PLA vs Tough PLA

[Baychattan 1]

I what circumstances would one use 'ordinary' PLA rather than Tough PLA, other than the larger range of colours available with 'ordinary' PLA?

[Smithy 1,144]

I do it the other way, I use 'ordinary' PLA for everything which doesn't need additional strangeness and use ToughPLA for a few things only which could probably break easier with PLA only.

 

ToughPLA is wonderful, you can print it as normal PLA but it is stronger, even maybe stronger and stiffer than ABS. 

[Baychattan 1]

 

"ToughPLA is wonderful, you can print it as normal PLA but it is stronger, even maybe stronger and stiffer than ABS. "

 

Hence my question, why would you use ordinary PLA rather than use Tough PLA? The two materials are the same price. Apart from being available in more colours, what advantages does ordinary PLA have over Tough PLA? Perhaps you could expand on "additional strangeness".

[Smithy 1,144]

Primary because of the colors, ToughPLA is just available in some basic colors. 

The default Cura profiles are also different for these materials, ToughPLA prints a lot slower than PLA, but I haven't tried what happens if I set the same speed as PLA.

 

And the price, because PLA is cheaper than ToughPLA. Maybe not the UM PLA, but I use a lot of other good PLA (colorFabb, Fillamentum, Innofil) and they are cheaper.

 

If you just print functional parts, and you are happy with the available colors, I would not change between PLA and ToughPLA and would print everything in ToughPLA, makes life easier.

 

 

[Smithy 1,144]

13 minutes ago, Baychattan said:

Apart from being available in more colours, what advantages does ordinary PLA have over Tough PLA?

 And to answer directly this question, besides colors, maybe speed and price if you buy other brands: nothing

Edited November 9, 2018 by Smithy