PLA LW

SMARTFIL® PLA LW (Light Weight) is a technical filament designed to produce ultra-lightweight parts without compromising print quality or mechanical strength.
Its special formulation allows the material to expand during extrusion, achieving up to 65% weight reduction and optimising material usage.

Perfect for applications where low weight is essential —such as drones, mobile prototypes or large decorative elements— this PLA offers a professional matte finish, excellent layer adhesion and is compatible with most FDM printers.

Main advantages

• Up to 65% weight reduction.

• Lower material usage per part.

• Matte, professional surface finish.

• Good mechanical strength.

• Printable without heated bed.

• Ideal for large or mobile parts.

Printing guide

• Nozzle: 220–250 °C

• Bed: 40–60 °C

• Speed: 30–50 mm/s

• Recommended flow: 60–80% of standard PLA.

• Technical note: Expansion is directly proportional to temperature.

  • Higher temperature → Lower flow to maintain size and dimensional stability.

  • Lower temperature → Higher flow to compensate for reduced expansion.

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Step-by-step guide to print SMARTFIL® PLA LW

1. Prepare the 3D model

   • Use lightweight geometries (honeycomb, thin walls) to maximise weight reduction.

   • If you need stiffness, prioritise wall thickness over infill.

2. Printer setup

   • Nozzle: 220–250 °C (tune based on surface finish and expansion).

   • Bed: 40–60 °C (can be printed without heat, but a warm bed improves adhesion).

   • Speed: 30–50 mm/s (slower speeds help uniform expansion).

   • Cooling: keep fan low on the first layers; increase later only as needed.

3. Flow tuning

   • Start at 70 % of your normal PLA flow (range 60–80 %).

   • Important: expansion is directly proportional to temperature.

     • Higher temperature → Lower flow to preserve dimensions and stability.

     • Lower temperature → Higher flow to compensate for reduced expansion.

   • Validate with a small test part before full prints.

4. Print & monitor

   • Watch the first layers for adhesion and even extrusion.

   • If walls look over-expanded or foamy, reduce temperature and/or flow.

   • If extrusion looks under-expanded (gaps/thin walls), slightly raise temperature or flow.

5. Post-processing (optional)

   • The natural matte finish often avoids sanding/painting.

   • For extra strength, increase wall thickness or infill in the model.