3D Prints - 7 Years Outside

[@hozn]

It was fun seeing random successful functional prints around the yard. The generator setup is sweet.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx, I have some work to still do on it (fuel polishing system), so you may see it on the channel again

[@neologicspasms]

I was going to say the same exact thing. Awesome functional prints!

[@GordLamb]

I live on a boat and I've 3D printed a ton of TPU gaskets and outdoor parts, mainly in PETG-CF and ASA-CF. Nothing has failed or even shown signs of wear after 2-3 years at sea.

[@ctbdjc]

you 3d print the stuff on the boat? and is your boat one of those fancy ones where there's a little indoor area under the driver's seat?

[@GordLamb]

@@ctbdjc I do! And yep - my boat has a full kitchen, livingroom (salon area), two bedrooms and two bathrooms. :) She's 46 feet long.

[@ctbdjc]

@@GordLamb woah. i only have a small one we go out on whenever the weather is nice.

[@lennartjuhh]

@@GordLamb "she" Yup, this guy boats!

[@AlexandreG]

Damn, printing TPU gaskets for the boat where you sleep is badass. I wish I can one day have that kind of love and trust for one of my girlfriends 🥲

[@LaLaObeRoT]

I threw 2 misprinted miniatures from PLA into our compost silo, to see when they would disintegrate. After two years both pieces came out with the readily composted earth, completely intact, solid and unchanged.

[@Memphisko]

biodegradability od PLA has been heavily overestimated (or flat out marketing lie). I guess it's most vulnerable to extreme sun - UV and heat - but that will only make it warp or brittle, not disintegrate easily.

[@fredpinczuk7352]

@@Memphisko You nailed it. PLA as a Tg (Glass Transition Temp) of around 60~65c. Meaning, for hydrolysis to start and bacteria have a chance to latch on and start consuming the PLA. It must be exposed for a significant amount of time above that temperature. Otherwise, it just erodes just like other regular plastics and sheds toxic microplastics. The standard used for PLA "Composting" is ASTM6400. And it simply means the conditions required to break down PLA are available in nature. Unless its the middle of a volcano. Funny how far companies are willing to Greenwash the word "Compostable" to support sales. For true compostability, you need PHA Filament.

[@seethisth4753]

@@fredpinczuk7352 "sheds toxic microplastics" could you elaborate? What's toxic about PLA?

[@fredpinczuk7352]

​@@seethisth4753 The primary issue with PLA (and other bio-polymers) is the lack of regulatory measures needed to ensure public safety. There are two main sources of toxicity with PLA filament: 1. Additives and Pigments: - Additives: To facilitate PLA's processability and printability, various additives such as cross-linkers, chain extenders, and plasticizers are mixed with the raw material. Since there are no regulations governing the application and use of these additives, manufacturers are not required to declare their use. This lack of regulation extends to pigments used for coloring, many of which are heavy metal-based, especially in bright colors. Consequently, the use of these unregulated ingredients must be assumed. - Composting Concerns: When PLA materials are introduced into industrial composting facilities (industrial digesters), the PLA itself may break down, but the added ingredients accumulate in the compost. This compost is then used in agriculture, potentially introducing these harmful substances into our food supply. 2. Nature of PLA: - Synthetic Origin: Unlike naturally occurring polymers like PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), PLA is a synthetic polymer made by polymerizing lactic acid. There is no natural mechanism for PLA to break down safely in the environment. - Composting Requirements: PLA must follow ASTM D6400 industrial composting methods to ensure it breaks down properly. This process requires elevated temperatures (above 65°C), the right pH, humidity, and oxygen levels. Without these conditions, PLA fragments into micro and nano plastics. - Environmental Impact: These tiny PLA particles can contaminate the environment. PLA is not biocompatible and will not be reabsorbed if ingested by animals. These micro and nano plastics have been proven toxic to marine life. Here are some relevant scientific reviews on the subject: -www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120360802?via%3Dihub - www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389421002843?via%3Dihub - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36006158/ PLA is arguably one of the biggest greenwashing exercises of the 21st century. While marketed as "bio-based" and "compostable," it can contaminate the environment just as well as traditional plastics like PP or PET. The misconception that PLA can be discarded into traditional composting systems has only accelerated the introduction of microplastics into the food chain. For reference, Taiwan banned single-use PLA plastics in 2023, and Hawaii is set to follow with a total ban by 2025. PLA filament manufacturers have quietly removed claims of "compostable" or "biodegradable" from their labels. PLA can be a beneficial material for reducing dependence on non-renewable petroleum-based polymers if handled properly. However, to ensure its safety, we need regulatory mandates that enforce high levels of toxicity testing and the development of infrastructure to manage the material safely. Since the PLA industry has no incentive to implement these measures, consumers must handle PLA at their own risk. For comprehensive toxicity testing, look for filaments that are TUV Austria Marine Certified, TUV Austria Home, or Industrial Compostable Certified.

[@NicolasConnault]

I think if you were to put it in a hot compost (Berkeley method) for a few days, it would start breaking down.

