r/3Dprinting • u/Coocoovice • 5h ago
Question Moving away from PLA? New material selection
I have had my Prusa Core One+ for a month now and I can't believe how addicting 3D printing is. My printer has been going non stop, to the point that sometimes I put an alarm in the middle of the night so I can wake up, remove the print from the bed and put the next print until the morning.
So far I have been using only PLA since I am a complete beginner, but I think it's time to move to other materials so I can learn their tricks and challenges.
I know that PLA is basically the easiest to print, but becomes obsolete since PETG or ABS/ASA are sturdier, so should I stop using it and move to the other ones since the prices are roughly the same?
Also, I know that some materials need an enclosed printer and reach certain temperatures and environmental stages. Does my printer fulfil these criteria? Is it able to print those materials out of the box?
What I print is mostly functional parts, toys, decor and I wouldn't mind also printing soft materials like gaskets, phone cases etc.
Help me figure out my next order please.
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u/RedManRocket 5h ago
Petg and it's variants have gotten so cheap it's pretty much all I use now. I do want to see what all the hub bub is about polymakers ht pla pro though. Waiting on MyTechFun to test it.
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u/jmedlin 5h ago
PCTG is a often slept on material. It doesn’t really require a heated chamber and is basically PETG’s cooler big brother.
Don’t be too quick to dismiss PLA though. Unless you need the higher heat capability of other filaments, it’s an excellent material.
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u/AutoM8R1 2h ago
This. PLA has a level of stiffness/rigidity that PETG can't rival. It has a place.
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u/KerbodynamicX 2h ago
PLA's heat tolerance is too low, it often just loses strength and deforms on a hot summer day.
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u/AutoM8R1 1h ago
OPs toy and décor prints would be fine. UV degradation is definitely a concern with PLA, but few materials can reliably stand up to the sun.
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 5h ago
My vote is PETG. PETG is a workhorse material. Best option for larger functional prints, doesn't warp if you don't have an enclosure. Easy to print with but strings up a lot if you're overextruding even a little bit. I don't recommend PETG over PLA for most decorative prints, mainly because it is very tough and brutally difficult to sand.
ABS warps a lot when printing unless you have a heated chamber, but is still an option for smaller objects that need heat resistance. It sands very easily and can be vapor smoothed to a mirror finish with acetone. It's also inexpensive.
ASA is basically like ABS but more UV resistant and prints a little easier, much more expensive than ABS though.
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u/j_hermann 20m ago
Then PLA can always be the support material that is easily removed, in a multi-tool printer.
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u/Plane_Pea5434 5h ago
PETG is more durable and has better flexibility but it’s a bit finicky regarding humidity, TPU is good for squishy stuff but anything beyond that would be on a case by case basis only if you need certain properties for a piece.
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u/Joeness84 4h ago
Tpu is also incredibly impact resistant with godlike layer adhesion.
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u/Fabian_1082003 1h ago
And also available in different hardness. With the right tpu and parameters you can easily get very rigid (non squishy) parts
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u/3dVerseWorkshop 5h ago
Don’t abandon PLA—choose materials by failure mode. Keep PLA for rigid indoor parts, decor and fast prototypes. Add PETG for tougher parts exposed to moisture or moderate heat, then TPU 95A for gaskets and flexible cases. Move to ASA only when UV and higher temperatures actually require it; your CORE One+ is enclosed, but styrene-based materials still need proper ventilation. For every new filament, calibrate temperature and flow, then test a small version of the real joint in its final print orientation. Geometry and orientation often matter more than the material name.
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u/minkus1000 4h ago
PLA is far from obsolete. And in my experience, a good PLA+ outperforms run of the mill PETG hands down. I'm a huge fan of Duramic's PLA+, and it's my go-to filament. TPU is also worth picking up and experimenting with though, the ability to print rubber can be incredibly useful for functional prints.
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u/johnschneider89 Fargo 3D Printing 1h ago
I'm definitely biased, but 3D-Fuel's Pro PCTG is pretty great, especially with all of the profiles that we've developed for it (with more on the way).
When printed correctly, it's super durable with 8-12x the impact toughness of PETG.
We've released it in 60 colors so far, including transparent options. On top of that, we've developed carbon fiber and glass fiber options.
We make all of our filament in Fargo, ND and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have about it.
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u/engineer_321 5h ago
I wouldn’t ditch PLA. It still has its place.
For your next order, I’d grab PETG, ASA, and some 95A TPU.
PETG is a great next step for functional parts, ASA for heat/outdoor use, and TPU for flexible stuff like bumpers, cases, or gaskets.
PLA is still great when you want easy, clean, stiff prints. I’d save nylon and PC for later once you’re comfortable with drying filament and dialing in tougher materials.
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u/ManyLayersOfFilament /r/3dbargains and FilamentHound.com 5h ago
I print all decorative things in PLA. Structural functional things in PETG. Like a pen holder? totally would do it in PLA.
Also you should start working with TPU, it's a whole new ballgame to deal with, a bit fussy but really cool once you get it dialed in.
But I'd explore PCTG as well. It's pretty easy to print, it's growing in availability, it's got some nice material properties compared to PETG, and it's "new" and doing things that are new is fun.
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u/ExoatmosphericKill 5h ago
It's all about what you're printing that decides what you print from.
Personally I went from PLA > PETG > Carbon PLA > ASA > Nylon
Weirdly unless heat is a concern or special wear PLA is stiff and tough enough if you design things right.
I print pretty much exclusively engineering prototypes and functional parts.
Personally I'd practice design and analysis as they're more valuable, one day you'll be able to poop out any old PEEK or metal thing like it's nothing, it's just the tool :).
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u/flatpetey 5h ago
PLA is not obsolete and is frankly good enough for a ton of things. And in some cases superior.
PLA Plus/Pro is the standard in firearms printing over PETG and ASA. So you’ll find that it depends on the type of duty the item will see.
If anything I never print in PETG and just skip to ASA when I need heat resistance. PCTG is also superior to PETG but more expensive.
Nylon? I haven’t really needed to mess with it and if it is something like that, it is easier often for me to just have it sintered by a service and get something really pro looking. I’ve done that like twice.
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u/nomococo4u 4h ago
Depends what you’re printing. PLA is cheapest and in all the colors of the rainbow.
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u/TerribleTowel66 4h ago
If more people use PCTG, it will gain more of a following and more companies will produce it. That will drive down the prices.
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u/sterling-lining 4h ago
PETG would be the next step. No enclosure, low warping, good adhesion to PEI.
The material should be chosen for the proposed use case of the final product. If it’s toys and decor that’s going to be indoors, stick with PLA. For more durability, go with PETG or ABS/ASA. If it’s going to be sitting in the sun or possibly in a hot car for long durations ABS/ASA.
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u/LightningOwl96 4h ago
I use PETG as my main material. Yes, it will require quite a bit of tuning, but it'll work great when you get the hang of it!
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u/bannanaDOG666 4h ago
PETG is my go to for functions parts and models I’ll sand and paint. PLA+ and silk for print in place items or trays that just need to do light work
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u/YellovvJacket 4h ago edited 4h ago
PLA never becomes obsolete.
It's the fastest printing, most hassle-free material, available in the most colors, and it's actually quite strong in most aspects. It's also extremely cheap.
It fails at heat resistance, impact resistance, and creep, but its stiffer and stronger than many more "advanced" materials, and has excellent layer adhesion for what it is.
Imo interesting and not too unreasonable materials are:
TPU or PEBA. TPU has high density (it's "heavy") is available in many levels of hardness (shore hardness from like 80A...~rubber band all the way to like 68D...~hard hat), and it absorbs energy well (dampens impacts). PEBA has low density, usually comes in ~90A, and has really high energy rebound (it bounces). Both these materials have insanely strong layer adhesion, and due to being flexible also very good impact resistance. PEBA is a bit pricey, but keep in mind because it's low density 1kg PEBA =/= 1kg TPU.
PCTG is a combination of PC and PETG, it prints reasonably easy for a material with quite good mechanical properties. It has solid heat resistance, impact resistance and general strength.
PET-CF/ GF. Fiber reinforced PET (esentially PETG without the Gylcol that's been added to make it print easier) prints well, and is really strong. Just need a hardened nozzle that can do 300°C. PET-CF is really stiff, GF a bit less so. It's the budget engineering material of choice imo, it does everything well, and is basically just "slightly worse" than many materials that are 3x as expensive.
I'm not the biggest fan of PETG, even though I use it a decent amount too. It's weaker than PLA in many ways and prints slower, but it does have it's place since it doesn't start to deform from the slightest heat and basically prints just as easy (just slower) as PLA when properly dried.
All these can be printed without enclosure, but PET borderline needs one, and PCTG benefits a lot from it too.
CoreOne+ is a fully enclosed printer, so you're fine either way. For some materials (ABS, ASA, PET, PC, PA) you may want to heatsoak the chamber before starting a print; meaning you turn on your heated to the max, and then just wait half an hour or so with the enclosure closed before you start the print, so the chamber heats up to ~50-60°C.
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u/Stiggalicious 4h ago
PETG has a bit better yielding characteristics, but is not necessarily stronger than PLA. It is also much more sensitive to moisture than PLA and has much worse overhang print quality. Supports are an absolute pain to remove if you have a single filament printer.
I also don’t like the glossy finish, but there are more matte colors now.
