PLA
Economical Thermoplastic
PLA is a renewable plastic material offered as a low-cost material option for fast-draft part iterations.
Quick, economical design concepts available in 11 colour options, including transparent. Available on the office-friendly Stratasys F123™ Series 3D printers, PLA offers a higher stiffness than ABS and its low melting point and HDT mean less heat and power required to print parts.
PLA works well at high speeds, specifically fast-draft mode on the Stratasys F123 Series, for quick concept verification and design development.
PLA Material Properties
Behaviour and use
Main Uses
PLA model material is ideal for quick concept and verification models with good tensile strength. This value-priced material is user-friendly and ideal for classroom environments and made from renewable resources.
Top Applications
- Rapid Prototyping
- Education
- Sales and Marketing
FDM Material Applications
Learn how designers and engineers are using FDM Materials
Design Firm 3D Prints with Stratasys machine to refine Ideas with Speed
A Stratasys F123 series printer with GrabCAD Print™ software streamlines the shared workflow of a Design Firm and makes CAD even more responsive to fast-moving projects.
3D Printing a Space Vehicle for Mars Exploration
To design such a tenacious and specialized vehicle, NASA are 3D Printing Space Vehicle Parts. For example, about 70 of the parts that make up the rover were built digitally, directly from computer designs, in the heated chamber of a production-grade Stratasys 3D Printer.
Additive Manufacturing reduces fixture costs by 65%
Oreck uses PC thermoplastic to create custom assembly pallets for its commercial vacuum business. Oreck uses Additive Manufacturing extensively to produce prototypes, specialized assembly tools and CNC milling fixtures.
Reaching New Heights of Efficiency with Additive Manufacturing Tooling
GKN Aerospace Achieves Significant Savings with Additive Manufactured Tooling and Prototypes. GKN Aerospace (GKN) is a leading multi-technology tier one aerospace supplier, serving over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers.
Additive Manufacturing reduces Aerospace part lead time by 95%
Rapid Processing Solutions Inc. (Rapid PSI) is a contract manufacturer that specializes in Additive Manufacturing Aerospace parts. The company uses Stratasys 3D Production Systems to make production parts for most every large business jet manufacturer worldwide.
PLA Specification & Features
| MECHANICAL PROPERTIES | TEST METHOD | ENGLISH | METRIC | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XZ AXIS | ZX AXIS | XZ axis | ZX axis | ||
| Tensile Strength, Yield (Type 1, 0.125”, 0.2”/min) | ASTM D638 | 6,580 psi | 3,790 psi | 45 MPa | 26 MPa |
| Tensile Strength, Ultimate (Type 1, 0.125”, 0.2”/min) | ASTM D638 | 6,990 psi | 3,830 psi | 48 MPa | 26 MPa |
| Tensile Modulus (Type 1, 0.125”, 0.2”/min) | ASTM D638 | 440,730 psi | 368,200 psi | 3,039 MPa | 2,539 MPa |
| Elongation at Break (Type 1, 0.125”, 0.2”/min) | ASTM D638 | 2.5% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 1.0% |
| Elongation at Yield (Type 1, 0.125”, 0.2”/min) | ASTM D638 | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Flexural Strength (Method 1, 0.05”/min) | ASTM D790 | 12,190 psi | 6,570 psi | 84 MPa | 45 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus (Method 1, 0.05”/min) | ASTM D790 | 425,010 psi | 358,290 psi | 2,930 MPa | 2,470 MPa |
| Flexural Strain at Break | ASTM D790 | 4.1% | 1.9% | 4.1% | 1.9% |
| IZOD impact - notched (Method A, 23 °C) | ASTM D256 | 0.5 ft-lb/in | N/A | 27 J/m | N/A |
| IZOD impact - unnotched (Method A, 23 °C) | ASTM D256 | 3.6 ft-lb/in | N/A | 192 J/m | N/A |
| THERMAL PROPERTIES | TEST METHOD | ENGLISH | METRIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Deflection (HDT) @ 66 psi | ASTM D648 | 127 °F | 53 °C |
| Heat Deflection (HDT) @ 264 psi | ASTM D648 | 124 °F | 51 °C |
| Vicat Softening Temperature (Rate B/50) | ASTM D1525 | 129 °F | 54 °C |
| Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) | DMA (SSYS) | 145 °F | 63 °C |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (flow) | ASTM E831 | 56x10 μin/(in∙°F) | 101x10 µm/(m∙°C) |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (xflow) | ASTM E831 | 57x10 µin/(in∙°F) | 102x10 µm/(m∙°C) |
| ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES | TEST METHOD | VALUE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| XY | ZX | ||
| Volume Resistivity | ASTM D257 | 2.9E+15 ohm-cm | 3.24E+15 ohm-cm |
| Dielectric Constant | ASTM D150-98 | 1.51 | 2.33 |
| Dissipation Factor | ASTM D150-98 | 0.003 | 0.005 |
| Dielectric Strength | ASTM D149-09, Method A | 154 V/mil | 293 V/mil |
| OTHER | TEST METHOD | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| Specific Gravity | ASTM D792 | 1.264 g/cc |
| SYSTEM AVAILABILITY | LAYER THICKNESS CAPABILITY | SUPPORT STRUCTURE | AVAILABLE COLOURS |
|---|---|---|---|
| F123 Series | 0.010 in. (0.254 mm) | Breakaway | Black White Light Gray Medium Gray Red Blue Natural Trans Red Trans Blue Trans Yellow Trans Green Trans |
Need to 3D print with PLA?
Call us free at 1-877-219-6757 to speak to an expert, or send us your CAD model and we'll 3D print it with PLA material