[@wilsistermans1118]

The company I work for makes PLA for outside use. It took some research, but our products can be used outside now for at least 15 years. In an industrial plant it still can be recycled into compost within a week or two. On the other hand we can make PLA with will degrade in nature within a year or two. So there are a lot of different qualities of PLA. The key factor is the P (which stands for poly). PLA with short chains of Lactic Acid will not be suitable for outside use. PLA with very long chains of PLA is so hard it is not suitable for 3d-printing (filament is hardly bendable), but quite durable for outside use.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Mind sharing the company name? Any chance they want me to test some? :P

[@floatypiet]

Send him a sample! 😍

[@PJ-oe6eu]

How common is PLA that degrades in nature really? Because I seem to be hearing that there is a bit of green washing going on in the marketing about how well PLA breaks down in nature.

[@lennartjuhh]

I'm also quite curious about the company, and no, not for a free sample 😅

[@fredpinczuk7352]

PLA is only compostable under industrial conditions or ASTM6400. That's isn;t really composting.

[@MichaelTavel]

I printed a rain cover/shelter for a bird feeder out of ASA and painted it to match the feeder, so I suspect that thing will last forever. I admit I didn't even consider printing it from PLA because of all the FUD about using PLA outside. After seeing your experience, I'll definitely give it a try and see how it holds up!

[@kylequinn1963]

The only issue with PLA outside I'd say is the heat. Where I live in Canada in the summer my PLA prints deform in the sun lol

[@justanothercomment416]

PLA is known and confirmed for failure in direct sun. Especially down south. UV is damaging. But, keep in mind additives can assist with UV issues. There has been plenty of reports from the 3d printing community of PLA failures in direct sun. Where and intensity of exposure are important. As are the specifics of the filament in question.

[@erebostd]

@@kylequinn1963get pla+, and the problem is gone. You can get ht-pla that‘s stable up to 140-150 C, that’s good enough for engine bay use. There are very cool plas out there 👍

[@Splarkszter]

If you paint it it doesn't even matter that is less resistant to UV

[@justanothercomment416]

@@kylequinn1963 I have a PLA lizard out in the sun. About four years old at this point. It's now fading and brittle. PLA, as a rule, is absolutely not UV resistant. That doesn't mean all PLA isn't or can't be made to be UV resistant with additives. But if you're worried, either plan on painting (as suggested by others) or simply print with PETG. PETG is naturally UV and chemical resistant. ASA is better than PETG for UV resistance though. Which is why it was created for use on vehicles.

[@joescalon541]

From my experience lighter color PLAs are fine outside in the sun and you can coat them in UV resist coatings. But darker colors will absorb more heat and will warp or sag under weight, but will anneal and stop warping. Now for hot cars, PLA will soften and change shape.

[@partsdave8943]

I’ve printed some adapters for outside solar landscaping lights at least 3 years old. Still working fine. Also about 1.5 years ago Replacement crank handle on a garden hose reel. Door handle for privacy fence gate over 4 years ago. All these are Hatchbox Black PLA. I did print one larger item from that PLA that warped some but it hasn’t disintegrated and still doing what it is meant for.

[@NelsonBlvd]

if someone ever asks you " why get a 3d printer?" show them this video. are there other solutions? maybe but this is amazing, and cost less than a dollar most times. Great video showing the real usefulness of PLA

[@kieranclarke135]

I have printed house numbers for a letterbox beside a friend's drive. It is in full sun for over 2 years and printed in PLA Pro dark grey, and is still going strong. It is exposed to +100°F in summer and down to freezing witthout issue. Great video. I have now printed off the endcaps for my bug hotel and cannot believe that since I have printed them, I have had no garden leaves or debris build up around my unit. Practical printing FTW

[@antonkukoba3378]

Yep, because it's biodegradable as they said.

[@wojomojo]

@@antonkukoba3378 Huh? What do you think biodegradable means?

[@amoose136]

In 2017 I printed a ravens head for a scout patrol to go on a staff out of black PLA. It melted a bit in the sun but still looked okay. I also made a box to hold some card scrappers out of PLA and that was fine until my dad left it in a car once and then it warped to the point the lid wouldn’t close. I also had a zip tie holder that sat in the garage warp/creep on me from just the elevated temps and the force of the zip ties pushing out. After these personal events I’ve decided against using PLA for anything that is a tool or may be in a garage, car, or outdoors for long. It’s not the degradation / UV but simply that the softening point is too low.

[@benruss4130]

The key here is: 1. Virtually all the parts shown have limited direct sun. 2. based on how green everything looks you probably regularly have precipitation and clouds. 3. based on your accent combined with your environment you probably live at or under 1500 feet in elevation. The reason I bring these three things up is I live in the mountain deserts of Colorado and New Mexico. I grew up at 8,000 feet in elevation, have typical yearly temperature cycles of -20F to 110F and have lived at greater than 5,000 feet my entire life. PLA absolutely disintegrates where I live. In full-day direct sunlight you are lucky to get about 6 months out of a PLA print. Even "UV Resistant" materials like PETG, ASA, and others typically start getting brittle in the 1-2 year range. As a general rule of thumb to help mitigate against this is I coat all prints that will be headed outside for the long term with paint and/or some other coating.

[@deanrantala]

This. I second the effect of different climates. Colorado will absolutely devastate things even when they are designed to be UV resistant.

[@MadScienceWorkshoppe]

I have a bunch of planters that I printed as 2mm thick shells, full weather exposure, soil, moisture, the works for 5 years. Before that, they were indoors, in a window for 2 years. They basically look like new.

[@Person1873]

I've printed a couple of brackets like your trampoline ones for some surveillance cameras out of PLA. They have been bolted to the roof racks on my toyota hilux for about 2 years and there's no signs of wear. I believe it was black flashforge pla. I also printed some hooks for the monitor to hang from my sun visor which have crept quite a bit, but theyre still working 2 years on. I recently designed a replacement sun visor to accept the screen which I've been having some printer troubles so haven't been able to print yet.

[@mikebroom1866]

I printed 2 post clamps for our house number sign out of black PLA. Put them on 3 years ago and never touched them again. No fading, works fine.

[@nicks9360]

I have a floating chlorine dispenser in my pool, where the bottom half deteriorated from those 3" chlorine tablets. The top half was in perfect shape so I 3D printed a new bottom half that sits in the water with the chlorine tablet sitting in it and it has been in my pool floating around for at least 5 years now. Funny thing is it has lasted longer than the original plastic that it came with from the store.

[@anachronist]

Using PLA or silk PLA, I made some replacement spring retainers for in-floor pool cleaning jets - they've been underwater for 3 years in a chlorinated high-flow high-pressure environment and still holding up. Also I made some replacement hummingbird feeder flowers - they're kind of delicate but they last a long time (a couple years) and are quick to print. Both designs are available on Printables.

[@legionjames1822]

Thanks man. i had a feeling the fears of pla outside were mostly overblown. Pla stil bad for hot cars

[@ChriFux]

i just discovered your channel and your videos are pure gold! so many thing i have played in my head with, you've already done ❤

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx, and welcome aboard!

[@maverickadventures]

I've been looking for this type of confirmation on PLA. Thanks for showing so many examples for that and TPU.

[@alandahlstrom7213]

Thank you. These sort of items are what I would like to get a 3D printer for. Thanks because I have heard the negatives about PLA and the pros about other types but the difficulty with printing with some of them. New subscriber as of today.

[@sublimationman]

I have had a few small items in my car, thin items just turn to goo (warp and distort) but I also have a small box with 2mm walls and slide on lid and it's held up just fine. With the thin items I am sure it's more the heat than anything else. I also have a very chunky door handle for our screen door on the front of the house (kids destroy everything so I made it thick and lots of infill) and it's not in direct sunlight (front door is inset 6' from the front of the house) but it's been there 3+ years and it's used every day multiple times and still even looks like the day I installed it (pretty sure it will hold up longer than the rest of the door). Now I have a small solar panel on the eve of my house (just a 5v one that recharges a motion light) and that is PETG because it's in direct sunlight, all weather and is structural (and only 2mm thick walls) so I wanted to assure it would last 5+ years (it's now a little over 3 years old).

[@bryanhickman7663]

I printed hangers clamps out of PLA+ to clamp cameras and small solar panels to round and square shepherds hooks clamped by stainless steel bolts and wing nuts. Those that were tightly bonded have lasted 4 -5 years in Chicago winters. 1 that there was a rough surface only lasted 1.5 yrs. A lot depends on how water can penetrate the structure and freeze. Most of my clamps are white, so they reflect a lot of the solar energy. My first black camera hood lasted 2 yrs before removed without problems. Other parts I made this spring so too early to say anything.

[@bryanhickman7663]

Just bought a new printer a week ago. Much better prints. I figure any new parts will last even longer.

[@paulswarthout9967]

OMG!! Thank you. I want to print several things for outdoors, but I was hesitant to do so because of what I've heard about PLA. Now, I'm going to do it.

[@ProdigyAutomotive]

Awesome video, super helpful. Thanks for going through all that trouble for this video 🔥

[@MannyDer]

having the electrical box cover slide into the J-channel like that is genius

[@robsproducts]

I have attachments that I printed in pla that I use on my speargun that have been going for 2 years with regular exposure to salt water and depths of 15m which generates a lot of pressure. The pats have held up perfectly. PLA is incredible.

[@TheRealPlato]

Great data points. Craziest part is that with years of generator use you never forgot to remove that cap and melted it. I've had a compliant/single-piece clothespin in direct sun for about a year now that still flexes fine. R3D clear PLA

[@haydenc2742]

Easiest way to protect it..put some UV clearcoat or even spraypaint if it sits outside...also...maybe not in black...in white/gray to help reflect heat away from it Krylon K01305 Gallery Series Artist and Clear Coatings Aerosol But PLA is a pretty good plastic... Very cool! Keep em coming!!!!

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I think I have some of that too

[@GolemShadowsun]

I printed a flower pot 7 years ago. it is in a window and gets MUCH sun. no problem at all with it.

[@philharris9631]

I live on the coast so we have some quite heavy winds ... I'm tall and fat and so I made some "garden furniture" out of sleepers which is absolutely solid and heavy and is basically immoveable. I used my 3D printer to print some brackets that are now bolted to one of the garden chairs to drop the support tube for a large and heavy garden umbrella into (not one of the cheap lightweight things - this is a hefty heavy canvas umbrella that is now probably 10+ years old). The brackets have been outside now for four years or so and are still absolutely solid and have held on to the umbrella in some winds that *I* wouldn't want to try holding on to it in! I've also printed a plot number sign for my other halfs allotment which is now about four years old (and we keep boing asked by other allotment holders if we can do signs for them), similarly I've printed off brackets that are screwed into the wooden surrounds for the planting beds on her allotment that are used to put the ends of some thick tubing into to make hoops to stretch netting over to stop birds getting to the plants - they're all doing well and remember this is a coastal environment. I've got custom brackets made up for outdoor WiFi antennas and WiFi Bridges which have only been outside for a year or two. I've not had anything fail yet...

[@dethscythe7734]

Wouldn't painting the parts help with the exposure issues?

[@krisknowlton5935]

I made some six sided porch posts and needed some caps for them. So I designed a ball top cap and printed it out of white PLA. They have been in the weather for at least two years now. They still look fine to me.

[@OZtwo]

I use TPU for gutter drain covers and they work well and they seem to hold house paint as well.

[@NotseenNinja]

I have a whole lot of planters and garden markers that I have had outside for 7 years already and there is no change. I am in Toronto, so that is -30°C/-22°F in the winter and 40°C/104°F in the summer with full sun and most of them have not faded at all. There is zero warping (the watering and cool soil could help that) and they are not brittle at all.

[@upperairs]

I printed a shield for a temperature sensor out of pla several years ago and it is still going strong. I am also in the northeast and we see every kind of weather.

[@notyouraveragegoldenpotato]

I printed a fish tank house (fish shelter) in pla+ and its lived in a heated saltwater tank for like 3 years without issue. Ive also printed a 3" intake tube for a v8 motor that sits inches directly above the exhaust manifold out of 910 alloy and its perfect still

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

wow. . and no heat shield?

[@cynic5581]

Printed a few different types of small flower pots that sit outside and inside. All of them are filled with dirt and water and all of them see a lot of sun. All are PLA and about 4.5 years old. They all still look fairly new with a bit of fading. Rinsing them out yearly to repot and I don’t see any deterioration or anything.

[@SWREngineering]

Printed a 98A TPU angled funnel, that one has seen gas, diesel, coolant, ice and constant sunlight as its hanging on the toolbox attached to my excavator... for 4 years, in Norway. Extrudr Flex Medium TPU. Still like new. They've just dropped 70D (think hard hat) TPU-CF... It is god-like material. 😊

[@Zed_is_dead-999]

new to printing. loved your video. thanka for putting it together. easily earned my sub. looking forward to more videos. all the best.

[@ChilledTheMage]

PLA definitely works outside. I have a bunch of garden decor, a mount for my doorbell, and some caps for metal conduits. It gets around 40c/-40c throughout the year where I live. I will say though the once place it has failed me is in my car, I made sunglass holders and due to the glasses hanging down from a clip, over time the print warps like your tomato holder. I've tried using PETG for it but it was the same issue. I believe ABS or ASA will work but I haven't tried them yet.

[@giannimariani9744]

I have used black PETG for brackets used to construct a chicken coop using pvc conduit. The brackets are used with a zip tie that wraps around 2 pvc pipes and maintains the stiffness. There's screw holes that too. 4 years now no degradation in them.

[@BigToro]

Not exactly an outside print but printed a replacement sunvisor clip for my car out of PLA as i have gray only in PLA (which is the color of the original part i needed to replace), it stretched on a hot day due to the heat in the car, made another one and it did the same almost immeaditely, i'm printing the same part out of clear PETG as i'm writing this comment, hoping it will last longer than the previous parts did. What i learned is that PLA will not last long if it is under load in a warm environment.

[@Ughmahedhurtz]

Right at 3 years ago I bought my first printer, a Prusa Mk3s+ kit. One of the first prints were some "hat brim" shades for some solar LED path lights to keep the LEDs from shining up into your eyes. These were about 6" x 4" and about 1.5mm thick (I think 3 perimeters at 0.45mm extrusion width). I printed about 4 or 5 out of black PLA, another 6 out of black PETG, and about 4 more out of Prusament signal white PLA. The ONLY ones that did not warp in the Texas and Alabama summer heat and direct sunlight were the signal white ones, I'm presuming because black absorbs so much more thermal energy from the sun. Some just warped a little so they rattled around on the lights, and some actually curled up like a photograph in a campfire. The white ones, while they did not warp, they did suffer what looks like typical plastic UV degradation where the surface is now matte and if you rub it some white comes off on your fingers. I reprinted I think 6 of them this July 4th vacation to replace the ones in Alabama that had warped, and used Polymaker ASA in natural color this time. Nothing we've printed in ASA has suffered either cold flow, warping, or surface degradation so far. In my experience, PLA is great for inside but not so much for outside, and a lot of that depends on the geometry of the model. If it's nice and thick (i.e. not something you can easily bend or break by hand) then it usually holds up well. If it's pretty thin and especially long and thin/flat, it seems to be far more susceptible to temperature warping. I've been putting off getting profiles set up for TPU but based on your results, I'm going to have to get that going as I'm very surprised at how well that stuff held up.

[@MattWeber]

Checking in from Florida. I had a full size facehugger model, that was on the mounted on the back of my truck's bed cap for nearly 5 years (on one of the cap's doors). When I took it off to sell the truck, it was still like a fresh print, still full posable without brittleness. I originally printed it while living in Michigan and it spent the first year mounted outside in Michigan seasons, survived the move to Michigan mounted in place, and many many years in direct Florida weather including 2 hurricanes. Unfortunately what it didn't survive after being removed from its home on the truck bed cap, was movers dropping a box of book onto it, which cracked the main body in multiple places from blunt force trauma.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

lol, hilarious. thx for sharing

[@MattWeber]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday oh and yea.. it was just some cheap tan PLA.

[@Eviane]

I 3D printed an armor for cosplay prolly around 3 years ago and... mostly its always exposed to the sun since mostly we are doing outdoor activities, but for whatever reason it disintegrated after I accidentally dropped a piece of my armor costume, which is surreal, and when I check all other parts, it became brittle... its also made from PLA...

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

was it matte pla?

[@Eviane]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday just white PLA+ from esun, not sure if its matte PLA though

[@TouchofDepth]

PETG is the way to go​@@Eviane

[@Eviane]

@@TouchofDepth noted, also I knew I should have buy PETG, instead I buy ABS+ lol :D

[@TouchofDepth]

@@Eviane I haven't messed with ABS yet I hear its a pain sometimes though, I'd be interested to hear an update if you have success, what printer do you have?

[@Lukis3D]

nice! great to see a long-time test of 3D printed parts! thank you

[@MRKTM690smc]

PLA seems to hold up well outside for me. I have more issues with PLA inside a hot car in the summer. The part will warp almost guaranteed. I have a pla truck hitch receiver cover that has held up fine for 3-4 years being outside in the sun most days as well as held up fine with the car wash many times.

[@deltajohnny]

Awesome little improvements! Thanks! 👏👏😁😁

[@drewcourtney376]

Got my EV/hybrid car back in 2021, printed a holder for the charger that has been in the sun, ice, harsh rain since that spring. No deformity, it perfectly fits the charger port still to this day. I assumed i might have to print a replacement every two years but now I'm thinking it's gonna be just fine!!

[@GregKrynen]

Altitude makes a difference in sun exposure. I like in a high desert area and find any plastic outdoors break down faster than at lower altitudes. I have still printed PLA parts but will usually spray coat them with an outdoor Krylon plastic paint which seems to help protect them for several years. My TPU prints do become brittle over time, but that could also be high heat and low 30s and below cold affecting them as well.

[@FreedomToRoam86]

Just getting started with 3DP, is great to see that this stuff is tough! That being said, I am hoping to get a shredder for PLA scrap, so I can compost it.

[@Karaon]

YEAH MAN, this rocks. I literally yesterday put a few PLA parts outside like laundry clips (of course they will loose tension, springiness or whatever) and other shit to see if it's that true. I got some Impact PLA that's supposed to be stronger than ABS. Perhaps it will go even better outside here in Poland where we only get above 30'C / 86'F maybe few times a year. Nice followup and great approach giving all the files. Thanks for the video.

[@lennartjuhh]

That's one gorgeous trailer!

[@manic_tinkerer]

I printed some coat hangers and other hooks for my office about 9 years ago (on a printrbot... yes early adopter) in pla because I added a heated bed to print abs later, and they are indoors but un-painted, but they have gone brittle and after finding things randomly on the floor where theyve been hanging for years I've had to print replacements, which have been going ok for a couple of years now. I made cupholders for the camping car and they lasted 2 years then gave up. I printed a handle in pla and z axis stabilizer for the printrbot and it disintegrated a few years back, but did some parts in ninjaflex when it first came out and I managed to mod my extruder to print it, and they are still in use, as is my frankensteined printrbot, I use abs, ninjaflex and petg now. My older reels of dog ends of PLA in odd colours that had sat on hangers on the printer room wall had got so brittle that when they were loaded onto the spool rack and fed into the printer, they broke like dried spaghetti before even getting the extruder. Some I stripped off a few meters and they were ok, others were toast. FUD? no, just my own personal direct experience.

[@chyneuze]

The environment plays also enormously, here in the Caribbean, The PLA outside is only if not exposed to the sun, otherwise it deforms in a significant way and especially it becomes brittle very quickly. I think that the 70-90% humidity also plays a role there. So for the outside I only print in PETG, not only it does not deform in full sun, but it retains a mechanical resistance years later.

[@guatagel2454]

Same here, a bunch of auxiliary pieces. Holders, caps, shelves, clamps...

[@codesempireunleashed7899]

I've tested my fair share of PLA prints outside and none of them have ever gone that many years. I do a lot of gardening so I've tried stuff in several materials and PLA in the garden breaks down with sun and regular water exposure. I've made stakes for plants and garden tags and any PLA prints start breaking down. They first will show signs of warping and then major fading. By the end of the grow season they will be flaking pieces off. That's 12 plus hours of sunlight and every few days sprinkler or rain water on them. That's about a total of 5 months growing outside for us and pla looks bad. Now PETG or ASA or even Nylon is totally different outside. PETG still has its flexible properties even after a year so far. Made a part that had to flex for outside and so far it's still flexi. No signs of break down. I could go on but I find your findings interesting. I've never seen those results and that's with several colors and brands.

[@wojomojo]

I suspect it's not the UV exposure but the soil and moisture contact that is more detrimental.

[@sleepib]

I suspect the amount of pigment in the filament and the thickness of the walls have a big impact on how well it holds up. IIRC the ones I've seen people post that degraded quickly were also vase-mode, so single wall.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

yeh, single wall is really just decorative stuff as far as I'm concerned. I do 2 min and my default is 3

[@SianaGearz]

I have not used a single 3D print outside longer term yet. Well i do have a little PETG piece holding up my bicycle mirror but it's basically fully hidden from light. I only have one spool of PLA, i bought it 8 years ago from OWL, and while the spool feels like it should still print OK... i hadn't been printing with it for the last several years, but it doesn't seem at all suspicious, it has been stored well, but the prints haven't fared very well. The unloaded prints still look usable but loaded ones experienced changes around the 2 year mark, they got crazing around pressure spots and they became brittle, and there is a hint of yellow discolouration on all pieces. The filament is silver coloured but it's very transparent and the pigment isn't very evenly spread, you can see distinctive differences in pigmentation density from layer to layer. Also my first 3D prints 8 years ago were from clear natural Renkforce PETG, one holds up the control board fan, the other protects the power supply. The latter is still in use, the former got replaced because it got somewhat more brittle than it used to be and suffered an accident. Both yellowed quite a bit. The printer is near a window indoors. The power supply print is bound to be replaced soon, as i'll be putting in a different power supply. I'm not at all concerned about long term performance in the sun of thoroughly pigmented plastics as long as they don't get hot enough to warp. Black in particular is bound to absorb all the UV and concentrate the sun damage to the outermost skin of the item. But there is apparently some degradation mode that affects PLA and i've hit that somehow, not sure what is the cause. I mean you can always hit anything except PETG with a little paint, maybe silver paint for protection.

[@ijcarroll]

I printed some valve stem caps for my tires i actually used sunlu G3D pla plus black. I live in Tennessee and summers here stay in high 80s and we get about 2 weeks of 90s to low 100s also about a week of 0 degree winter weather. And considering they're black, and close to very hot pavement they've held up well. I printed them about 2½ years ago. Still going strong.

[@3DJapan]

I haven't printed much outdoor stuff but last year I made quite a thin walled accessory for my car dash board. People always say PLA warps in the sun. But my part, made in Matterhackers Quantum filament, has held up perfectly fine on the hot car dashboard.

[@i_am_not_a_pro_but_lets_try]

i designed and printed some gutter brackets for a friend 7 years ago - white PLA, they are still there and are totally fine.

[@contrpart]

Printed PLA caps for my parent pool railing to replace the old cracked ones almost 10 years ago and they still are fine.

[@herseem]

When I purchased my car the rubber seal was missing from the oil filler cap on top of the engine. I printed a gasket in PLA by testing different thicknesses with about 15% infill. About 18 months later I noticed it had cracked in several places across the filament lines instead of along the filament lines that you might have expected. But that was exposed to hot oil fumes so that maybe why.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

reprint in TPU and it will outlive the car. TPU is amazing

[@herseem]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I had thought of TPU, i need a bit more of an excuse to get a whole reel though.

[@loughkb]

Yep. I've got a PLA bracket on the license plate on the back of my RV that's been out in the Arizona sun for 6 years and it's still just fine. Yet, every time I've done a video where I've printed something for outdoor use I get scolded by people for it. Lots of people will spout off based solely upon their uninformed assumptions.

[@mjodr]

I live in Arizona. I printed *one* thing in PLA for outside and in a few days it warped into a non-functional pretzel. Maybe where you live PLA will survive, but not here. I switched to ASA and never looked back.

[@ThomasRager]

@3:17 Using a lighter color would help. Why would you print something in black if you know it will lay in the sun? For such things, you use white.

