I 3d print all my parts in PLA because it smells less than ABS. It is a very popular type of plastic because it shrinks less and can be printed on blue tape without a heated bed. People usually use different brands of Super Glue to join the printed parts. I used to do it myself for the first few years. It works ok but the joint is rigid and it cracks often. A while ago, I discovered that the glue I had in my toolbox for joining acrylics works brilliantly with PLA too. It dissolves the plastic and welds it just like Acetone does with ABS plastic or Humbrol Poly cement with Styrene or model kits parts. The joint becomes even stronger than the ones between the layers of prints.
Plastic Weld dissolves a thin film on each surface to be joined then evaporates very quickly forming a welded joint - one as strong as the surrounding plastic. For best results, hold the pieces to be joined, use a small brush to apply Plastic Weld. Capillary action will spread it to the length and breath of the joint, forming a continuous solid weld. I sometimes even use it to reinforce places where I see that layers could delaminate or in places where part cracked while removing it from the printer.
I bought mine at my local hobby store but found exactly the same product on Amazon.
I tried to find it on US store but it was not there. The one I have contains Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) so you can search yourself for something similar on American market. You need to test it yourself if it works and let me know. It was an amazing discovery for me, I can now design parts in multiple pieces and join them without losing strength. Most of the recent models on https://themodelmaker.net were done using this method. So far, it is the best way to glue PLA plastic. If you know better, share it in comments below so we can all improve our workflow.
I build many custom models and 3d printing is my main tool. I design my models from scratch most often on the tablet. Over the years I produced many designs from buildings like my most recent Prince Eric's Castle inspired by The Little Mermaid: https://themodelmaker.net/prince-eric-castle-from-little-mermaid/ or now working on new version of my famous Up House model. The previous was made of wood but new version is going to be fully printed in PLA and welded with this exact adhesive.
I also build It's a Small World scale model from Disneyland and the base is 3d printed in few pieces and joined with this technique. you can see this model here https://themodelmaker.net/its-a-small-world-model/
The body of this baby Kevin is also printed in PLA and welded for best durability
https://themodelmaker.net/baby-kevin-figure-pixar-up/
but the biggest ever project I created where I used this material would be one of few full scale droids I built over the years. https://themodelmaker.net/bb-8-droid-remote-controlled-toy/ Here is the blog article about BB-8 and you can also find it here on Hive blockchain.
