3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Glow vs PLA+

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

Glow-in-the-dark PLA guidePLA+ / Tough PLA guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Glow comparisonsMore PLA+ comparisons
PLA Glow vs PLA+ — documented properties and sources
PropertyGlow-in-the-dark PLAPLAPLA+ / Tough PLAPLA
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$24.99/kg median; $19.99–$49.16/kg across 5 dated product listings$16.49/kg median; $10.45–$39.99/kg across 10 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a phosphorescent additive at 2–20 wt% (Bambu Lab SDS, filler not named)[1]PLA compounded with impact modifiers; suppliers publish the base as polylactic acid only[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.24 (colorFabb) to 1.26 (Bambu Lab), ISO 1183[4][5]1.17–1.24 (Polymaker); 1.21 (Bambu Lab, ISO 1183)[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools cluster near 25[6][7]Mainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 16[8][9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg20–49 across brands; ELEGOO 20, Bambu Lab 25, Polymaker 25, Filament PM 49 on 0.5 kg spools[10][6][7][11]10–40 across brands; budget house brands 10–17, Sakata 3D HR-870 26, Polymaker and Fiberlogy 36–40[12][9][13][14][15]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[6][7][10]Stocked by most mainstream brands[12][8][9][13][14]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75 and 1 kg spools[16][5]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85, 1 and 1.1 kg spools[13][14][12]
Typical applicationsSignage, novelty and cosplay parts that glow after light exposure[4]Functional parts and enclosures that need impact tolerance but not heat resistance[2][3]
Diameter tolerance± mmNot documented±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[17]
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C190–230 on the Bambu Lab TDS against 210–240 in its own material table; colorFabb advises 195–220[4][18][5]190–230 (Polymaker); Bambu Lab Tough+ needs 220–250[2][3]
Bed temperature°C35–45 (Bambu Lab); 50–60 (colorFabb)[4][5]25–60 (Polymaker); 35–65 (Bambu Lab Tough+)[2][3]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[4]Open frame is fine[2][3]
Part cooling fanFan on; colorFabb allows 0–100 %[4][5]Fan on[2][3]
Bed surface & adhesion aidNot documentedTextured or smooth PEI; Bambu Lab recommends glue stick or liquid glue for Tough+[2][3]
Warping tendency1–5Not documentedNone[2]
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Not documentedSticks to anything[19]
Stringing / oozing tendency1–5Not documentedSlight — 1–3 mm retraction handles it[2][19]
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; a hardened nozzle is mandatory[18][7]Easy — minor profile tuning; Tough+ wants a hotter nozzle than plain PLA[2][3]
Extruder requirementBambu Lab: hardened steel and high-flow nozzles only, 0.2 mm excluded, AMS lite not compatible[18]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Hardened steel required[18][7][5]Brass fine indefinitely[20]
Abrasiveness1–5Highly abrasive — the phosphor is a hard ceramic; Bambu Lab groups glow with carbon fibre as the materials that wear nozzles and grind AMS PTFE, and both Bambu Lab and Polymaker require a hardened nozzle[18][5]Non-abrasive[21][20]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle[18]Very low[20]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Not documentedModerate — good heatbreak cooling needed; softens below 60 °C like plain PLA[22]
Hotend requirementHardened steel nozzle; Bambu Lab lists glow-in-the-dark among the filaments its hardened-steel nozzle exists for[23][18]No special hot-end required[19]
Other hardware wearBambu Lab reports the filament adds enough feeding resistance to fail prints on the AMS lite; colorFabb warns of brass nozzle wear[18][5]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.46 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[4]Low — 0.27 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[3]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.46 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[4]0.27 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab Tough+)[3]
Drying temperature & timeNot documented55 °C for 6–8 h; 65–75 °C for 12 h on a Bambu Lab X1 heatbed[2][3]
Symptoms when wetNot documentedBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[24]
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[24]Polymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity and publishes no dry-versus-conditioned figures for the modified grades; the loss shows as poor layer adhesion rather than a strength number[24]
Storage requirementNot documentedSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[3][19]
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa32 ± 3 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb quotes 61.5 by ISO 527 on its own specimens[4][5]35–43 (printed XY, ISO 527); 53 on My Tech Fun 4×4 mm bars for Bambu Lab Tough[2][3][25][26]
Young's modulusMPa2030 ± 210 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 2960[4][5]1860–2150 (printed XY, ISO 527) — below plain PLA at 2300–3427[2][3][27][28]
Elongation at break%8.6 ± 1.2 printed XY, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 10.5 at break[4][5]5.1–5.7 (printed XY, ISO 527)[2][3]
Flexural strengthMPa76 ± 4 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab)[4]62–65 (printed XY, ISO 178) — below plain PLA at 76–87[2][3][29][28]
Flexural modulusMPa2640 ± 130 printed XY, ISO 178 (Bambu Lab); colorFabb 3295[4][5]2140–2393 (printed XY, ISO 178)[2][3]
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²2.8 (colorFabb, ISO 179-1/1eA) and 8.8 ± 1.7 (Bambu Lab, ISO 179) printed XY, notched[4][5]38.9–72.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched) — 5–9× plain PLA[2][3]
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 27.3 (Bambu Lab) and 30.8 (colorFabb), printed, ISO 179[4][5]Charpy unnotched 80.6 printed XY (Bambu Lab Tough+); CNC Kitchen measured ~20 vs 5 kJ/m² for PolyLite PLA[3][25]
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa26 ± 3 printed Z, ISO 527 (Bambu Lab)[4]20.9–32.4 printed Z (ISO 527); 33.0 on My Tech Fun layer-adhesion bars vs 27.6 for PLA Basic[2][3][26]
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[4]Tough — absorbs impact, yields before breaking[2][3][25]
