Finding "Printing Plastics" in Real Life

If you're anything like me, I have to imagine that before you started 3D printing, you weren't familiar with polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, etc. Or that you knew what styrene smelled like 👃.

3D printing brings you into a world where you can learn more about these type of plastics. You may learn that PETG is just normal PET but with glycol added, to improve the strength and heat resistance of the print. You may find that PLA is derived from fermented plant sugars, specifically the sugars made from corn starch.

As your familiarity grows, you may start to find little markings on your belongings that indicate which plastic was used. In the photo used for this article, a Makita tool case says >ABS< right on the locking tabs!

ABS is used in a ton of applications because of it's high heat resistance that will keep it from warping. Your car dashboard, computer keyboard, and calculator case are all likely made out of ABS.

PLA is used in a variety of food materials, like takeout boxes, plastic forks and knives, and cups.

Next time you flip on a light switch, or mount a clock, or use your remote, think about which plastic was used and how it was made. Injection molded? Milled? Could it have been 3D printed?