3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

LW-PLA vs PSU

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Lightweight / foaming PLA (LW-PLA) guidePSU guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore LW-PLA comparisonsMore PSU comparisons
LW-PLA vs PSU — documented properties and sources
PropertyLightweight / foaming PLA (LW-PLA)PLAPSUHIGHTEMP
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$47.48/kg median; $37.49–$50.00/kg across 4 dated product listings$168.00/kg median; $168.00–$168.00/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a blowing agent. Two distinct types: active-foaming grades that expand at the nozzle (Bambu Lab PLA Aero, colorFabb LW-PLA) and pre-foamed grades that do not (Polymaker PolyLite LW-PLA, PolyWood)[1][2][3][4]Polysulfone — the lowest-temperature and cheapest of the sulfone family[5]
Densityg/cm³Filament 1.21 (Bambu Lab) and 1.24 (colorFabb); pre-foamed filament 0.8 (PolyWood, at 21.5 °C) and 0.9 (Polymaker LW-PLA); foamed prints reach 0.40[1][2][3][4]1.24 (ISO 1183)[5]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 45[6][2][7]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 250[8]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg37–50 across brands; Polymaker LW-PLA 37, Bambu Lab Aero 45, colorFabb 50, PolyWood 50[7][6][2]168-250 across formats; 250 g spool $42 (168/kg), 500 g $125 (250/kg) — 3DXTech is the only filament supplier found[8]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[6][7][2]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[8]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.6, 0.75, 0.8 and 1 kg spools[7][2]1.75 mm; 250 g and 500 g spools[8]
Typical applicationsRC aircraft, drone airframes and large props where mass matters more than strength[1][2]Transparent high-temperature housings, medical trays and hot-water fittings[5]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–260 (Bambu Lab, foaming); 195–260 (colorFabb, foaming); 190–210 (Polymaker, pre-foamed)[1][2][3]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb); 25–60 (Polymaker)[1][2][3]120–140 (3DXTech)[5]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[3]Actively heated chamber required[9][10]
Part cooling fanFan on[1][3]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s3.2–8 at the 40–100 mm/s colorFabb specifies and the 50–100 mm/s Polymaker specifies, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[3][2][11]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Intermediate — dry filament and a tuned profile; flow has to be cut to match the expansion[2]Expert / industrial hardware only[9][10]
Extruder requirementBambu Lab PLA Aero is 0.4 mm nozzle only on the store and wiki, while its own TDS lists 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8[1][12]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[3][4]Brass fine indefinitely for unfilled grades, but brass softens near these nozzle temperatures — hardened or plated hot ends are the norm[9]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[3][4]Non-abrasive when unfilled[5]
Nozzle clog risk1–5High — jams from moisture, heat creep or particles; Bambu Lab warns the foamed extrudate swells and easily clogs the nozzle, and rules out 0.2 mm nozzles[12]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry before every print[13]
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.45 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.40 % equilibrium (Polymaker)[1][3]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.45 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab); 0.40 equilibrium (Polymaker)[1][3]0.30 in 24 h on extruded stock (ASTM D570)[14]
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 6–8 h[1][3]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for this grade; absorbed water flashes to steam and shows as bubbling and poor layer adhesion[15]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry before every print because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[13]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa24 ± 2 (Bambu Lab) and 24.4 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527; colorFabb falls from 43.1 unfoamed to 10.8 at 45 % flow[1][3][2]52 (printed XY, ISO 527, 3DXTech); 81 at break on extruded stock (ASTM D638)[5][14]
Young's modulusMPa1350 ± 250 (Bambu Lab) and 1689 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527; colorFabb falls from 3334 unfoamed to 864 foamed[1][3][2]2100 (printed XY, ISO 527)[5]
Elongation at break%2.6 ± 0.7 (Bambu Lab) and 8.8 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 527[1][3]8 (printed XY, ISO 527) against 50 on extruded stock — nearly three times PPSU's printed 3 %[5][16][14]
Flexural strengthMPa45 ± 4 (Bambu Lab) and 50.2 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 178[1][3]87 (printed XY, ISO 178)[5]
