3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Silk vs PMMA

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

Silk PLA guidePMMA (acrylic) guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Silk comparisonsMore PMMA comparisons
PLA Silk vs PMMA — documented properties and sources
PropertySilk PLAPLAPMMA (acrylic)ENGINEERING
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings$49.99/kg median; $49.99–$49.99/kg across 1 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[1]Poly(methyl methacrylate) — acrylic, sold for 3D printing as a transparent glass substitute[2]
Densityg/cm³1.27 (ISO 1183)[1]Not documented
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[3][4][5]1 kg spools cluster near 50[6]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg10–25 across brands; CHCKX 10 in a 16-roll bundle, SUNLU 13, LANDU 18, YXPOLYER 20, Polymaker 22, Devil Design 25[7][8][9][10][11]50 at Push Plastic's 1 kg listing; 3 kg spools run the same per kilogram[6]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[3][7][12]Special order, 1–2 makers worldwide[6]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[13][14]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 1 and 3 kg spools[6]
Typical applicationsDecorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[1]Transparent covers and light guides where PC's yellowing or cost rules it out[2]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[15]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[1]Not documented
Bed temperature°C35–45[1]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1][16]Not documented
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidCool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[1]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[17]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[1]Not documented
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[16]Not documented
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[18][16]Not documented
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[16]Not documented
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[19]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[17]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[1]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[1][20]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[22][17]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa33 (printed XY, ISO 527); eSun Silk broke 22 % below the 16-brand PLA mean on identical 4×4 mm bars[1][23]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2130 (printed XY, ISO 527)[1]Not documented
Elongation at break%2.8 (printed XY, ISO 527) — a quarter of PLA Basic at 12.2[1][22]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa75 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa2460 (printed XY, ISO 178)[1]Not documented
Charpy impact, notchedkJ/m²10.3 (printed XY, ISO 179, notched); unnotched 18.5[1]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa25 (printed Z, ISO 527), and flexural Z collapses to 30 against 75 in XY; eSun Silk broke at 12.3 kg where twelve of the 16 plain PLAs managed 44.6–61.5 kg[1][23][24]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[1]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no silk-specific creep data published; plain PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[25][26]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)[27][19]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[1]Not documented
Z strength as % of XY%76 by tensile, 40 by flexural (printed, Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C60 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa)[1]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]Not documented
Glass transition (Tg)°C57 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[1]Not documented
Continuous service temperature°C50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[24]Not documented
Annealing response50–55 °C for 6–12 h[1]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[22][28]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[19][29]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[28][19]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[22]Not documented
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[19]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[30][19]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[30]Not documented
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[31]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[31]Not documented
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[29][19]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[19][32]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[19]Not documented
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[1]Not documented
Dimensional accuracy & detail55° overhangs and 30 mm bridges; gloss hides fine detail and is destroyed by sanding[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.[33]Acetone, MEK, ethyl and butyl acetate, THF, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride dissolve it; the last two are laboratory reagents.[34]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[33][35]Alcohols, aliphatic hydrocarbons, oils and phthalate plasticisers craze it, and the threshold falls as stress rises.[34]
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[36][35]Dichloromethane acrylic cement (IPS Weld-On 3): 2–5 min soak, 17.2 MPa lap shear at one week. Controlled carcinogen.[37]

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 V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PMMA Filament 1.75mm 1kg — product page Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Push Plastic product catalogue Push Plastic · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  17. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  18. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  19. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  20. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  23. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  24. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  26. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  27. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  28. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  29. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  30. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  31. 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
  32. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  33. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  34. Chemical resistance of PMMA products Mitsubishi Chemical (Acrypet) · 2026-08 · tds
  35. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  36. 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
  37. Weld-On 3 Acrylic Plastic Cement — technical data sheet (shipped as dichloromethane) IPS Corporation · 2002-07 · tds