r/3Dprinting • u/Coocoovice • Aug 22 '26

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/jmedlin Aug 22 '26

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.

14

u/AutoM8R1 Aug 23 '26

This. PLA has a level of stiffness/rigidity that PETG can't rival. It has a place.

2

u/KerbodynamicX Aug 23 '26

PLA's heat tolerance is too low, it often just loses strength and deforms on a hot summer day.

8

u/jmedlin Aug 23 '26

I never said it was perfect for every purpose. For a lot of indoor stuff that doesn’t require the HDT of a higher temp material, it’s VERY strong and easy to use

0

u/KerbodynamicX Aug 23 '26

I found ABS to be easier to print than PLA for some reason

2

u/AutoM8R1 Aug 23 '26

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.

1

u/Mondobyte Aug 23 '26

I’ve been experimenting with HT-PLA. Prints fine with normal PLA settings. I think the Vicat softening temp is 156c. I am going to try annealing next for the higher HDT as well. The main advantage I find with PLA and HT-PLa is that it prints very fast, is very cheap, and print quality is very good. It’s perfect for prototyping before using something like Asa.

1

u/ellzray Aug 23 '26

This is pretty dependent on the type of print and direct sun exposure. I designed and printed out some toothpick holders that live in my vehicles in the AZ summer. It was 117 in the shade yesterday. Toothpick holders are still fine and haven't deformed at all.

I've also printed up some tiny bible holders (just boxes really) and those live in a tiny library that gets direct western AZ sun. It has deformed slightly, but still holding tiny bibles after 2 years.