Hackaday Podcast Ep 363: The History of PLA, Laser DIY PCBs, and Corporate Craziness
Mar 27, 2026
They dive into the history of PLA and small-scale 3D printing tech. Listeners hear about direct pressure-advance measurement and sensor ideas for closed-loop printers. A DIY fiber-laser technique for fine PCB traces gets examined alongside when to make boards at home. Retro hardware stories include the CueCat and Zip drive, plus projects like a Pico Z80 replacement and a 3D printed robot arm.
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PLA Biodegradability Is A Safety Feature
- PLA is plant-derived and biodegradable but slow to break down; Vic Oliver framed biodegradability as a safety feature if it escapes into the environment.
- Vic recommends burying PLA to lock carbon up for ~100 years and notes PLA isn't fossil-carbon based.
Measure Hotend Pressure For True Pressure Advance
- Measuring hotend pressure directly with a strain gauge gives a literal read of extrusion back-pressure for precise pressure advance calibration.
- Mark New places a strain gauge between cold and hot parts to time filament push relative to nozzle extrusion.
Calibrate Pressure Advance Per Spool Or Use Live Sensors
- Add real-time sensors to printers to adapt to changing filament/spool and print conditions rather than relying on fixed slicer settings.
- Use per-spool or per-material calibration or live sensors like strain/eddy sensors to tune pressure advance.