3D Printing Materials - PLA – It’s not actually plastic

3D Printing Materials - PLA – It’s not actually plastic

Today we are going to look at 3D printing materials and dispel a few myths around them.

While plastics are important in the modern world, we all know that they come at an environmental cost. The media is full of pictures of mounds of empty plastic bottles filling rivers and fields and even islands of plastic waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Micro-plastics from this waste has been linked to significant impacts on animal health and is now also being linked to potential impact on human heath as well.

3D printing looks on the face of it to be adding to this by producing more and more ‘plastic’ items. In the case of some materials used in 3D printing, such as ABS or PETG filaments, this is correct. At GameCraft, we use Polylactic Acid filament (PLA).

So what is PLA?

PLA is a form of bioplastic that was first discovered in 1936 and according to Wikipedia (so it must be true 😊!) is now the most commonly used bioplastic in the world. As a bioplastic, PLA has the advantage of being made from renewable resources such as fermented plant starch. In addition to this, the used result is also compostable and so can be easily disposed of at the end of its life.

Why PLA?

While there are many different filaments that can be used in 3D printing, PLA is probably the most common one. This is mainly due to its ease of use; it melts at a lower temperature than most conventional plastics and does not release any harmful fumes when being printed.

Why not use PLA for everything?

PLA has one drawback – poor heat resistance, but what does this mean? Basically, PLA is not very resistant to heat due to its low glass and melting points. The finished product will warp when left in direct sunlight (especially with the UV levels in NZ!) and can also shrink if left in hot temperatures (like your car in summer). If you are planning on painting PLA, we would advise not leaving it in the sunshine to dry!

Storage

We recommend that anything made of PLA (like our terrain and buildings) is kept in a cool, dark place and out of direct sunlight where possible.

Recycling and disposal

As a plastic, PLA is ‘type 7’ and so not currently recyclable in New Zealand. While it is compostable, it should not be placed in your organic waste but could be composted at home provided that your composter reaches 58 °C (136 °F). Under these conditions, half of the PLA should decompose within 60 days. If you cannot guarantee these conditions, then we would advise disposing of PLA in the regular waste.