PLA
PLA — polylactic acid — is made from plant starch rather than petroleum. It prints cleanly and accurately, holds fine detail well, and is stiff enough for most of what people ask us to make.
Good for
- Prototypes, models and display pieces
- Replacement parts for things around the house
- Brackets, jigs, organisers and enclosures used indoors
- Anything where accuracy and a clean surface matter
Not good for
- Anything hot. PLA softens from around 55 °C. A car dashboard in summer will deform it.
- Anything that flexes repeatedly. It is stiff, and stiff things eventually snap rather than bend.
- Long-term outdoor use. UV and damp degrade it over months.
- Food contact. The layer lines harbour bacteria and we cannot certify our process as food-safe.
Colours
- White
White is the only colour we stock at the moment, so it is the only one you can order. We will add more as we buy them. Swatches are indicative: printed plastic never matches a screen exactly.
Quality settings
- Draft — 0.30 mm layers
- Quickest and cheapest. Layer lines are clearly visible. Fine for test fits.
- Standard — 0.20 mm layers
- The usual choice, and what we recommend unless you have a reason not to.
- Fine — 0.12 mm layers
- Noticeably smoother, and noticeably slower — often two to three times the machine time, which shows in the price.
Finishing
Support removal and tidy-up is charged as an option; light sanding smooths the most obvious layer lines. We do not offer painting, vapour smoothing or dyeing.
Other materials
Not yet. We would rather print one material well than list a dozen we cannot give you honest advice about. If you need PETG, ABS, nylon or a resin, tell us — we will say plainly whether we can help or point you elsewhere.