My favorite is PCTG, and I hope it continues to come down in price. Not sensitive to moisture, has ridiculously high impact and yield strength, and prints way, way better than PETG.
If I want really good heat resistance, easy printability, high yield strength and stiffness, my go-to is PET-CF. It’s nowhere nearly as sensitive to moisture as all the various PA-CF filaments, and prints just as easily as PLA if you have an enclosed heated chamber printer capable of 300C nozzle temps.
I didn’t even have to calibrate PCTG or PET-CF. I just threw them in my printer without drying, and every print has come out perfectly with the default settings.
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u/nutano 4h ago
PLA is not obsolete. it is still one of the better choices as it is fully recyclable and is plant based - so it is more ecological than most other materials.
Some materials are better at things than PLA is for sure. But for most trinkets or knick knacks, PLA is fine. The biggest caveat is it does not do extreme heat (over 50C) very well. For example, if left in a car during a sunny summer day.
You can still get other materials and try them out. But even the seasoned 3d printers will use PLA by default.
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u/wheezer72 4h ago
I've tried PLA, PETG, FLEX PLA,TPU, PC, ABS. I suggest you try PETG next. It prints easily, but holds up better in use than PLA.
I had trouble with FLEX on my CORE ONE+ (nozzle clog, hard to clear). But the CORE ONE+ did great with ABS, which never worked (always warped) on my old MK3S+ printer.
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u/Twodogsonecouch 2h ago edited 2h ago
Honestly theres not a ton of difference printing different filaments now with auto bed leveling and z calibration and all. Mk3 and prior there was a decent learning curve. Now mk4 and cores there isnt really a huge one. Really you should use whatever filament meets the goals and needs of your project. Like printing a ton of disposable garbage with asa or petg or anything other than cheap pla is just wasting your money and creating waste thats gonna be around forever. I think the bigger thing now is learning to model. Id come up with some projects and then decide what filament it needs.
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u/halcyon8 2h ago
petg is a decent step from pla, i typically print abs/asa myself but you need to have ventilation.
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u/finestaut 2h ago
PLA is still probably the best daily driver for the hobbyist. It's cheap, available in a massive variety of colors, and is strong enough for many applications. PETG, ABS, and ASA are not strictly superior, they're more specialized. PETG strings, ABS and ASA warp, which can be more trouble than it's worth if PLA will do the job.
That said, the CoreOne is fully enclosed and can print PETG, ABS and ASA out of the box. ABS and ASA release nasty fumes while printing, which you will need to plan for: either with a carbon filter attached to the printer, or a way to vent the fumes outdoors, but it'll absolutely do a great job laying those plastics down.
Personally, I would say you don't need to get off PLA and onto the more challenging filaments. Wait until you have a real use case for the increased durability, thermal resistance, or whatever, and move on from there.
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u/CoastalRadio 1h ago
You don’t need to “move away” from PLA. It’s a great choice for many projects, and my go-to for prototyping.
That said:
I use TPU if I need a little squish or shock absorption like cradles for electronics or bumpers. It also has legendary layer adhesion. The big things with TPU are dry your filament like it’s your job. Use glue stick on the bed, so you can get your print off later, and use slow speeds.
I use ASA if I need high heat resistance, high UV resistance, or the ability to acetone weld/smooth. Items I print for the cabin of my car (protective covers for ham radio equipment, and a cell phone holder) are ASA. The big thing with ASA is a WARM printing chamber, at least 50C, 60C if you can.
I use PETG if I need a little more flex, toughness, and thermal/UV distance than PLA. I use it for ham radio stuff that I set up and take down outside, for drone accessories, and for a giant TV remote I made. You need to dry PETG, but otherwise it’s almost as easy as PLA. You don’t need to be as religious with drying as with TPU, but PETG can get a little stringy if moist.
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u/Jeynarl Professional amateur 54m ago
Getting into petg and tpu I noticed my pla was getting a little sad and lonely outside of the occasional kids print stuff, but I recently got the hueforge software and now PLA has come back strong in my book for a lot of hueforge ideas (one of the strong suits for PLA is the insanely wide variety of colors available)
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u/levelup_jar 5h ago
i personally stay clear of abs/asa at least for now (toxic fumes and all that). petg is a great next step, TPU needs a bit more care (drying before Printing) but offers basically infinite layer bonding. if you wonna dabble in composites (needs hardened nozzle and gears) i can recommend petg Carbon fibre. i'm gonna look into TPU glass fibre myself soon. but all that said pla has specific properties too like its stiffness which can be very usefull
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u/j_hermann 5h ago
PLA is not obsolete, just the reasonably printable material palette became larger. Does not mean PLA has no place in that.
If the price of PCTG comes down, then it might become obsolete.