rPLA recycled

Recycled PLA in pellet form. The most popular sustainable option for the G1, but also the most variable — different suppliers, different batches, different print behavior.

Description

rPLA pellets are produced from post-industrial or post-consumer PLA waste, reground and re-pelletized. Compared to virgin PLA they have:

More variation in particle size and shape (some grades have fines and irregular pellets)
Slightly higher moisture content out of the bag
Reduced flow (more friction in the screw)
Often includes a small amount of compounded lubricant (varies by supplier)

Print parameters

Parameter	Starting value	Notes
Feeding zone temp	185–190°C	Lower if melt creeps up; raise if motor skips
Melting zone temp	190°C
Nozzle zone temp	190°C
Bed temp	50–60°C	Lower for transparent grades to avoid white tint
MVS	~250 mm³/s without SmoothFlow, ~300 mm³/s with SmoothFlow
SmoothFlow	Recommended at 0.05–0.1%	Strongly recommended
Drying	2–3 h at 60–65°C	Especially if pellets are post-consumer

Characteristics

Bed adhesion: good, similar to virgin PLA
Moisture sensitivity: low–medium (slightly higher than virgin)
Warping: low
Color consistency: variable batch to batch — log it
Mechanical properties: ~80–95% of virgin PLA depending on source

Temperature range in practice

rPLA uses the same base settings as virgin PLA. For the 1.8 mm nozzle, the practical range is 170/180/180°C (Feeding/Melting/Nozzle) — confirmed across multiple customers. At these lower temperatures the surface quality is better and overheating effects (stripes, top-layer lift) are avoided. The starting values in the table above are valid for larger nozzles.

Common issues

Motor skipping → almost always lack of SmoothFlow; see Extruder motor skipping
Vacuum struggling → fines / flat pellets in the batch; sieve before loading, see Hopper suction problems
Layer color variation → batch inconsistency; switch to a single batch for visible parts
First layer turns white on transparent rPLA → bed too hot, lower to 50–55°C
rPLA with matting agent absorbs moisture faster than standard rPLA — if your rPLA contains a matting additive (common in matte-finish recycled grades), dry at 50°C for at least 4–5 hours before each session. Standard 2–3 h at 60°C may be insufficient for these grades.
Bubbling / print misalignment / nozzle drooling during travel → wet material. Dry at 50°C for 5 hours, then store in a sealed bag with silica gel. Note: if the material was thoroughly dried but still shows moisture symptoms, consider switching supplier — some batches absorb moisture more aggressively. A customer switched from Formfutura rPLA to Azoty PLA after persistent moisture issues with the same drying protocol.

Suppliers

Several suppliers ship rPLA pellets. Quality varies significantly between sources and even between batches. Practical advice:

Buy in bulk from a single batch when starting a project
Test print every new batch with a calibration cube before full production
Log the supplier, batch, MVS, and SmoothFlow % for each project

Consult Ginger Additive support for current tested suppliers.

Azoty PLA (Poland)

A customer in Poland confirmed that Azoty-brand PLA (post-industrial, pellet form) prints well on the G1 and is more affordable than Formfutura rPLA in Eastern European markets. Settings are similar to standard rPLA. If Formfutura rPLA is unavailable or too expensive in your region, Azoty is a confirmed alternative.

Best practices

Always pair rPLA with SmoothFlow at the start (you can reduce later if not needed)
Sieve pellets if they look fines-heavy before loading the bucket
Run a Rotation Volume calibration for each new batch — it can shift up to 10%
Save a separate Ginger Slicer profile per supplier / batch