3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA HS vs PMMA

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

High-Speed PLA guidePMMA (acrylic) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA HS comparisonsMore PMMA comparisons
PLA HS vs PMMA — documented properties and sources
PropertyHigh-Speed PLAPLAPMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.99/kg median; $11.49–$32.99/kg across 10 dated product listings$49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with rheology and crystallisation tuned for high volumetric flow; melt index 15.4 g/10 min vs 7–11 for standard PLA[1][2]Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[3]
Densityg/cm³1.23 (ISO 1183, at 21.5 °C)[1]Not documented
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[4][5][6]1 kg spools cluster near 50[7]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg11–33 across brands; budget house brands 11–18, Prusament 33[8][9][10]50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[7]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[11][6][12]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[7]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 kg spools[4][6]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[7]
Typical applicationsLarge or repetitive prints on printers that can sustain high flow[13][11]Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[3]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab PLA Basic, rated to 258 mm/s)[14]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–230 for high-speed work; 190–210 at classic speeds[1][11]Not documented
Bed temperature°C30–60 (Polymaker); 35–45 (Bambu Lab)[1][15]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1]Not documented
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s≈24 at 300 mm/s with a 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.2 mm layer; 30 % more flow than regular PLA at the same temperature[1][11][13][16]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[17]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; needs a printer that can actually reach the flow rate[11][1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[18]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[19][18]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[18]Not documented
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[20]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[17]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH[1]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 equilibrium at 23 °C / 70 % RH (Polymaker PolySonic)[1]Not documented
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 6 h; 50 °C for 8 h (Bambu Lab)[1][15]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[21]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[21]Not documented
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[15][17]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa43.9 at 300 mm/s and 46.0 at 46.7 mm/s (printed XY, ISO 527); 58.6 on My Tech Fun bars for Creality Hyper PLA[1][22]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2650 at 300 mm/s, 2878 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%15.1 at 300 mm/s, 21.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa71.4 at 300 mm/s, 76.5 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2798 at 300 mm/s, 2868 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²5.0 at 300 mm/s, 6.1 at classic speed (printed XY, ISO 179, notched)[1]Not documented
Other impact dataPrinting at 300 mm/s instead of 46.7 mm/s costs 4.6 % tensile strength and 18 % notched Charpy[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa32.4 at 300 mm/s, 37.3 at classic speed (printed Z, ISO 527); 35.3 for Creality Hyper PLA vs 23.0 for average PLA on identical bars[1][22]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Moderate[1]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell78.7 Shore D measured on printed bars for Sunlu PLA Meta (My Tech Fun), against 75.3 for the same maker's plain PLA[23]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — 12 mm bar sagged to 17.7 mm over 6 days at 1.25 kg[22]Not documented
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 (R = 0.2)[24][20]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%74 at 300 mm/s, 81 at classic speed (printed)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C52 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C59 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C164 peak melt (DSC); crystallisation 96 °C, Vicat 61 °C[1]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C53 — loaded bars begin to move at this temperature[22]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[25]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[15][2]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[20][26]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis[1]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[15]Not documented
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[20]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[27][20]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[27]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[28]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[28]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[26][20]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[20][29]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[20]Not documented
Support material pairingPolySupport and PolyDissolve S1 (Polymaker)[1]Not documented
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[30]Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[31]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[30][32]Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[31]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[33][32]Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[34]

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. PolySonic PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  2. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. PolySonic PLA 1.75mm/1kg — product page Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Overture High Speed PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. High Speed PLA filament collection Anycubic Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. PLA Meta filament collection Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. QIDI PLA Rapido 1.75mm 1kg 3D Printers Depot · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Prusament PLA Prusa Pro Green 1kg (NFC) Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. PolySonic PLA — product page Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Creality PLA filament collection Creality Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Polymaker Launches New High-Speed 3D Printing Filament — PolySonic PLA & PLA Pro Polymaker · 2023-11 · doc
  14. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  16. Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  19. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  20. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Creality Hyper PLA filament review — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  23. Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  25. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  26. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  27. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  28. 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
  29. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  30. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  31. Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. 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
  34. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds