Is 3d Printing Pla Toxic? What You Need To Know & Safety Tips

We all know that PLA is a natural material made from corn, tapioca, or potatoes which seems safe. However, is 3D printing PLA toxic? The 3D printing process creates a lot of toxic filament fumes. So it can be very dangerous to your safety and health.

This article will tell you all you need to know about this filament, including food safety and what happens if you accidentally eat it.

Let’s take a look!

Table of Contents

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Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic?

Yes and no. Although breathing the fumes of any plastic is harmful to one’s health, PLA is less toxic than the others when it comes to creating toxic fumes.

This is because it does not need to be processed onto the printing bed under extreme conditions. It breaks into lactic acid during the heating phase, which is generally safe.

People think this material is environmentally friendly. However, the fact is that it is easier to break than ABS and does not last in high temperatures. This means that on a hot summer day with high temperatures, your printed objects may melt and lose shape.

Advantages of Pla 3d printing (Source: 3DSourced)

Is PLA Food Safe?

PLA is a type of natural plastic. People use natural ingredients such as corn, tapioca, and potatoes to make this filament. Lactic acid is found in these sources.

Lactic acid is produced when glucose is converted to lactic acid. We use corn in the manufacture of this material since it is a source of glucose.

With this understanding, you can totally say that it is safe because it is produced from human waste.

Like ABS, it is applied to make a lot of items, including food containers, trash bags, and other disposable stuff. However, using printed PLA material to make food containers is not a good choice.

3D printers leave gaps and holes in the surface, making it impossible to hide moisture. After a few washes, the objects may have molds that are difficult to clean.

PLA is food safe if it has the following features:

The object surface is smooth
There are no extra additives mixed with the filament.
The printing nozzle is made of stainless steel.
The nozzle should also be clean.
Do not wash with the dishwasher.
To keep the thing food-safe, treat it with epoxy resin on a regular basis.

Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic? Limitations Of The Filament

Because it has a limited heat range, you cannot use it for high-temperature applications. This filament can warp quickly at high temperatures, especially when stressed.
It is usually weaker and has a lower tensile strength than ABS or PETG. The pieces are more suited to aesthetic rather than mechanical applications because they are easy to break when 3D printed.

Normally, its uses are food safe when they are not 3D printed. This is due to the fact that the 3D printing method leaves very small gaps and tiny holes between the print’s layers. These holes tend to trap moisture and food particles, increasing the growth of germs and mold.
This filament usually leaks out when heated, which means the printer’s extruder can leak a lot of plastic when changing between print parts. This makes the strings form between the different parts of your model that can lead to a fail result. However, you can use a cooling fan to avoid this problem.

PLA is a biodegradable material. This means that if the filament is exposed to hard environments, it will degrade over time. When using printed items inside your home, you may not notice the difference. However, if you choose to keep a model outside your house, the degradation will happen quickly. ABS or PETG are preferable choices for such applications.

When To Use PLA?

Here are some reasons you should go for this material:

1 – Easiest filament to process

The reason why a lot of people like to use this filament is that it is easy to work with.

This is the best option for those who are not used to dealing with varied temperature needs. In terms of working with different values from what is known as the best print settings, this material is a little more flexible.

Moreover, it is also less tendency to warp than other products. For those who do not know, warping is one of the most discomfort 3D printing issues that we may face.

However, with PLA, you will not have to worry as much about having a closed frame of stable temperature to create your things.

Furthermore, while printing models using it, there are no bad smells. Working around the machine is simple and requires little ventilation. One of the reasons why this 3D printing filament is so popular among home users is because of this.

2 – For aesthetic aims

This filament comes in a variety of colors and mixes, giving users a wide range of choices. Furthermore, the product offers you excellent print quality.

You can use it for a variety of models and print tasks. Thus, being able to give the final prints a more colorful feel.

3 – For lighter models

PLA has enough strength to meet the demands of both light prototypes and 3D models. People can use some blends to make the material last longer and further improve its performance.

These mixes could even outperform ABS, a common filament for functional prototypes, in terms of strength and durability.

As a result, unless you are making a model that needs to handle a lot of stress and pressure, this is a good choice.

Is PLA Dangerous? About Food Safe

If we use a food-safe material in 3D printing, it has to go through a nozzle inside the printer. Therefore, it can be polluted easily.

People usually think this product is food safe because it is made from natural ingredients. However, you should know that it will go through a machine during the production work.

Thus, if we use the same machine for the other materials, you cannot know it is totally safe or not.

So, if you want to use it to make things that come into direct contact with food, you have to be careful about food safety and take some guidelines.

Typically, the material is quite safe to consume in a small amount by humans because it is made from lactic acid.

Normally, we can find this acid in some parts of the human body, which makes it safe. Some foods that we come into contact with contain this acid, which people can eat without harm.

However, we do not recommend consuming a large amount of this 3D printed plastic. Despite the fact that you can digest it, it will go through your system and may make you ill.

On the other hand, any substances that drain from the filament while it is in your body do not have significant harm.

As a result, when it comes to food, plastic PLA 3D printing material is quite safe. Besides, if the producer added other dangerous additives, they will go into your body and cause worse problems.

Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic? Does PLA Filament Smell?

If you print with specific materials, it is totally normal for your printer to emit fumes while running. This is mostly because of the printer’s heating technology, which allows the plastic to be melted into a liquid that can be layered.

The higher the temperature, the more likely it that your 3D printer filament will smell.

This is also one of the reasons why ABS stinks and PLA does not. Furthermore, it depends on the material’s production and composition as well.

When the filament begins to heat up, it normally emits an odor. Apart from that, if your printer overheats, the burnt plastic also emits an unpleasant odor. You can prevent bad smells for the most part if you use filaments that don’t require high temperatures.