[@SharkyMoto]

i made some garage vent covers for my uncle a couple years back, they live on the south side in direct sunlight. made from pla, but its white pla, so i guess, if you have to print something for the outdoors in pla, make sure its white. no warping to this point

[@DejitaruJin]

Interesting, I have indeed been avoiding PLA for outdoor projects. Usually stick to PETG, which of course hasn't had any issue because it's specifically UV-resistant.

[@Ayeohx]

Those are the fancy all year round Christmas lights. Had to pay extra for them but its worth the convenience.

[@nutritionperfection]

I printed a bunch of PLA washers to help mount my cameras on siding clips. The material is functionally fine but heavily faded after about 2 years, though they see full sun. It was ERYONE Silk PLA.

[@TFitz]

I have PLA planters that have been outside for over 2 years. They are blue and still look fine

[@mjodr]

6:16 I can't find the link to this garden stake and it doesn't come up on my search results on yeggi, thingiverse, cults, etc. Can you help me find it? I like the design better than anything else I see.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I thought this was someone else's design, but when I checked my sketchup files, I realized I had actually designed it :) I added it on makerworld, just search for "hose stake for garden".

[@StumblingBumblingIdiot]

I have some TPU hydraulic plugs on my John Deere 425 and they have lasted around 3 years so far with taking them out to change equipment. Still pliable!

[@DataJanitor]

I PLA printed a modified cover for an LB electrical box that got broken by a kid on a bicycle. It's been ok for more than two years now. Of course, the kid has moved and no longer goes crashing into it. 😂. That print saved me hundreds of dollars because to replace that LB would have meant electricians and concrete work.

[@ml.2770]

I've only printed PETG and ASA for outside stuff. Never used PLA because I was told not to by the internet. It is interesting to see your results. Which compass direction does the exhaust port cover face?

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

Unless your going for a exact color match i don't think color fading matters at all only that it is not brittle. I don't know personally but my dad makes phone holders out of ABS he might have tried PLA at first but i'm guessing they melted or warped inside of hot cars.

[@nemesis851_]

I’ve made “race horse blinders” that bolt onto my offroad spot lights. Been 5 years, and still same as day 1 Resin printer and painted

[@kenxchoi775]

thanks for the video just worry abt a hanging clip for the cable tubing and all outside the house

[@andrevanniekerk4711]

Would the colour be the difference? So the black would absorb more heat in the sun where the gray would reflect more and that is where the failure differences comes in??

[@greenman360]

Depends on a whole lot of factors, but I know the PLA inserts I put into a (PETG) Gridfinity case that I keep in my car didn't even last a summer. Warped in like two months. The case itself is fine, again that was printed in PETG. Poor inserts though...

[@n1jaba]

Printed railings exposed in the top of my sailboat using white PLA plus 3 coat of UV filtering varnish. After 2 years in Florida, I had to have them reprinted in nylon as their were becoming brittle and started breaking. Has not aged since.

[@randymc61]

I've printed a lot of PLA for outside use (before I had a more capable printer) thinking I'd just reprint it every year. 5 years later, I've never had to reprint anything. I've had ABS prints fail outside faster, lol. Inside a hot car in the summer is another thing altogether, but just being outside isn't that bad. I've recently started printing lots of ASA & TPU, but I expect them to do well in almost any environment.

[@technodrone313]

im on year 4 of growing hot peppers in 3d printed volcano pots. i get tons of peppers on each plant.

[@TheTISEOMan]

9:50 Because the hole cut out looks like it's meant to be there. Which, btw. You now have a mounting point to shove whatever gizmo you want through that hole. Now, I'm not sure what you could have hang out've that hole. IR light? I 'unno.

[@fraudbuster1456]

You CAN use PLA outside. It isn’t advisable to use dark colors for outdoor prints as this will cause more heat from direct sunlight and potentially deform the model. Although PLA is biodegradable, it requires processing and will not degrade normally. Humidity will also affect it. Don’t expect PLA to last as well in Arizona as it does in Maine. I personally prefer using PLA+ or PETG for outdoor prints for the added heat resistance. I’ve had custom plugs that I made to block rodent holes under a shed outside in the sun, rain, snow and ice for over 3 years now and they are still as good as the day I printed them.

[@MaratLazarev]

Настоящий мужик. Российский мужчина выносит елку в сентябре, американский не убирает гирлянду.

[@Zodliness]

I learned ASA filament is the most popular choice for outdoor use - it's renowned for its UV resistance, in comparison to other types of filament, such as ABS or PETG, ASA is considerably more resistant to the long-term effects of UV light exposure and has a higher resistance to colour fading, warping and cracking. 👍

[@windmill10]

Great video. This is something I really wanted information about. I have printed outside (and indoor) stuff in PLA for private use. But I don't dare print anything in PLA that I sell (tools, sporting, fishing etc.) simply because you never know if the customer will leave the item in a hot car or out in the sun to find it back deformed or warped. So it is ASA in most cases and PETG in some others.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

agreed, with the exception of stuff for winter use where I want stiffness. PLA has done well for that use case (snowblower chute rotation parts)

[@VadersFirst]

Basically what I’ve found is that if I print with PLA, it’s completely fine in the sun if it’s thick enough and has no sharp edges. If I put anything flat maybe not super thick, it warps.

