.
Polylactic Acid is a polyester manufactured by fermentation under controlled conditions of a carbohydrate source like corn starch or sugarcane. Its building blocks can either be lactic acid or lactide monomers. They will later be polymerized into PLA.
Initially, corn goes through wet milling. There starch gets separated. The starch is then mixed with acid or enzymes and heated. This process “breaks” starch into dextrose (D-glucose), or corn sugar. Lastly, fermentation of glucose produces L-Lactic acid, which will be the basic constituent of PLA.
There are two methods for manufacturing Polylactic Acid (PLA) plastic from lactic acid are applied.
The first one uses lactide as an intermediate state, which results in greater molecular weight. The second method consists in the direct polymerization of lactic acid.
- Glass transition temperature of 65 °C
- Melting temperature of 178 °C
- Layer thickness varies between approximately 70 and 400 microns and depends on the 3D printer’s precision.
- Heated Bed Optional
- Enclosure not required
- No special hot-end required
- Increasing the perimeter outlines for your PLA prints will create a strong bond between each layer, creating stronger parts that are less prone to breaking.
- Initially starting with a temperature of 195 °C then change by 5-degrees to obtain the right quality of print and strength so that they complement each other.
- On heating up to 60 degrees adhesion can be improved.
- At high temperatures, stringing can appear between separate parts, because the extruder leaks PLA material when it moves between the different areas during printing. If this happens, then you will be required to decrease the temperature.
- If the temperature is too low, filament may fail to adhere to the previous layer.
- PLA material needs to be stored in a cool and dark place, preferably in a sealed bag.
- Renewable
- Biodegradable
- Lot of different shades and styles
- Low Cost
- Stiff and good strength
- Good dimensional accuracy
- Good shelf life
- Heat resistant material
- Good geometric stability
- Efficient
- Low heat resistance
- Low chemical resistance
- Not flame retardant
- More fragile than ABS
- Can ooze and may need cooling fans
- Not suitable for outdoors (sunlight exposure)
- Its glass transition temperature is low (Tg ~ 55°C)
- Its poor ductility, low impact strength and brittleness limits its use as compared to other thermoplastics such as ABS
- It has low crystallization rate and processing results mainly in amorphous products
- PLA is much more susceptible to chemical and biological hydrolysis
- It is thermally unstable and has poor gas barrier performance
- It has low flexibility and requires long mold cycles
- It is relatively hydrophobic
- It has slow degradation rate
In solid form, PLA is not toxic. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is biodegradable. It is often used in food handling and medical implants that biodegrade within the body over time. Be careful and closely follow handling instructions for molten polymer. Specifically, it has the potential to be toxic if inhaled or absorbed into the skin or eyes as a vapor or liquid (i.e. during manufacturing processes).
- Prints Dimensionally accurate assemblies
- Prints Decorative Parts
- Prints Test and calibration items
- Prints Cosplay Props
- Prints safe alternative to traditional plastics
- Prints for food packaging due to its increased aesthetics, better printability, good resistance to grease and oils.
- Used for printing medical implants
- Used for Automotive industry
- Used for household appliances
- Used for manufacturing casual sports apparel, upholstery material, hygiene products and diapers.
- Used for rapid tooling
- Used for toys, figurines, non-functional prototypes
- Polylactic Acid is also suitable for textile fiber applications such as shirts, carpets, bedding, mattress, sportswear etc. due to its low moisture absorption, low smoke generation capability as well as good resistance to UV light.
Rapid Tooling (RT) is that the tactic of blending rapid Prototyping techniques along conventional tooling methods to provide a mould quickly. It uses three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. Rapid tooling is understood by many names including prototype tooling, prototype mould and soft tooling. The rapid tooling process is responsible for building the core, cavity, and side actions of the part.