PLA is made from renewable resources like corn and sugarcane.

Thus, it does not produce the toxic, smelly chemicals that some people worry about.

On the other hand, ABS is made by a process known as polymerization. Although they are safe when 3D printed (legos, pipes), they are not so safe when heated and melted into molten plastic.

Is PLA Fumes Harmful?

At first, you may not get the bad effects of breathing toxic gases at first.

However, if you are exposed to them often at work or at home, these effects will increase over time.

Because of the chance of long-term contact, even if you choose safe filaments like PLA or PETG that emit fewer fumes, you are still putting your health at risk.

After all, because 3D printing has just become more popular today, we have not fully aware of or understood the long-term impacts of breathing these bad odors.

Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic? Set-Up Tips

Normally, each printer has its own settings and also depends on the type and blend of PLA filaments you use. However, there are some basic needs you can do to have a successful task.

1 – Temperature

The temperature of the printer’s extruder varies from 180° C to 230° C, depending on the diameter of the filament (there are two types: 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm).

For filaments with a diameter of 1.75 mm, choose lower temperatures within this range. On the other hand, for filaments with a diameter of 2.85 mm, choose higher temperatures.

You can start at a temperature of around 180° C, and then adjust the temperature as needed.

If the temperature is too high, melted PLA may leak out, resulting in poor print quality.

You can avoid this problem by increasing the temperature or decreasing the retraction distance by some amounts.

Change this distance by 0.5 mm – 1 mm up or down based on the results. We do not recommend distances of more than 5 mm or less than 0.5 mm.

2 – Speed

Although 3D printing with PLA may achieve speeds of up to 90 mm per second, printing at a slower speed (about 40 mm per second) ensures higher quality to final products.

3 – Cooling

It is important to have a good cooling system in order to make high-quality models.

We suggest using a part cooling fan at maximum mode during the printing process.

However, cooling can affect the adhesion of the first few layers of your project on the printing task. As a result, it is best to turn off the fan after the first few minutes.

4 – Storage

Is the PLA filament you are using easy to break? Is it easy to bubbling during the printing task?

This is most likely due to the wrong storage of the filament, which has caused it to become damp. PLA filaments, like ABS, are hygroscopic, which means they take moisture from the air.

Therefore, it is important to keep these filaments stored in an airtight container.

Airtight Box For Filament (Source: All3DP)

We recommend some good containers to keep PLA:

Some tips to get the most of your PLA 3D printing:

Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic? How To Reduce The Risk From 3D Printer Fumes?

There are some ways that can help you minimize the risk of these toxic fumes:

1 – Well ventilated space

By putting 3D printer in a well-ventilated area, you can reduce your exposure to fumes.

Make sure that the room has enough space for the airflow, including windows and space for the fumes to escape.

Sometimes, you may have to set up a complicated ventilation system that includes an air quality monitor.

By giving you information on air quality in that room at any moment when you work, the air quality monitor will help you minimize health risks.

If you work in the living room, you can control the emissions by using an air purifier, preferably one with a HEPA filter.

2 – Buy a high-quality printer

We advise you to buy from a reliable 3D printer manufacturer.

These ones use photoionization technology, which tends to be safer. To reduce the volatile organic matter in the fumes, buy other printers on the market that use a safer type of filament.

3 – Replace dangerous material with a safer one

Always try to use safer materials instead of cheap and harmful ones.

For example, some materials that contain carbon nanotubes can make you sick. So, do not choose materials with a high level of that things.

The best you can do is choose safer plastics to replace the ones that can produce bad fumes.

You will need to install a carbon filtering system in your workplace if you do not have another option.

The filter system provides a type of health protection from 3D printing.

4 – Engineering control

We can use a big fan filter or a hood to filter or ventilate the air to control the presence of toxic emissions. This can blow the pollutants away from the chance of human breathing.

Last but not least, restrict the number of people who can visit the 3D printing room.

The only staffs who can enter into space are those who are removing the models or performing maintenance.

These people need to take safety needs such as wearing face masks and using tools that help them avoid coming into touch with harmful things.

Is 3D Printing PLA Toxic? Frequently Asked Questions

1 – Does PLA go bad?

PLA normally lasts from a few months to two years in a hard environment.

PLA is not water-soluble, but it can absorb water at a high rate. When using the high-temp nozzle in your 3D printer, exposure to moisture will result in some bad results.

2 – Can I Reuse PLA?

Yes, you can recycle PLA filament. However, it will not in the same way you can do with milk bottles, food boxes, or any other types of daily plastic.

Because this filament has a lower melting point than other plastics, therefore it can’t go into the same bundle as the rest.

3 – How Can I Recycle Failed PLA Prints?

You can turn your printed trash into fresh spools by using a 3D printer filament recycling.

A typical recycler will break down them into smaller pieces, melt them down, and force the liquid plastic through a hole. After cooling, the machine will coil the heated plastic onto a reel.

4 – PLA and ABS, Which One Is Cheaper?

When it comes to the cost per one-kilogram spool of filament, they are the same.

However, if you only look at the raw material cost, ABS is probably cheaper than PLA.

5 – How Can I Clean My PLA Prints?

Cleaning your results is a simple process.

Apply a tiny amount of liquid polish on a soft cotton cloth.

Then rub the polish into the surface of your final print in small circles until it completely absorbs. When you finish, the surface will be shiny.

Conclusion

To sum up, almost all 3D printing technology has a chance share of health hazards. But PLA is relatively safe in most cases. However, if you want to make the most of this filament, you still have to follow the safety precautions and other requirements when working with it. There are also food safe PLA products in the market nowadays for you to choose from.

Therefore, 3D printing PLA toxic or not also depends on the way you use it.

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