Ultimaker Tough PLA

[SandervG 1,489]

Ultimaker Tough PLA prints like PLA but has a toughness more similar to ABS. Making it ideal for functional prototypes and larger tools. So when should you pick PLA, ABS or Tough PLA? Ask us below in the comments! Community experts and Ultimaker experts are available to help. 

 

Have you used Tough PLA before? Let us know what you thought below, it might be helpful to new customers considering to use Tough PLA. 
 

[peterinxiamen 0]

i always use tough PLA to make prototpye of engine maintenance small toolings.. 

[MobyDisk 1]

I often print functional parts like brackets that need to flex to connect, and my PLA brackets snap off so I switched back to ABS.  What is different with "Tough" PLA -vs- PLA?  Does it flex any more than PLA?  When you say "toughness more similar to ABS" what specific attribute are we referring to?

[Gero 22]

Toughness in this case means that this PLA does not break as quickly as normal PLA because it can bend a little more. Normal PLA is quite brittle which is a disadvantage for applications under certain loads. Tough PLA is suitable in a normal working environment for applications where a certain impact and shock resistance is required. 
For applications where slight flexibility is also required (such as snap hooks), PETG or nylon are better materials. 
Personally, I prefer to use nylon for most applications because of its abrasion resistance and because I can easily vary the flexibility with different wall thicknesses.