3D Printing InfoFilament comparison
PLA-PHA vs PMMA
Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
| Property | PLA/PHA blendPLA | PMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING |
|---|---|---|
| Market snapshot | ||
| Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots | $76.40/kg median; $76.40–$76.40/kg across 1 dated product listings | $49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Base polymer / chemistry | PLA blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bacterially fermented bio-polyester[1] | Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[2] |
| Densityg/cm³ | 1.2 (ISO 1183)[1] | Not documented |
| Typical priceUSD/kg | Not documented | 1 kg spools cluster near 50[3] |
| Price range across brandsUSD/kg | Not documented | 50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[3] |
| Market availability1–5 | Niche, a handful of specialist brands[1][4] | Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[3] |
| Spool sizes & diameters | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 750 g and 2200 g spools[1] | 1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[3] |
| Typical applications | General-purpose printing where PLA's brittleness is the limiting factor[1] | Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[2] |
| Printing Parameters | ||
| Nozzle temperature°C | 195–220 (colorFabb)[1] | Not documented |
| Bed temperature°C | 50–60 (colorFabb)[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5 | Open frame is fine[1] | Not documented |
| Part cooling fan | 0–100 %; colorFabb states the blend runs on both heated and unheated beds[1][5] | Not documented |
| Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/s | 3.2–8 at colorFabb's 40–100 mm/s, on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[5][6] | Not documented |
| Overall printing difficulty1–5 | Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1] | Not documented |
| Hardware Wear & Reliability | ||
| Nozzle hardness required1–4 | Brass fine indefinitely[1] | Not documented |
| Abrasiveness1–5 | Non-abrasive[1] | Not documented |
| Nozzle clog risk1–5 | Very low — unfilled PLA blend; Prusa lists no drybox and no hardened nozzle for PLA[7] | Not documented |
| Moisture Behaviour | ||
| Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5 | Moderate — the PLA matrix takes up 0.40–0.51 % saturated; colorFabb publishes no figure for the blend[8][9] | Not documented |
| Effect of moisture on strength | Polymaker 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[10] | Not documented |
| Mechanical Properties | ||
| Tensile strength (XY)MPa | 62–64 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1] | Not documented |
| Young's modulusMPa | 2960–3070 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb)[1] | Not documented |
| Elongation at break% | 4 and 11 (ISO 527-1A, colorFabb; two grades quoted)[1] | Not documented |
| Flexural modulusMPa | 2500–3300 flexural modulus (ISO 178, colorFabb)[1] | Not documented |
| Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m² | 2.8–3.7 (ISO 179, notched, colorFabb)[1] | Not documented |
| Brittleness1–5 | Moderate — colorFabb positions the blend as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA grades[1] | Not documented |
| Creep resistance / sustained load1–5 | Poor — no PLA/PHA creep test; plain printed PLA sagged from 12 to 16.2–21.8 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[11][12][13] | Not documented |
| Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5 | Below average — no S-N curve for the blend; colorFabb positions it as tougher and less brittle than its generic PLA, which ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength[14][1] | Not documented |
| Elasticity / flexibility1–5 | Rigid[1] | Not documented |
| Thermal Properties | ||
| Melting point / Vicat°C | Above 155 melting (ISO 3146-C)[1] | Not documented |
| Environment & Chemical | ||
| UV resistance1–5 | Degrades within weeks outdoors[15] | Not documented |
| Biodegradability / compostability | colorFabb states the PHA component is 100 % biodegradable[1] | Not documented |
| Health & Safety | ||
| Fume toxicity1–5 | Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[16] | Not documented |
| Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5 | None needed in a normal room[16] | Not documented |
| Solvents & Solubility | ||
| Soluble in | Chloroform dissolves the PLA phase (10 % w/v, 2–4 h at 23 °C); THF and DMF need 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[17] | Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[18] |
| Softened or crazed by | Acetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[17][19] | Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[18] |
| Solvent welding & smoothing agent | Chloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[20][19] | Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[21] |
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
- PLA/PHA technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
- woodFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- glowFill technical data sheet colorFabb · 2026-08 · tds
- Max volumetric speed Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
- PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
- Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
- BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Polymaker PLA Pro vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Carbon Fiber PLA vs META-PLA vs PLA+ vs PLA by Sunlu — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
- Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
- PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
- Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
- Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
- 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
- Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds