# LW-PLA **Innovative Pre-Foamed Technology**\ Discover PolyLite™ LW-PLA - a pre-foamed PLA filament designed for projects where weight matters most. Unlike active foaming filaments, PolyLite™ LW-PLA is foamed during manufacturing, ensuring a consistently low density without the need to adjust extrusion temperatures. **Ideal Applications for Lightweight Models**\ Perfect for aerospace hobbyists and anyone looking to reduce model weight, PolyLite™ LW-PLA delivers strong, ultra-light prints with impressive detail. **Printing Tips for Optimal Results**\ To achieve the best print quality, review our recommended print settings before you begin. Note that LW-PLA can be prone to stringing, so fine-tuning your retraction and temperature settings is key. **Lightweight Strength You Can Trust**\ Achieve lightweight strength and reliability with PolyLite™ LW-PLA - your go-to filament for specialized, weight-sensitive applications. | Parameter | | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | 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. You can find further help over on our [Discord](https://discord.polymaker.com/) ## 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.
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.
## [Printing Profiles](https://wiki.polymaker.com/polymaker-products/printer-profiles/legacy-profiles-by-material/pla/lw-pla) ## Documents [TDS](https://wiki.polymaker.com/polymaker-products/more-about-our-products/documents/technical-data-sheets/pla/lw-pla) [SDS](https://wiki.polymaker.com/polymaker-products/more-about-our-products/documents/safety-data-sheets) [Other Docs](https://wiki.polymaker.com/polymaker-products/more-about-our-products/documents/certifications-and-declarations) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://wiki.polymaker.com/polymaker-products/polymaker-filaments/prime-materials/functional-pla/lw-pla.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.