Conductive PLA

Have you always wanted to create something with your 3D printer that contains electronic components? Maybe an LED, a touch sensor, or some other ingenious invention to solve the world's problems? Then Protoplant conductive PLA is the perfect material for you.

Now with better layer adhesion, increased tear resistance, increased fuse flow and generally greater consistency for a smoother and more powerful printing experience!

Danger

The workmanship is comparable to standard PLA; no heated print bed or other nozzles are required.

How conductive is it?

• Printed resin/resin volume resistance (not 3D printed): 15 ohm-cm
• Volume resistivity of 3D printed parts along layers (x/y): 30 Ohm-cm
• Volume resistance of 3D printed parts to layers (z): 115 ohm-cm
• Resistor with a length of 10 cm and 1.75 mm filament: 2-3 kOhm
• Resistor of 10cm length with 2.85mm filament: 800-1200 ohm

Suggested applications

Protoplant conductive PLA is an excellent choice for low-voltage applications, touch sensor designs, and using prints to interact with touchscreens (which require low conductivity, which is why you can't use your smartphone screen with gloves). As a rule, anything you can pass through a 1K resistor should be possible with our material (if you design the conductors to be the right size). This will easily make a low-power Arduino work if you don't do much with it. Also experiment with ESD or 3D printed bearings!

Strength and performance

The manufacturer has not performed significant mechanical testing on this product. However, there are some subjective parameters that should be useful when comparing this material with others:

• Strength: moderate strength. More flexible than PLA, but with less layer adhesion
• Rigidity: low, semi-flexible
• Heat resistance: similar to PLA, use at temperatures below 50°C
• Level Accountability: Fair Level Accountability. Not as good as regular PLA
• Flexibility: The filament is very flexible, but breaks when bent repeatedly (especially 2.85mm). Printed parts are rigid if they are thicker than one or two mm. The thin sections are quite flexible but will fail along the slice lines if bent more than a few times.
• Failure Mode: When bent to the point of failure, failure occurs along the ply lines.
• Deformation: Very little deformation
• Dual Head Compatibility: Compatible with (adheres to) PLA in dual material prints