LW-PLA
PolyLite™ LW-PLA is a special foamed PLA designed to print with similar settings as regular PLA but with half the weight.
Nozzle temperature
190 – 210 (℃)
Build surface treatment
PC and Texture PEI (Glue when needed)
Build plate temperature
25 - 60 (˚C)
Cooling fan
ON
Printing speed
50 - 100 (mm/s)
Retraction distance
3 - 6 (mm)
Retraction speed
40 - 60 (mm/s)
Closure Chamber
No Needed
Recommended support material
PolySupport™ and PolyDissolve™ S1
Drying setting
55˚C for 6h
Print Tips
This material can be tricky and is definitely likely to string more than other material types.
190˚C printing temperature.
50mm/s printing speed.
Maximum travel speed.
0.5mm coasting and 1mm wiping (depending on the model).
Use coasting and wiping.
Recommended to dry this filament before printing when possible. If you hear "cracking" or "popping" noises when extruding - the filament needs to be dried.
FAQ
What is the difference between active foaming and passive foaming?
PolyLite™ LW-PLA is not an active foaming filament, which means it will not foam when extruded from the nozzle depending on the temperature. PolyLite™ LW-PLA is already pre-foamed.
What are the pros and cons between active and passive foaming?
Active foaming: You need to heavily modify your printing settings depending on the temperature and setup to compensate the foaming expansion of the material when printing. You need to print at very high temperature to achieve light weight results (~250˚), these high temperatures will create a lot of defects on the print such as stringing and blobs. At very high temperature, active foaming can achieve lighter print than passive foaming however the print may suffer of serious stringing defects.
Passive foaming: You do not need to change any settings from your regular PLA settings (slight increase retraction) as PolyLite™ LW-PLA will offer light weight results even when printing at very low temperature (~190˚C). The lower the temperature the higher quality the print.
Is PolyLite™ LW-PLA good for RC Planes?
Yes, PolyLite™ LW-PLA is designed for ease of print and strong rigidity. For more information check out the review below about PolyLite™ LW-PLA for RC Plane application.
How do I reduce stringing?
LW-PLA is a material that are prone to stringing. Here are some tips:
190˚C printing temperature (at 50mm/s printing speed)
Maximum travel speed
0.5mm coasting and 1mm wiping (depending on the model)
Usually coasting and wiping is what helps the most
Will the spools work in an AMS?
Yes! We have redesigned the edges of our spools so all Polymaker products will now spin great in the AMS.
Is this material food safe?
Unfortunately we do not have any data whether this material is food safe. As of now, no 3D printing material on the market is FDA food safe compliant. This is because in order to be certified as food safe, the actual object needs to be certified and not the base material. The shape, bed used, environment the object was made, and much more goes into getting a food safety certificate. As of now there is no real certification that the FDA offers for 3D printing.
Do you sell refills?
We are sorry but we do not sell refills at this time
Is this material recyclable?
Unfortunately there is no great answer for recycling PLA at this time. Our cardboard spools are biodegradable but there is no great way to recycle PLA at this time.
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