General purpose, great surface finish.
Best for
Prototypes, display pieces, models, organizers and light-duty indoor parts. Crisp detail, the best surface finish of our plastics and the lowest cost.
What people make with it
- Prototypes to check size, shape and fit
- Display models, props and figurines with a flat base
- Desk organizers, cable clips, drawer dividers
- Architectural and product models
- Jigs and templates used indoors at room temperature
Specs
- Softens at
- About 55 °C / 130 °F
- Stiffness
- High: holds its shape well
- Impact
- Low: can crack if dropped or hit
- Outdoors
- Not recommended
Typical values for this plastic, rounded. How strong a part is also depends on its shape and the strength you choose.
Good to know
- Softens in a hot car or a sunny window
- Brittle under knocks
- Slowly bends under a steady load (creep)
- Breaks down outdoors over time
PLA or something else?
- PETGPETG is tougher (bends before it breaks), handles water and about 15 °C more heat. PLA is stiffer, crisper and costs less.
- PLA-AeroPLA-Aero foams while printing: far lighter, but softer and weaker.
- Standard Resin · Black (PAS10)Standard Resin Black gives a smoother, molded-looking surface and finer detail, in smaller sizes.
Design tips
- Great for checking fit before ordering a part in a tougher material: same shape, lower price.
- Economy or Balanced is plenty for models and prototypes.
- PLA holds fine detail and sharp edges well, so it's the best plastic for text, logos and small features.
Not the right choice for
- Anything left in a car, in direct sun or near heat (choose PETG, ASA or ABS)
- Parts that get dropped, struck or snapped together (choose PETG)
- Outdoor use (choose ASA)
- Parts carrying a steady load for months: PLA slowly creeps (choose PETG or PET-CF)
Strength options
Plastic parts aren’t solid inside. You choose how much plastic goes into each part:
- EconomyLightest, lowest cost
- BalancedEveryday strength
- StrongExtra walls & fill, for parts under load
- HeavyStrongest; dense enough to sink
Which one? Economy for models and fit checks, Balanced for everyday parts, Strong for parts under load (brackets, mounts, gears), Heavy for small solid parts that take big loads and for anything that lives underwater. More strength costs more: it uses more plastic and printer time.