What Will Dissolve PLA? Dissolving Pla Support Material

In 3D printing, when there are problems such as minor bumps or not smooth surfaces, we can use some methods to dissolve those parts. Thus, do you know what will dissolve PLA if you are planning to use this filament?

In this article, we talked about some common methods you can use to smooth your finish surfaces after printing.

Moreover, we also gave you some tips and tricks, both with and without chemistry to do your cleaning afterward.

Let’s check it out!

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What Will Dissolve PLA? Dissolving Pla Support Material

PLA is a soluble filament. We can use chemical products to remove them in most cases, although there are other soft ways as well.

We suggest you pick the ones which are friendly to your health and environment first.

Many chemical products (will be listed below) can dissolve PLA filament.

You can use this method to clean the 3D printer nozzles, smooth prints, and dissolve support structures.

It is totally up to you to choose how you want to treat them.

Depending on the type of print model, different experts will use many different methods.

Some chemical products are easy to work with, while others are harder because they need special precautions and are not always ready.

When you use it in the wrong way, it might lead to serious risks and bad results.

Moreover, we strongly discourage mixing different products together.

This can result in many serious reactions, from fire to explosions.

However, before you start, we have some safety tips that you should remember:

Remember to work slowly and carefully. The parts that you are going to work with are far more brittle and easier to break than the thick and solid parts. As a result, caution and precision are important.
Always start with a test sample or the least visible part of your model before working on the main thing.
Support structures are created to build and connect weak parts of your main object automatically. Typically, the support is attached to the print via very tiny connection parts. It is recommended that you should cut them off extremely close to the actual print. It will be much easier to sand that part later.

Cleaning a model (Source: gotopac)

Cleaning With Chemistry

1 – Acetone – Can acetone dissolve Pla?

This is a widely used product that almost everyone has at home.

It is the most common way we use to dissolve PLA, although it has the drawback of making the surface softer and stickier.

As a result, extreme caution is important while using this to avoid destroying your 3D printed product.

You have to test it on a small print area before applying.

If you are not sure how much you need, start with a small amount and work your way up.

It is always possible to increase the quantity later.

Besides, this product is also quite easy to buy on the internet.

How to smooth a model by acetone: ACETONE SMOOTHING PLA BEST METHOD EVER – YouTube

2 – Ethyl acetate

This is a chemical mix made up of acetic acid and ethanol.

PLA dissolves easily with this.

However, the nice smell of it (strawberry and banana) brings a potential risk that should not be overlooked.

Furthermore, you should be careful because it is very flammable, especially during storage.

You should only use the product on its own, do not mix it with other things.

3 – MEK

This is a quite effective solution but very toxic.

Therefore, we do not recommend you to use it at home.

4 – Tetrahydrofuran

You may know it as oxalate. Nowadays, people mostly use it in the industry to dissolve not only PLA but also other polymers completely.

Thus, this is a very dangerous substance.

It has a low flash point, making it very easy to fire.

Furthermore, if you breathe it for a long time, it can cause serious health problems.

As a result, not many people want to use it anymore.

Moreover, its haze can smooth the PLA surfaces.

Therefore, you should not inhale it under any conditions.

5 – Caustic soda

In comparison to the others, this product is more readily available.

However, you still have to treat it very carefully.

Besides, you can also use it to clean the drains.

To get the best result of smoothing, mix it with the ratio of 1 litter of water and 120 grams of soda.

The PLA model is treated by dipping into the solution bath.

During this step, you must wear protective gloves and eyewear.

The tools you use should meet strict safety requirements as well.

When it comes to using this product, there are many arguments.

Some get good results but others say that it is dangerous and hard to deal with.

Cleaning Without Using Chemistry

Chemical products make smoothing PLA easy.

However, we still have other options since some people worry about the high risk for health and the environment.

1 – Build material is the same as support material:

If you use the same filament for both the support material and building material in 3D printing, you will get better results right away.

In many cases, you will not have to smooth or dissolve the filament.

The carrier material can be removed with sandpaper or a knife.

2 – Tools for welding PLA surfaces:

If you do not want to use chemicals to dissolve or smooth PLA, tools for welding surfaces are a good option.

After printing, your 3D printed object will have a smooth and clean surface.

3 – After sanding, pray a primer layer:

Even with sanding, you will never be able to erase all layer lines from your 3D print.

As a result, the surface will appear unfinished and uneven.

Using a filler and sandable priming paint spray can correct or prevent this.

