Polymaker Unveils HT-PLA & HT-PLA-GF Line of 3D Printing Filaments

Today, Polymaker has launched a new line of HT-PLA & HT-PLA-GF filaments. These enhanced PLA versions increase the glass transition temperature of PLA from a normal 60°C to above 130°C. The resulting printed parts should therefore stay solid for longer against higher temperature exposure. The HT-PLA prints like normal PLA but ultimately will have a glass transition temperature (Tg) of around 152°C.

The HT-PLA-GF throws glass fiber (GF) into the mix. Generally this will make the material stiffer, but here the company says that it also aids in annealing. During annealing, residual stresses are relieved by elevating the temperature of the part right below the usual melting point. This helps the mechanical properties improve. In PLA we can then see improvements in strength, durability, and overall longevity of parts. If the company got the recipe right, this material could have improved bonding between the glass fiber and the PLA as well, which could further increase performance.

Polymaker says that its new materials have less shrink under annealing than rivals. Even when not annealed, these materials may have increased CSTs (continuous service temperatures) and overall heat resistance. If you do anneal them, their properties will increase, along with the HDT (heat deflection temperature). Annealing time is recommended to be half an hour at 100°C.

Print temperature for the materials is from 210°C to 230°C, while the bed temperature is from 25°C to 60°C. The company maintains that the new materials have better thermal performance than PETG, ABS, and PC, while also having higher tensile strength than normal ABS grades. Polymaker also claims that it prints well, is as easy to use as regular PLA, and that support removal is also easy. If that is all true, and pricing is fair, then it will really tempt a lot of people away from trickier materials such as ABS and PC, especially if they have open printers or those with poor thermal management. We’re not sure yet if this material is derived from NatureWorks’ 3D870 grade, which has improved thermal performance and similar print characteristics. The only slight differences are that the annealing temperatures for that material are recommended to be 110°C to 120°C, and NatureWorks say that a heated bed is not required.

If it is derived from the 3D870 released in 2017, then it would be a vote of confidence in NatureWorks’ approach to more specialized, higher performance grades of PLA. If Polymaker did a lot more engineering and additives on this material, or got it from a Chinese rival, it would also point to the emergence of true higher performance PLA from multiple vendors. It’s therefore good news either way for 3D printer users. The company is releasing 10 different solid colors and 4 gradient colors initially. Rather cheekily, the firm has power tool colors, and you can see how the material colors are reminiscent of Ryobi green, the Makita Teal, DeWalt Yellow, and Milwaukee Red. I will have to continue to pine for the Festool green/blue, Bosch green and blue, and of course, the beautiful Hilti red. I guess we’ll have to wait for a Pro HT-PLA grade to really reference the tools that the pros use.

I never really understood those gradient colors, but I guess a lot of people are printing these articulated snakes, and this could be perfect for them. I really like this material for industrial products, though. PLA is a surprisingly durable material for a lot of end-use parts. In machines, production lines, and a lot of improvised use, PLA is initially used because it is typically the material at hand. Often you have to change materials due to the lower heat deflection and the part’s inability to maintain dimensional stability under load. Better heat deflection and heat stability overall in these new materials could really mean that a lot of engineers all over the world might turn to them. The company did say in the video that it thinks this move could “have the power to elevate PLA from a consumer material to an engineering grade filament.” I don’t like that assertion because it’s confusing, and engineering-grade materials are considered to be another material class, while engineering-grade filament seems destined to confuse the hell out of people even more. But, I do agree with the gist of what they’re saying here. If it is reasonably priced, while giving better temperature stability, these could be intermediate performance materials that could be broadly adopted.

We had a false start with a lot of PRO and filled PLAs a number of years ago, and those materials were additive-filled garbage. They had higher prices, but not the commensurate performance, and a higher environmental cost as well. This time around, the huge success in high-speed PLAs and better base PLA grades seems to have brought about a more fundamental movement towards true higher performance PLA, which we can all benefit from. That is something to be applauded, and I hope that many more firms will innovate because of this.