There’s nothing super special about this print in particular compared to what people usually post here, just a simple Santa figurine requested by a makerspace patron. However, it’s made from 100% pure PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a natural polyester byproduct of common soil bacteria. Unlike PLA, it is fully home compostable. It can break down in any biome, in a very reasonable timeframe. Also unlike PLA, you can make it by feeding the bacteria stuff like old fast food fryer oil, and other waste products. The print settings are pretty similar to PLA, but it has some significant differences in material properties, like being less brittle.
There aren’t a whole lot of people making 100% PHA filaments, but if you can find it, definitely give it a shot! It’s our staple filament at the makerspace I work in. Hopefully this doesn’t sound too much like an ad or something, I just really like this stuff and want it to catch on.
Oh also! The flexible version looks and feels really neat if you run it through a vibratory tumbler:
Yeah you’re right, that really doesn’t sound like it’s anywhere remotely close to as easy as printing as PLA.
I disagree, but sometimes… difficult things are worth doing? It’s not like we randomly decided to use it for no reason afterall.
Compared to just selecting a printing temp around roughly 200C, setting plate to 60C and putting cooling on full blast, which is what almost all PLA prints well with IME, PHA seems much more finicky from what you’re describing. I’m not saying it’s not worth it, but it sounds like it requires much more tuning before you get decent results.
Ohhh sure yeah, up front it does! There’s definitely some work to get it figured out the first time, that’s very true. It took us a while to iron out the settings. Once you get that stuff worked out though, from then on it’s pretty smooooooth.