Flexural modulusMPa1690 ± 120 (Bambu Lab) and 1959 (Polymaker) printed XY, ISO 178[1][3]2050 (printed XY, ISO 178)[5]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²8.2 ± 0.7 printed XY, ISO 179, notched (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3.67 foamed[1][2]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 28.8 printed XY (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 5.46 foamed[1][2]Izod notched 69 J/m on extruded PSU stock, converted from 1.3 ft-lb/in (ASTM D256)[14]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa18 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); flexural Z collapses to 17 against 45 in XY[1]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning; elongation at break 2.6 % in XY and 1.2 % in Z[1]Moderate[5]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documentedRockwell M120 on extruded PSU stock (ASTM D785)[14]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no foamed-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, and the foam carries less solid[17][18][19]Good. Ensinger lists high creep resistance as a headline property of extruded PSU stock, which is rated to 173 °C heat deflection at 1.8 MPa[14]
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength and elongation at break falls to 2.6 % in XY and 1.2 % in Z[20][1]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Rigid[5]
Z strength as % of XY%75 by tensile, 38 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C53 (Bambu Lab) and 54 (Polymaker), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[1][3]172 (printed XY, ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa, 3DXTech); 181 on extruded stock, converted from 358 °F at 66 psi[5][14]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C48 (Bambu Lab) and 50 (Polymaker), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[1][3]174 on extruded PSU stock, converted from 345 °F at 264 psi (ASTM D648)[14]
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (Bambu Lab) and 59 (Polymaker), DSC[1][3]187 (DSC, 3DXTech) and 185 on extruded stock (ASTM D3418), against 230 for PPSU[5][16][14]
Melting point / Vicat°C150 peak melt (Polymaker, DSC); Vicat 60 °C[3]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented141 long-term service on extruded PSU stock, converted from 285 °F[14]
Annealing responseBambu Lab advises against annealing thin, low-infill Aero prints[1]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented55.8 (extruded PSU stock, ASTM D696; source states 3.1e-5 in/in/°F)[14]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedUL 94 V-0 on extruded PSU stock[14]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[21]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10¹³ ohm/sq — an insulator (IEC 60093)[5]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[22]Moderate — measurable VOCs and UFPs, ventilation advised. None of these polymers was in the chamber study, and all are processed far above the temperatures it covered[22]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[22]Ventilated room or enclosure recommended[22]
Post-Processing
Dimensional accuracy & detailFoamed surfaces are rough and matte; dimensional accuracy depends on holding the foaming temperature steady[1][2]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA matrix; the foamed wall wicks solvent right through instead of only skinning over.[23]Chlorinated hydrocarbons — dichloromethane, chloroform — dissolve polysulfone; ketones and esters attack it as well.[24][25]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[23][26]Acetone, MEK, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene craze or stress-crack it; methanol and isopropanol only marginally.[25][24]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour reaches only the resin skin; no workshop-safe smoothing agent exists for PLA of any kind.[27][26]Dichloromethane cement welds PSU and NMP softens residual resin. Both are laboratory reagents.[24]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V4.0 — PLA Aero Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. LW-PLA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  3. PolyLite LW-PLA Technical Data Sheet (V7.0) Polymaker · 2026-08 · tds
  4. PolyWood Technical Data Sheet Version 4.0 (Nov 2018) Polymaker (copy hosted by 3Dee) · 2018-11 · tds
  5. ThermaX PSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PLA Aero — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Prusament PEI 1010 Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2024-09 · tds
  10. Prusament PEI 1010 — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  12. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  13. THERMAX PSU — product page (print recommendations) 3DXTech · 2026-08 · doc
  14. TECASON S natural (PSU) — stock shape properties Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  15. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  16. ThermaX PPSU Technical Data Sheet v3 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  17. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  18. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  19. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  20. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  21. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  23. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  24. Radel PPSU, Veradel PESU, Acudel modified PPSU Design Guide — environmental stress cracking tables Solvay Specialty Polymers · 2026-08 · tds
  25. Chemical resistance — resistance of Ensinger plastics to chemicals (DIN 50 014, 23/50) Ensinger · 2026-08 · tds
  26. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  27. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper