Polymaker PolyLite PLA+ Pro 5kg 1.75mm Filament

PolyLite™ is a family of 3D printing filaments made with the best raw materials to deliver exceptional quality and reliability. PolyLite™ PLA Pro is a first of its kind: combining high toughness and high rigidity, this professional PLA+ offers engineering properties with the ease of print of regular PLA.

^[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 140˚C which prevents the filament from prematurely softening in the cold end and can still melt rapidly once entering the heating zone.

Printing Settings

The above are printing recommendations based on 0.4 mm nozzle. Please note ideal printing conditions may vary depending on your 3D printer setup. For high speed 3D printers, make sure to increase your extrusion temperature in order to use higher printing speeds.

For other tips printing PolyLite™ PLA Pro contact us!

Specification

Compatibility

PolyLite™ PLA Pro has been engineered with compatibility in mind to print excellently on a wide range of 3D printers. The Jam-Free™ technology implemented into PolyLite™ PLA Pro can improve compatibility with all metal hot end designs that suffer from heat creep.

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. Slicer experience and setting adjustment is always required to get the most out of a material. Before jumping into an ambitious project we always recommend printing some known calibration tests to build or make adjustments to the filament profile.

Technical Data

All testing specimens were printed under the following conditions: Nozzle Temperature = 205˚C, build plate temperature = 45˚C, infil = 100%, cooling fan = ON
All specimens were conditioned at room temperature for 24h prior to testing.

THERMAL PROPERTIES

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

We have full MDS and technical data sheets for PolyLite™ PLA Pro and all other Polymaker products. Contact us to enquire!

The typical values presented in Polymakers data sheet are intended for reference and comparison purposes only. Due to the nature of 3D printing they should not be used for design specifications or quality control purposes.

STORAGE & DRYING

All plastics are hygroscopic meaning they absorb moisture from the air which can affect printing quality and strength of printed parts. How quickly this absorption occurs depends on the material and your environment. Polymakers PolyLite™ PLA Pro filaments are dried and packaged in a vacuum sealed bag with desiccant to ensure the best printing quality. When not in use PolyLite™ PLA Pro should be stored away from sunlight and sealed in the packaged resealable bag.

Although filaments can be dried, drying will speed up the aging process of the plastic making it more brittle over time. Preventing the filament from absorbing moisture in the first place is the best solution to keep your filament working to its maximum potential. For long term storage we highly recommend storing in a sealed container with dry desiccant that reduces the relative humidity to 10-20% RH.

In-house we manage our filaments with Polymakers PolyDryer™ which keep offers best-in-class sealing to protect filaments from absorbing moisture 

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™ PLA Pro can be dried with Polymaker PolyDryer™ using power level 1. Alternatively if you have a convection oven that is accurate at low temperatures, users can dry filament in a preheated convection oven at 55˚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: 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 a partially blocked nozzle, printing with the wrong extruder temperature or incorrect nozzle height; Polymaker's Jam-Free™ technology won't prevent jamming in these cases.

Q: Is PolyLite™ PLA Pro a PLA+ material?
A: Yes, PolyLite™ PLA Pro is a PLA+ material which combines the high stiffness and strength of PLA with significantly improved impact strength. If you require a ductile PLA+ material with similar flexibility to ABS we recommend trying PolyMax™ PLA which is a popular choice among designers, prop makers and prototypers.

Q: Can PLA be printed at large scales without warping?
A: One of the benefits of PLA is the ability to print large parts with excellent dimensional stability and we have many customers printing large full-size printing projects in PolyLite™ PLA Pro. When printing large parts it is recommended to print PLA with a heated bed and to partially enclose the printer to protect the print from drafts and sudden temperature changes. Please note that while PLA materials don't warp in most situations, printing with poor first layer adhesion can cause any material to warp and printing or the heated bed too hot can cause PLA filament to undergo a crystallization process which generates internal stresses and warping.

Q: What support materials can I use with this product?
A: If your 3D printer supports multi-material 3D printing, PolyLite™ PLA Pro 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!

Applications

PolyLite™ PLA Pro is a professional PLA+ material often chosen by hobbyists, designers and prototypers for technical applications requiring a durable, cost-effective and easy to use PLA+ material. Aside from offering significantly improved impact resistance, PolyLite™ PLA Pro also offers a less glossy surface finish in comparison to PolyLite™ PLA.

It is commonly used to print a wide range of general printing projects including:

• Trinkets, figurines and toys.
• Various print-in-place articulated models.
• Homewares and spare parts.
• Cosplay pieces.
• Prototypes and conceptual design.
• Small electronics housings.
• Fun RC and robotics projects.
• Brackets and manufacturing aids.
• Anatomic and educational models.

It is difficult to broadly compare PolyLite™ PLA Pro to other PLA+ as the enhancement that the "+" offers depends on the brand and product range. In many cases PLA+ materials exhibit lower stiffness and strength to offer better impact resistance. PolyLite™ PLA Pro was formulated to offer high impact strength while also maintaining much of the high strength (Tensile) and stiffness (Youngs modulus) of Polymakers regular PolyLite™ PLA. It is a good choice for functional applications that aren't subject to high temperatures, but require a material which is both rigid, strong and impact resistant.

For applications which don't require impact resistance and purely require tensile strength and inter-layer adhesion we recommend considering PolyLite™ PLA.

The rigidity of PolyLite™ PLA Pro is quite high so for models which require some flexibility, for example snap fit casings or components which require similar mechanical strength as ABS; we recommend considering PolyMax™ PLA which features excellent impact strength, fracture toughness, ductility and a similar strength and stiffness to ABS.