[@christophergrove4876]

🇨🇦/🇺🇸... I've not had PLA outside... but PLA items that I left in the hot car, in the sun turned into pretzels.

[@oic165]

I think the color of the item you're printing from PLA matters. I have a shift knob for my manual car that I printed out of white PLA, 2 years strong so far. I made a mount out of some left over black PLA for a radar detector in the same car, it warped and fell apart (about a year). I think the lighter colors reflect the light/uv and have a higher chance of survival for that simple reason. Both items see about the same amount of light, the shift knob gets handled more because, well, I'm shifting gears with it. The radar detector mount doesn't always sit on my dash, as I'm not always using my radar detector, I don't want it baking in the sun. So it spends some time just sitting either on the back seat, or on the floor of my car. So again, the color of the material and it's reflective properties play a role in my opinion.

[@Hilmi12]

I think it depends on your local conditions and color of filament as well as what is in contact with the print. I for example have had lots of failures with pla inside a car, mostly it just melts and distorts

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

fair point

[@markburton5292]

i had some pla ghosts i printed for Halloween I left out year and they disintegrated over time. they were made from glow in the dark pla and were very thin. the part that where in contact with the dirt disintegrated and the rest became discolored and brittle. However i reprinted them as it took about 3 years out there all year to get to that point (hey i think the lil ghosts are cute around the mailbox), A lot of the current pla has anti uv additives in them so as long as they aren't warping from the sun they work ok. i also printed pla vent replacement in clear natural pla (no additives) they became brittle and had to replace them in about two years. I used clear because i didn't want them to warp from heat. the next time i printed them i sprayed them with clear uv protective top coat and they were good for 3 years where the whole vent needed to be replaced. I also printed a cover to help keep animals out of a crawlway space it has been 5 years and it works fine. For me i find contact with dirt and thickness of the material is what matters. I have a water bib standoff i printed its a bit discolored (yellowed) but still works fine (it is in white abs)

[@ridokilos-actual]

hey how do you mow under/around that trampoline? I like being able to drag ours around but it would be nice to not have to do that and secure the thing for storms

[@baremetaltechtv]

what they putting in that hatchbox pla man? gotta get me some of that. One thing I noticed is the things that faired the best outside had substantial portions of plastic mass that was hidden away, e.g. The drain plug cover, the little frame end cover for your air conditioner, both had more plastic mass inside and protected than the amount of plastic exposed to the outside. Maybe that helps stop the warping when UV rays are only hitting a percentage of the print vs something where the entire print is in the sun.

[@LoudLino]

Thanks for a good video, but where do you live & what is your climate? Biggest problem I hear for PLA is heat, here in Florida it's basically 100° for at least 3 months & over 80° for 6 months even in shade, so how much heat & for how many months were your PLA objects subjected to?

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

northeast (Pennsylvania). 93 here right now, though we do pop over 100 occasionally

[@SoloGamingZA]

I have CCTREE PLA wall brackets for flood lights all around the house and I live in Cape Town South Africa so they are exposed to heat cold and stress of having to carry weight.... Some of these have been printed just about 7 years ago on my old Anet A6 3D printer.... I also have a couple of modifications on my Chinese Brand 150CC moped that that are printed from a local South African Filament maker called Filament Factory and use their PLA+ to made addons for external voltmeter and usb and 12v socket housings so I can see the strength of the battery use a usb cable to charge my phone used as a GPS and even use a 12v outlet for mini air pump or whatever needs 12v on the road. I must add that all these modifications have held up better than my lockbox that is injection molded in ABS. The top has become brittle and the red reflection part on the lockbox has lost its shine has become brittle and in parts completely disintegrated but the PLA+ has not shown any signs of wear and they have been on the moped longer than the lockbox, almost 3 years and the lockbox is just 2 years.... Its the same argument people had about you can't leave your 3D printer alone if you print as it will catch on fire and burn your house down... I have always heard STORIES of it happening than Actual proof that it has happen and the times there was proof there was ALWAYS owner negligence involved in some way, printing near flammable substances, printing in confined spaces even cluttered space, and over modding their 3D printers that puts stresses on the electronics an so on. Thank you for sharing your findings with Us and breaking down the stigma of you can't use PLA for functional out door prints.

[@H06H06]

Question: what are your UV levels in your area.... In my area we receive extreme UV from 11 to 13 all summer and in winter around 6. Thin PLA unprotected is destroyed after 2 years. However I paint them now and we'll they last.

[@someguy2741]

The bumper patch is kinda ghetto. I like it. You just need to cut a matching hole on the opposite side and put a patch there. It will not only make the repair look like factory but your agility and spidey senses will be tested when your wife throws the waffle iron at your head for cutting up her car.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I'm waiting for the day we eventually trade it in, to see if they notice :)