RESIN VS PLA
FOR PRINTED RECORDS
Both work. They fail in different ways. This is the honest comparison, based on what the stylus actually has to survive.
The short answer
Print resin when playback quality is the point — a demo, a listening test, a piece you'll keep. Print PLA when the disc is going to be handled, shipped, or played by someone who is not being careful. The audible gap between them is smaller than the durability gap.
WHERE EACH ONE WINS
Resin (MSLA)
- Finest groove walls, lowest surface noise
- Resolves detail FDM physically cannot reach
- Brittle at the groove edge unless you use tough resin
- Needs washing, curing, gloves and ventilation
- Higher per-disc cost and more post-processing time
PLA (FDM)
- Cheap, accessible, no chemicals or curing
- Tougher — survives handling and repeat plays
- Layer lines add audible noise unless tuned tightly
- 0.08mm layer height is the practical floor
- Easier to iterate: reprint, adjust, reprint
A SIMPLE DECISION RULE
- One-off you'll play carefully at home → tough resin at 0.03–0.05mm.
- Discs you'll post to people or hand out at a show → plain PLA at 0.08mm.
- Testing groove geometry quickly → PLA; it's faster to iterate and cheap to bin.
- Chasing the lowest noise floor you can get → resin, plus a slow outer-wall profile.
- Avoid wood-fill, glitter and metal-fill filaments entirely — they are abrasive and noisy.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is resin or PLA better for 3D-printed records?
Resin wins on groove fidelity and noise floor; PLA wins on durability, cost and ease. If you want the cleanest playback, print resin. If you want a disc that survives being posted and handled, print PLA.
Can I print a record in PETG or ABS?
You can, but both are worse choices. PETG is stringy and tends to fill the groove; ABS warps across a wide flat disc. PLA and tough resin remain the practical options.
How many plays does a 3D-printed record survive?
Expect noticeable groove wear within tens of plays rather than hundreds. PLA holds up better to repeated tracking than standard brittle resin.
Does colour or filled filament matter?
Yes. Highly filled filaments — wood, glitter, metal-fill — are abrasive and noisy in the groove. Plain, unfilled PLA gives a quieter surface.
Skip the groove maths
Kräftsound turns a track into a print-ready 3MF disc file — groove geometry, printer profiles and licensing handled for you.