PolyTerra PLA from Polymaker is a PLA-based 3D printing filament designed with a focus on being environmentally friendly. It's made to deliver high printing quality and speed while being easy to use and reliable. It's made with a material from Polymaker called Fully Bio Compound (FBC), which is a compound of PLA bioplastic and a bio-composite. Polymaker offers it as a cost effective and eco-friendly solution. Polymaker also emphasizes that PolyTerra PLA can easily be removed.
PolyTerra PLA filament is compatible with most of the printers available on the market. Examples include the Ultimaker, Flashforge, Snapmaker, LulzBot, Raise3D, Flsun, Artillery, Anycubic, Creality, and more. For best printing results, it's recommended to print PolyTerra PLA in temperatures between 374 to 446°F.
PolyTerra PLA can be printed at a wide range of speeds. Polymaker recommends speeds between 30 and 70mm/s, but they have successfully tested it on some printers at speeds up to 140mm/s.
If your printer has a direct-drive extruder, the recommended retraction distance is 1mm and the retraction speed is 20mm/s. If your printer has a Bowden extruder, the recommended retraction distance is 3mm and the retraction speed is 40mm/s.
PolyTerra PLA degrades under the specific conditions of industrial composting, namely, at certain temperatures and humidity with the presence of micro-organisms. The degrade rate will depend on the size and thickness of the printed part.
Due to Polymaker's heat treatment of the filament, PolyTerra PLA can withstand temperatures of 212°F. However, the printed PolyTerra PLA parts can only withstand temperatures up to 140°F because the crystallinity of the filament changes during the printing process.To glue PolyTerra PLA parts together, common glues used for PLA parts can be used. Polymaker suggests cyanoacrylate glue (superglue) as generally the best choice.
Is PolyTerra PLA food safe? Compliant with RoHS directives 2011/65/EU and (EU) 2015/863, and REACH regulation, PolyTerra PLA does not contain toxic or harmful substances. However, the printed PolyTerra PLA parts might have micro-cracks and holes which are invisible to the naked eye even though the prints look smooth. Bacteria are prone to grow in these micro-cracks and holes, so it is not recommended to use the printed parts in food contact applications.
For more information, please check out the below print settings and other properties, which are based on the use of a 0.4mm nozzle and the Simplify 3D v.3.1 printer.