Polymaker PolyLite Luminous PLA 1kg 1.75mm Filament (Glow)

Luminous and colourful glow in the dark Polymaker PLA filament

• Polymaker Glow-in-the-dark Luminous PLA.
• Colourful filament day or night.
• Jam-free™ technology improves compatibility with all-metal hotends.
• Cardboard spool & packaging (made from 100% recycled cardboard)
• Consistent colour and tolerance (1.75mm diameter +/- 0.03mm)

PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is a special effect PLA material engineered to print fun and colourful glow-in-the-dark 3D prints that look great in day and night conditions. As opposed to standard glow-in-the-dark PLA filaments that only feature a colour when they glow, the Luminous PLA combines a colourful PLA in daylight conditions with powders that glow in the dark after absorbing light energy. PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is ideal for printing eye-catching models whether day or night.

^[1] Heat creep is the the process of heat spreading irregularly throughout the hot end, one common example is with all metal hot end designs. Once heat creeps towards the cold end, the PLA filament softens prematurely in the cold end and expands resulting in a jam. Polymakers Jam-Free™ technology increases the heat resistance of the filament itself (not the printed part) to 100˚C which prevents the filament from prematurely softening in the cold end and can still melt rapidly once entering the heating zone.

Applications

PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is a special effect PLA material engineered to print colourful fun and luminous 3D prints that look great in day and night conditions. Luminous and Glow in the dark PLA materials offer similar printer compatibility but they do require additional considerations to print such as using a hardened steel nozzle to prevent excessive wear and tear on the printer.

This PolyLite™ Luminous PLA filament has been used to print a wide range of fun and exciting projects including:

• Glow in the dark toys.
• Gifts for kids.
• Light swords and glow sticks.
• Party, Halloween and Christmas decorations.
• Glow in the dark fashion and festival attire.
• Innovative glow in the dark products for your industry.

Print your model and expose it in sunlight or UV light for around 30 minutes to get the best glow in the dark effect. PolyLite™ Luminous PLA displays similar properties to PolyLite™ PLA making it a good choice for functional applications that don't require a high heat resistance or high impact resistance.

Printing Settings

Based on 0.4 mm nozzle. Printing conditions may vary with different printers and nozzle diameters.

We highly recommend to use a wear resistant nozzle when printing PolyLite™ Luminous PLA. Glow-in-the-dark additives are highly abrasive on printer components and will quickly wear a brass nozzle or brass extruder gear.

For a better and longer lasting glow time print your models with extra perimeters or 100% infill and charge up your models with sunlight or some high powered lights. Different colours of Luminous PLA will have different strengths of glow effect due to the different powders used. For the best life-span and to maintain a good glow effect throughout the life of your model, please avoid unnecessary and long exposure to direct sunlight.

For other tips printing PolyLite™ Luminous PLA, feel free to contact us!

Specification

Compatibility

PolyLite™ Luminous PLA has been engineered with compatibility in mind to print excellently on a wide range of 3D printers. As the glow in the dark additives in this material are highly abrasive we recommend customers first install a more wear resistant nozzle before printing with this filament.

Of course with thousands of unique 3d printer models on the market, we can't guarantee each filament type will work with every 3D printer.

STORAGE & DRYING

Before packaging, PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is dried to ensure the best printing quality and filaments are vacuum sealed to protect the filament from moisture. When not in use PolyLite™ Luminous PLA should be stored away from sunlight in the packaged resealable bag.

Like other PLA filaments, PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is susceptible to absorbing moisture from the air which can subsequently effect the quality and mechanical properties of the final prints. We recommend storing PolyLite™ PLA in the PolyBox™ or a dry cabinet during printing to prevent moisture absorption which will lower the quality of the print. The PolyBox™ keeps the filament at dry conditions (relative humidity of 15% or less). 

If you hear popping sounds and notice that the surface quality of your print is uneven or the colour is not consistent, this is a likely indicator that the filament has absorbed too much moisture. Spools of PolyLite™ Luminous PLA can be dried in a preheated convection oven at 50˚C for up to 6 hours. Results may vary depending on the accuracy of your oven so please be conservative. For more information about filament drying please read our user guide.

FAQ

Q: How can I achieve the best glow?
A: The additives in glow-in-the-dark PLA filament absorb light energy and re-emit this energy as visible light. For the best glow effect you should first charge the model with sunlight or UV light before putting it in the dark.

Q: Does Jam-Free™ technology prevent all filament jamming?
A: Jam-Free™ technology is designed to prevent jamming caused by heat creep. There are many reasons why a material may jam, such as printing with the wrong extruder temperature or incorrect nozzle height; Polymaker's Jam-Free™ technology won't prevent jamming in these cases.

Q: What support materials can I use with this product?
A: If your 3D printer supports multi-material 3D printing, PolyLite™ PLA is compatible with Polymaker’s PolySupport™ and PolyDissolve™ S1 filament. PolySupport™ is a breakaway support material which can be easily peeled away and PolyDissolve™ S1 is a water dissolvable support material, ideal for complex geometries.

Q: Should I rewind this filament if I want to use it with a different spool?
A: We strongly advise against tampering with the product by rewinding. See our article for full details about the risks. All Polymaker filaments are wound with tension but without strain. Rewinding completely rearranges the curvature of the winding and this strain over time can cause most plastics to catastrophically break. If for some reason your printer is locked into fitting less than standard sized spools, there may be safe printable adaptors or external mounting solutions available.

Don't know where to start? Or which filament will suit your application? We have a broad range of support options including telephone support. Contact us today!

Polymaker is an international team passionate about 3D printing. They produce the very best 3D printing materials by controlling every stage of production. With a diverse portfolio of materials ranging from high performance plastics to unique aesthetic solutions, Polymaker will continue to add cutting edge materials to its ever-growing portfolio.

At the core of Polymaker is their research & development laboratory, this is where all Polymakers materials are formulated and fine-tuned from the ground up to create the best in class 3D printing materials. Their precision testing equipment combines the latest advancements in technology to ensure they are ahead of the game.

PolyLite™ Luminous PLA like all other Polymaker materials is manufactured using state-of-the-art polymer processing technologies and equipment. Polymakers rigorous quality control processes ensure industrial standards of reliability for a consistent customer experience.

Tolerance - Polymakers custom developed extrusion, control and monitoring solutions to ensure filament tolerance and roundness meet Polymakers strict quality standards.
Reliable Mechanical, Colouring & Printing Properties - Every batch of filament products are tested to ensure all quality specs (melt flow, softening point, mechanical, diameter, round-ness) are met.
Drying & Vacuum Sealing - Before packaging, all Polymaker filaments are dried to a moisture level of < 0.1% to ensure the best printing quality and are vacuum sealed to protect the filament from moisture. All vacuum packaged products are left for 24 hours before boxing to ensure they are leak-free.

PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is wound on Polymakers 1kg carton spools, manufactured from recycled cardboard. The cutaway and weight gauge on the side of the spool make it easy to see exactly how much filament is left for your next printing project. PolyLite™ Luminous PLA's recycled cardboard packaging and carton spool are the first step taken towards creating more eco-sustainable products. The spool is packaged in a vacuum sealed resealable bag to ensure your filament is moisture free. Like all other PLA filaments, PolyLite™ Luminous PLA is hygroscopic so we recommend keeping this bag for filament storage.