The layers are quick to dry. Sand the primer all the way down to the surface.

What Will Dissolve PLA? – How To Remove Support Material?

Almost all of the support material can be broken away with your fingers in this case.

Remove the rest of that part with needle-nose pliers or a sharpened hand knife.

The benefit of this method only needs time and your skills.

However, you have to be careful not to hurt yourself.

The easiest way to remove those parts is to use a 3D printer with two extruders.

It allows you to load a PLA or ABS material for one extruder and lower density support material for the other.

Then, you can dissolve that support partly by dipping it in a chemical water bath.

The Qidi Tech X-Pro printer can be your best option. However, it is quite pricey for most normal users.

Before and after removing the supporting parts (Source: i.materialise)

We have some tips if you want to remove the supports from your printed objects:

To make it simpler to cut, heat both the model and the blade when using a knife or scraper.

A small heat gun can be useful, but you should be careful when using it because it can melt the whole down.

Using sandpaper is another way.

Wet sanding it with high grit sandpaper, ranging from 220 to 1200, removes the supports while also making the model shiny.

Stress marks can appear if you take the support material from the model when using PLA material.

If this happens to you, fix the scratches and marks with nail polish gel.

On the other hand, you can get a little drilling tool if you want.

This portable grinder comes with a range of bits and attachments that make it simple to remove support material. If you have shaky hands, pay extreme caution when doing your plastic things because they are very easy to break.

What Will Dissolve PLA? – Smoothing Without Sanding / Melt pla filament

Because many dissolving chemicals are quite toxic, unavailable, or dangerous to our health, people now prefer sanding as another way of smoothing PLA.

Heat smoothing is also a way to try if you do not want to sand or using chemicals.

This works by heating the PLA print at a high temperature for a short time.

While these processes have proven to be efficient in smoothing, the problem is that the heat is often spread unevenly across the print.

Thus, it causes some parts to get overheated while others remain underheated.

Those parts may melt or bubble, destroying the whole model.

Many people have tried to smooth PLA using normal fire, but the end result is always a damaged or color changed print.

Moreover, how to melt PLA filament? A heat gun is an ideal option. It allows the plastic to heat up faster and more evenly.

Therefore, you can have a smoother print with this heat gun. A heat gun is preferable because you can adjust the temperature may be adjusted as you want.

The only trick is to melt only the surface and then let it cool.

Epoxy resins are another good option for smoothing PLA.

These are products used in the production of paints, coatings, and primers.

Their perfect result is due to their ability to seal porosity or semi porous PLA prints.

Furthermore, many people add sanding to the process to meet the best finish they want.

On the other hand, epoxy resin coatings produce a perfect end finish if done correctly.

To do it, cool the print and heat the resin liquid until it becomes thick enough to work with.

Frequently Asked Questions (Reply printing)

1 – Does PLA Plastic Dissolve In Water?

PLA absorbs water and weakens as a result.

PLA becomes weaker as it absorbs more moisture.

Wet PLA prints feature a rougher texture and more flaws, such as blobs, bubbly texture, and stringing.

However, this process happens not very fast.

2 – Why Are My Print Finishes Not Smooth?

The most typical problem is that the print does not stick to its platform’s surface.

If the platform is uneven, the nozzle will not be close enough to the platform to properly extrude and bond the first layer in some parts of the object.

3 – Can Dissolving Damage My 3D Printed Objects?

Yes, it can. Treating your printed objects with any smoothing methods can cause damages.

However, it is sure that if you do it carefully and responsibly, you will get the perfect surface as you want.

You can test them on a small sample before starting, or asking for advice from other people on the Internet.

4 – What Is The Best Temperature Range For PLA?

PLA filament settings have an optimal printing temperature range of roughly 185°C to 205°C in general.

If you use 1.75mm filament instead of the thicker 2.85mm (or 3.00mm), it will be closer to the lower end of the temperature range.

5 – How Can I Know If My PLA Filament Go Bad?

Because PLA can go bad if it exposes to moisture in the air or water.

Thus, if you store it unproperly, it may last only 1 month.

Moisture absorbed filament may make damaged and weak prints, also a poor quality that you can break easily.

Conclusion

In summary, almost all common filaments can be treated in many ways. Knowing what will dissolve PLA can help you save a lot of time and effort in making the perfect object. However, remember that no matter what you are going to do, choosing a health-friendly option is always the best.

Further Reading:

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