Silk Gloss PLA

PLA Silk Gloss is a PLA-based filament modified with another polymer to achieve the silky surface finish that defines this material. This filament has been developed by Formfutura, the renowned Dutch filament manufacturer that seeks to offer a wide variety of finishes on its PLA-based filaments.

PLA (polylactic acid) is a biodegradable plastic obtained from natural resources, specifically from starch extracted from corn, beet and wheat.

PLA is one of the most widely used materials in 3D printing today because it does not give off harmful gases and is easy to print on. The ease of use of this material derives from several factors:

• It does not require hot bed, although if available, it is recommended to use it at about 60 ºC.
• It is generally printed at low temperatures (between 190ºC and 220ºC).
• It is a material with an almost inexistent warping (the warping is the deformation of the pieces with respect to the base).

The few technical requirements of this material make it possible to print on almost any 3D printer on the market.

Thanks to the PLA base of the PLA Silk Gloss filament, this material maintains the properties and ease of printing of standard PLA.

However, the finish of the parts is significantly different. The surface of the parts printed on standard PLA has a glossy finish, while the surface of the parts printed on PLA Silk Gloss is smooth and silky and allows the objects to be printed in 3D with a high level of gloss. In addition, the material has a high level of light dispersion and reflection. Thanks to this, the layers are disguised until they are almost imperceptible.

Image 1: Parts printed with PLA Silk Gloss. Source: Formfutura.

This silky surface is more or less present depending on the printing parameters used. By reducing the printing speed and temperature, the silky gloss effect increases, while, by increasing both parameters, the silky appearance decreases.

In addition to the ease of printing and the surface finish of the part, PLA Silk Gloss allows for an excellent level of detail.

Today, PLA Silk Gloss filaments are highly demanded for their properties and surface finish characteristics, which allow any 3D FDM printer user, even inexperienced users, to print parts with excellent and aesthetically striking finishes. For all these reasons, this filament is widely used in sectors such as decoration and design.

It should be noted that PLA Silk Gloss is a moderately hygroscopic material, which means that it absorbs air humidity to a certain extent. This can cause a decrease in print quality. To keep the filament free of moisture, it is recommended to store the rolls in vacuum packaging such as PrintDry or to use a PrintDry II filament dryer.

PLA Silk packaging is environmentally friendly. PLA Silk filaments are wound on recycled cardboard reels, which are easy to recycle and dispose of. These reels are in turn packed in recycled cardboard boxes.

The PLA Silk Gloss filament is a suitable option for any 3D FDM print user who wishes to create decorative objects or pieces with a shiny, silky and very eye-catching finish.