Pla Filament; Pla Filament Troubleshooting - MakerBot Replicator 2X User Manual

PLA FILAMENT

PLA, or Polylactic Acid, is a biodegradable plastic with features that make it great for 3D
printing -- it doesn't give off bad-smelling fumes and it has a low rate of thermal expansion,
so it doesn't warp very much.
PLA is harder and slightly brittle. It is more likely to snap than bend, but that does not mean
that PLA is easily breakable. PLA also stays flexible for a short while as it cools.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Extruder clogs: PLA is hard, dense, and has
a low coefficient of friction, which means
that it's slippery and it can be difficult for
the drive gear inside your extruders to grip. If
there is not enough tension on the bearing
holding the filament against the drive gear,
the teeth of the gear will not bite into the
filament, but will scrape against it, stripping
the filament. If you think you need to increase
the tension on the bearing, contact MakerBot
Support for advice.
PLA is also sensitive to heat. At temperatures
above 55° C, objects made from PLA will
start to get soft enough that they might
deform if force is applied to them. At
temperatures of above 150° C, objects
made from PLA might start to lose their
shape. PLA filament should not be heated
to temperatures above 250° C because the
plastic will start to break down.
If plastic stops extruding partway through your
PLA prints, it is probably because the plastic is
overheating. Try lowering extrusion temperature,
removing the enclosure lid, and opening the
door of the MakerBot Replicator 2X.
FILAMENT 97