3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

PLA Silk vs Breakaway

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

Silk PLA guideBreak-away support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore PLA Silk comparisonsMore Breakaway comparisons
PLA Silk vs Breakaway — documented properties and sources
PropertySilk PLAPLABreak-away supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$19.49/kg median; $9.75–$24.99/kg across 15 dated product listings$42.49/kg median; $26.00–$79.98/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA with a gloss-forming additive package; suppliers publish the composition as polylactic acid only[1]Break-away support compounds matched to a specific model material — Polymaker sells separate grades for PLA and for PA12[2][3]
Densityg/cm³1.27 (ISO 1183)[1]1.22 (PolySupport for PLA) and 1.29 (PolySupport for PA12), ISO 1183[2][3]
Typical priceUSD/kgMainstream 1 kg spools cluster near 20[4][5][6]1 kg-equivalent spools span 26–80; the middle of the market is about 45[7][8][9]
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[10][11][12][13][14]26–80 across brands and grades; IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE 26, Polymaker PolySupport for PLA 40 at 750 g, YXPOLYER 45, PolySupport for PA12 80 at 500 g[7][8][9]
Market availability1–5Stocked by most mainstream brands[4][10][15]Available from several mainstream brands[7][16]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 mm; 1 and 1.1 kg spools; dual- and tri-colour coextruded variants[17][18]1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.5 and 0.75 kg spools[7]
Typical applicationsDecorative prints where surface gloss matters more than strength[1]Support that peels off by hand, avoiding the moisture handling and dissolution time that soluble supports demand[2]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 (Bambu Lab)[19]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210–240 — 20 °C above the plain PLA window[1]220–230 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Bed temperature°C35–45[1]25–60 (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1][20]Open frame is fine[2]
Part cooling fanFan on[1]Not documented
Bed surface & adhesion aidCool Plate SuperTack, smooth PEI or textured PEI[1]Not documented
Maximum volumetric flow (mm³/s; see test conditions)mm³/sNot documented4–12 at Polymaker's 50–150 mm/s on a 0.4 mm nozzle at 0.2 mm layer[2]
Warping tendency1–5None[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[21]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Easy — minor profile tuning; hotter nozzle and slower cap of 250 mm/s[1]Easy — minor profile tuning[2]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA second extruder or a tool changer[2]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[20]Brass fine indefinitely[2]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[22][20]Non-abrasive[2]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[20]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; Polymaker specifies a 55 °C dry for the PLA grade and warns brass nozzle life falls to about 9 h on the PA12 grade[2][3]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[23]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[21]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.40 % saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH[1]Moderate — 0.64 % equilibrium water absorption (PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.40 saturated at 25 °C / 55 % RH (Bambu Lab)[1]0.64 equilibrium water absorption (Polymaker PolySupport for PLA)[2]
Drying temperature & time55 °C for 8 h in a forced-air dryer, or 65–75 °C for 12 h on an X1 heatbed[1][24]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[25]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[25]Not a structural material; no dry-versus-conditioned data is published[25]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[26][21]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][27]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][26]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][27][28]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[29][30]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)[31][23]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]43 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa, PolySupport for PA12). Polymaker's sheet prints a higher figure at the higher load, which is physically inverted; treat both HDT numbers as approximate[3]
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C56 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa)[1]53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa, PolySupport for PA12) — printed above the 0.45 MPa figure on Polymaker's own sheet, which cannot be right; treat both as approximate[3]
Glass transition (Tg)°C57 (DSC)[1]Not documented
Melting point / Vicat°C158 peak melt (DSC); Vicat 66 °C[1]Vicat 171 (PolySupport for PA12, ISO 306)[3]
Continuous service temperature°C50 — a loaded bar begins to move at this temperature (My Tech Fun, eSun eSilk PLA)[28]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[26][32]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[23][33]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[32][23]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[26]Not documented
Food contactBase resin is food-contact grade, but printed layer grooves harbour bacteria; Prusa advises against food use[23]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[34][23]Not documented
RecyclabilityMechanically recyclable; not accepted in household plastic collection[34]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq (ASTM D257, THERMAX HTS2 and MTS1)[35][36]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[37]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[37]
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[37]Open a window / occasional ventilation[37]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[33][23]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingCyanoacrylate for most joints; some grades partially dissolve and bond with acetone[23][38]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[23]Not documented
Support material pairingSupport for PLA (Bambu Lab)[1]This is the support material. Polymaker publishes an adhesion matrix per model material, from very good to unusable, because break-away supports only work against the polymer they were matched to[2][3]
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.[39]None — break-away support is removed mechanically; 3DXTech lists no water or solvent route for it.[40]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[39][41]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[42][41]None — there is no solvent to weld or smooth with.[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. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V1.0 — PLA Silk+ Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  2. PolySupport Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  3. PolySupport for PA12 Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  4. Panchroma Silk PLA collection Polymaker Shop · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Spectrum PLA Silk — product listing 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. 3DJake ecoPLA Silk Black 1.75mm 1000g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Polymaker product catalogue Polymaker · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. YXPOLYER Breakaway Support Filament 1 kg Black — product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. IEMAI 3D E-REMOVE breakaway support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Sunlu Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1kg Sunlu Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Bambu Lab PLA Silk 1.75mm 1kg 3D Universe · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. CHCKX 16 Pack Silk Dual Color PLA Filament Bundle CHCKX (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. YXPOLYER Silk PLA Black&Gold product page YXPOLYER · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. LANDU Silk Tri-Color PLA Filament 1.75 mm 1 kg LANDU (Amazon US) · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. Overture Silk PLA 1.75mm Overture3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. eSUN PLA-Silk Magic 1.75mm eSUN Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. JAYO Silk PLA+ 1.75mm 1.1kg JAYO Official Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  19. PLA Basic — product page Bambu Lab US Store · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  23. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  24. Filament Drying Recommendations Bambu Lab Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  25. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  26. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  27. 16 PLA brand comparison test — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2022-10 · test
  28. Testing eSun PLA filaments: PLA-ST vs PLA+ vs Silk PLA My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  29. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  30. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  31. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  32. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  33. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  34. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  35. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  36. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  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. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  41. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  42. 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