PLA is a strong, stiff biodegradable plastic. Its processed using a FDM printer, meaning it enters the printer in filament form, its heated to melting point and extruded out the print head as it prints into its final shape. It has properties that we have found are suited well for a range of difficult geometries including forms prone to warping. 

It has a remarkably low shrink rate of 0.1-0.2% which is how we produce forms within tolerance and free of warping.

The filament diameter is highly accurate (+-0.03mm) so parts are free of inconsistencies. All our PLA is kept dry boxes always, this ensures the plastic absorbs no moisture which would decrease print quality in ways you can and can’t see with our eyes.

Its elongation at break is 20% which prevents it from becoming brittle, provides a little flexibility and improves impact resistance.

Our default print settings apply a wall thickness of 1.2mm and a hexagonal infill pattern of 20% density. Our maximum infill density is 50%, anything more than that clogs the machinery and adds almost no extra strength.

Typically, its best suited for prototyping purposes, its cheap so it’s more affordable when many iterations are required. Its lower detail than SLA resin and the build lines are visible, but its accurate and more than detailed enough for a huge variety of applications.