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / RockwellNot documented78.8 Shore D measured on printed bars (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[30]
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no glow-grade creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[26][31][30]Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 20.2 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg, the same as plain PLA[26][32]
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 the glow filler leaves a brittle, highly abrasive compound[33][4]Below average — impact modifiers raise absorbed energy 5–9×; plain PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[33][3][25]
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[4]Rigid[2]
Z strength as % of XY%81 by tensile, 72 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[4]60 (Bambu Lab Tough+) to 78 (PolyMax PLA), printed[2][3]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[4]55 (PolyMax) to 61 (Tough+), ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa[2][3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[4]52 (PolyMax) to 58 (Tough+), ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa[2][3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C55 (DSC)[4]61 (DSC)[2][3]
Melting point / Vicat°C155 peak melt (DSC); colorFabb quotes above 155 by ISO 3146-C[4][5]149–151 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 62 (ISO 306)[2][3]
Continuous service temperature°CNot documented48–57 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature: 48 for Polymaker PLA Pro, 50 for Sunlu PLA+, 52 for Bambu Lab Tough, 57 for PolyTerra PLA+[26][31][30][32]
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·KNot documented96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[34]
Flammability / UL 94Not documentedFlammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[3][2]
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[22]Degrades within weeks outdoors[22][35]
Chemical resistanceNot documentedGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[2][3]
Food contactNot documentedBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[22]
Biodegradability / compostabilityNot documentedIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[36][22]
RecyclabilityNot documentedMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[36]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[37]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[37]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[37]None needed in a normal room[37]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningNot documentedWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[35][22]
Gluing & solvent weldingNot documentedCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[22][38]
Vapour / chemical smoothingNot documentedNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[22]
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[4]PolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker); Support for PLA (Bambu Lab)[2][3]
Dimensional accuracy & detailGlow brightness rises with wall thickness; 0.2 mm nozzles are not usable[18]55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges (Bambu Lab Tough+)[3]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform dissolves the PLA matrix (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C) and leaves the filler as loose sludge; laboratory reagent.[39]Chloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[39]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise the matrix but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; acetone submersion crazes parts.[39][40]Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[39][40]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour attacks only the resin fraction, so the filler is left standing proud; no workshop-safe agent exists.[41][40]Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[41][40]

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. Safety Data Sheet SDS20251127A12 — Bambu PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2025-11 · msds
  2. PolyMax PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Tough+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  4. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet — PLA Glow Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  5. glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
  6. PLA Glow — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Panchroma Luminous PLA — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. eSUN PLA+ 1.75mm 1KG eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Overture PLA+ 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO product catalogue ELEGOO · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filament PM PLA GlowJet technical data sheet Filament PM (Plasty Mladec) · 2026-08 · tds
  12. JAYO PLA+ 1.1KG Reusable Spool 1.75mm JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Polymaker PolyMax PLA 0.75kg Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Fiberlogy Impact PLA 850g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PLA HR-870 NATURAL Sakata 3D Filaments · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. PLA Usage Guide Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  22. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  23. Nozzles — material and compatibility Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. The difference of PLA and PLA+ tested! (feat. Polymaker) CNC Kitchen · 2020-08 · test
  26. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  28. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  29. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  32. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  33. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  34. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  35. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  36. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  37. 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
  38. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  39. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  40. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  41. 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