petg or pla

[Basbakje]

Hey,I'm new to 3d printing and wanted to learn more about the different materials and their characteristics I have come across many articles comparing materials like this https://www.wevolver.com/article/pla...-they-compare- or this https://www.pcguide.com/3d-printer/faq/petg-vs-pla/.But they were more confusing than helpful imo.What materials do you recommend for getting started?

[curious aardvark]

pla is the easiest to use and the most versatile.
As well as one of the strongest and fastest materials to print with.

So start with pla :-)

[joey noah]

I recommend pla for beginners because it is easier to operate. This is a comparative article about petg vs pla.

[Bikeracer2020]

I recommend pla for beginners because it is easier to operate. This is a comparative article about petg vs pla.

From that article about PLA being biodegradable.....

PLA: PLA is a biodegradable material that can degrade rapidly and eventually decompose into natural substances. It is more environmentally friendly and suitable for disposable and short-term applications.



"It is important to understand PLA is not a biodegradable material in just any environment, it is a compostable material only in industrial environments and shows very little mineralization(not biodegradation) in the majority of environments."

1) PLA is not biodegradable. It is degradable.
2) Enzymes which hydrolyze PLA are not available in the environment except on very rare occasions.
3) Proteinase K catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of PLA

[joey noah]

I checked Wiki and other articles and PLA is indeed a biodegradable material; It is true that PLA does not degrade quickly at ambient temperatures, but we can use chemical hydrolysis, thermal degradation, and photodegradation?(I am not so sure about what i have learnt)

[Bikeracer2020]

Williams in 1981 and Tsuji and Miyauchi in 2001 had the same question ” is PLA is biodegradable”. They have written white papers around the subject and are featured in the book Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine. In the book and discussed at the conference of the European Society for Biomaterials PLA is controlled by hydrolysis and the hydrolysis is independent of all biological agents.

https://www.biosphereplastic.com/inf...la-compostable

Wiki is often wrong, anyone can contribute.

Also altering a quote can get you a ban, please edit your post back to original quote

[joey noah]

Thanks for your share! I will continue to study the differences between biodegradable and degrade.