PLA printed by fused deposition modeling is polylactic acid filament melted in a heated nozzle and deposited bead by bead to build a part layer by layer. It is among the easiest filaments to print, adhering well to the build plate and warping little, so an enclosed heated chamber is not usually needed. Printed parts are anisotropic, weakest between layers where bead fusion governs strength, and they show visible layer lines and small voids between beads. Overhangs need supports that leave marks when removed. Typical uses are visual models, fit-check prototypes, jigs and fixtures, and lightly loaded housings, kept away from heat and sustained load because the material softens readily.
Compliance & Regulations
Each row is one condition this material was measured in. Its values and curves are in the tables and charts below, labelled with the condition; the ranges here span that row's own cited values and are never averaged across rows.
| Condition | Yield (MPa) | UTS (MPa) | Elongation (%) | E (GPa) | Density (kg/m³) | Values | Curves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flashforge PLA Basic | — | 45–49 | 13.5–15.5 | 1 | 1250–1260 | 7 | 0 |
| Bambu Lab Bambu PLA Basic | — | — | — | — | 1240 | 7 | 0 |
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Notched Charpy Impact Strength(acN)4 entries | 7.900 range 6.700–9.100 | kJ/m² | Bambu Lab Bambu PLA Basic, annealed · annealed · ISO 179, GB/T 1043 · XY | ||
| ↳ | 2.000 | kJ/m² | BigRep rPLA · ISO 179 | ||
| ↳ | 3.900 range 3.500–4.300 | kJ/m² | UltiMaker PLA · 23°C · ISO 179-1 / 1eB · XY | ||
| ↳ | 8.900 range 8.100–9.700 | kJ/m² | UltiMaker Tough PLA · 23°C · ISO 179-1 / 1eB · XY | ||
Elongation at Break(εf) | 1.800 – 27.00 | % | 16 entriesClick to expand | ||
Flexural Modulus(Ef) | 2.220 – 3.800 | GPa | 15 entriesClick to expand | ||
Flexural Strength (MOR)(σf) | 43.00 – 101.3 | MPa | 16 entriesClick to expand | ||
Hardness (Shore D)(Shore D) | 80.00 – 84.00 | Shore D | 6 entriesClick to expand | ||
Notched Izod Impact Strength(Izod) | 62.00 | J/m | Markforged Precise PLA | ||
Ultimate Tensile Strength(σUTS) | 18.00 – 57.50 | MPa | 18 entriesClick to expand | ||
Yield Strength (0.2% offset)(σy) | 31.00 – 61.00 | MPa | 9 entriesClick to expand | ||
Young's Modulus(E) | 1.000 – 3.400 | GPa | 19 entriesClick to expand | ||
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Glass Transition Temperature(Tg) | 328.2 – 336.2 | K | 10 entriesClick to expand | ||
Heat Deflection Temperature(HDT) | 324.2 – 332.4 | K | 14 entriesClick to expand | ||
Melting Point / Solidus(Tm) | 423.2 – 458.2 | K | 8 entriesClick to expand | ||
Maximum Service Temperature(Tmax) | 328.2 | K | Prusa Research Prusament PLA | ||
Vicat Softening Temperature(VST) | 327.2 – 346.2 | K | 7 entriesClick to expand | ||
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Density(ρ) | 1.200 – 1.300 | kg/m³ | 12 entriesClick to expand | ||
Water Absorption(WA) | 0.1300 – 0.4300 | % | 5 entriesClick to expand | ||
Reference data from cited sources. Not verified or certified by MatWorld Inc. Verify against the source before use in design. Terms: engineering data
| Prusa Research Prusament PLA | 48–61 | — | — | 2–3 | 1240 | 18 | 0 |
| Raise3D Premium PLA | — | — | — | — | 1200 | 4 | 0 |
| Markforged Precise PLA | 31 | 18 | 27.0 | 2 | 1300 | 8 | 0 |
| Stratasys PLA | — | — | — | — | 1264 | 5 | 0 |
| Anycubic PLA | — | 26–53 | 7.0–9.0 | 2–3 | 1240 | 11 | 0 |
| QIDI Tech PLA Rapido | — | 42–48 | 10.0–15.0 | 3 | 1220 | 6 | 0 |
| UltiMaker Tough PLA | 33–48 | 20–36 | 2.4–11.3 | 3 | 1220 | 25 | 0 |
| Raise3D Hyper Speed PLA, conditioned | — | 35–55 | 2.4–10.4 | 2–3 | — | 10 | 0 |
| BigRep rPLA | — | 53 | — | 3 | 1240 | 9 | 0 |
| Raise3D Premium PLA, conditioned | — | 31–41 | 1.9–8.4 | 2–3 | — | 9 | 0 |
| Raise3D Hyper Speed PLA | — | — | — | — | 1210 | 5 | 0 |
| Bambu Lab Bambu PLA Basic, annealed | — | 28–39 | 6.2–14.0 | 2–3 | — | 11 | 0 |
| UltiMaker PLA | 52–60 | 30–58 | 1.8–9.0 | 3 | 1240 | 24 | 0 |
Machines the manufacturer states for this material.