PLA plastic or polylactic acid is a vegetable-based plastic material, which commonly uses cornstarch as a raw material. This material is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester and it is the primary natural raw material used in 3D printing. PLA is a fully biodegradable thermoplastic polymer consisting of renewable raw materials.

Among all 3D printing materials, PLA is part of the most popular materials used for additive manufacturing.

In plastic injection, this material is used to make packaging, primarily for the food industry as a substitute for fossil fuel-derived plastics, because the material is appropriate for food contact.

PLA is used in 3D printing using the FDM (fused deposition modeling) technology, and along with ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), this material is one of the standard materials for this technology. There is often a tendency to compare these plastic materials, as they are the two alternatives available for consumer printers. PLA plastic material is easy-to-use.

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