3DLAC Plus Review

3DLAC Plus is worth considering if prints keep coming loose from a compatible glass bed after you’ve cleaned it and checked your first-layer settings, including the nozzle’s starting distance from the bed. The small pump bottle gives you another way to apply bed adhesive, and water cleanup lets you wash off the old coating before starting again. I wouldn’t buy it expecting an automatic upgrade over a glue stick that already works.

Its main drawback is the extra coating to manage. You need the print to hold, come off safely and leave a surface you can prepare for the next job. Plus can help with that first step, but it doesn’t guarantee flat corners or effortless removal with every plastic and build plate.

What you get with 3DLAC Plus

Look for 3DLAC Plus, 100 ml, in a nonpressurized pump-spray bottle. It’s distinct from the original 400 ml aerosol, the 75 ml Mini aerosol and the 80 ml Stick with a sponge applicator. Those differences matter when you’re choosing how to coat the bed; a review of one format doesn’t automatically describe the others.

Plus goes on the build surface—the plate your printer lays plastic onto. Its job is to keep the bottom layer attached while the printer builds the rest of the object. It isn’t a glue for permanently joining two finished plastic parts. If that’s what you mean by “PLA glue,” you need a different product.

3DLAC describes Plus as a concentrated adhesive and particularly promotes it for fiber-reinforced filament, meaning printing plastic with added fibers. Its official guidance also names ABS, ASA and polycarbonate as intended uses. Check your own filament and plate before relying on that claim: it doesn’t establish that every reinforced plastic works on every plate, or that Plus outperforms the original spray in your setup.

How well Plus holds your prints

Glass is the clearest starting point because 3DLAC explicitly identifies glass and mirrors for Plus. For coated glass or PEI, a plastic coating common on printer beds, check the plate maker’s instructions for your exact filament. More grip isn’t always better. Prusa, for example, recommends a separating layer for PETG on its smooth PEI sheet because the plastic can stick strongly enough to damage the surface during removal. Don’t assume Plus is an approved substitute for that recommended layer.

There’s also a firm exclusion: don’t use Plus on Prusa’s special PA Nylon steel sheet. Prusa prohibits 3DLAC and alcohol-based products on that surface. That restriction outweighs broad claims about suitability for reinforced filament. Carbon-fiber nylon still needs a compatible bed and adhesive combination.

An exact-Plus hands-on comparison from 2019 printed rigid.ink ABS on an Ultimaker 3 without a door or top cover. It used borosilicate glass, a 245°C nozzle and a 95°C bed. The roughly 150 × 10 × 10 mm test piece had three bottom layers, 20% internal fill and no brim or raft to enlarge its contact with the bed. Plus held it through printing, but substantial warping remained. Repeat-trial reliability wasn’t established.

That’s a useful warning against equating “the print stayed attached” with “the print stayed flat.” ABS contracts as it cools, and uneven cooling can pull corners upward. For difficult ABS parts, address the printing environment too. An enclosure and a brim—a removable flat border around the base—may help. Adhesive doesn’t replace those measures or control printing fumes; suitable ventilation remains necessary.

Owner feedback adds a narrower positive example. One verified purchaser on a Plus listing reported good ASA adhesion directly on aluminum at a 100°C bed temperature. They hadn’t tried 110°C. With no part dimensions or repeat count, that supports trying a similar permitted setup, not treating 100°C as a universal Plus setting.

For ordinary PLA or PETG, start with your plate’s recommended preparation. If that already gives you dependable printing and release, there’s no clear reason to add Plus. For unusual blends, check the underlying plastic, not just the “carbon fiber” label, before committing a large print.

Applying Plus and cleaning the bed afterward

Start with a cool plate and clean it using the plate maker’s approved method. Let it dry. If the plate is removable, take it out before spraying so stray adhesive doesn’t land on the printer’s moving parts or electronics. A pump bottle still produces overspray.

Shake Plus and apply a light, even coat over the area you’ll print on. The official Plus instructions specify roughly 20–30 cm, or 8–12 inches, between bottle and bed, followed by a few minutes of drying. Follow the label supplied with your bottle and let the coating dry before heating and printing. There’s no useful universal spray count: the area you cover and how much each press deposits will change it.

Take the handling warnings seriously. The Plus safety sheet identifies flammable liquid and vapor, serious eye irritation and possible dizziness or drowsiness. Apply it with good ventilation, away from flames, sparks and hot surfaces, and use the protective gloves and eye protection specified on the label. Keep the bottle closed and away from heat and children. You can find a Plus-specific safety-sheet download on 3DLAC’s product page; make sure it matches your bottle.

Once printing finishes, let the bed and part cool before attempting gentle removal. Follow your plate’s removal instructions rather than forcing a stuck object off. For your first trial, choose a small, replaceable part so you can check both grip and release before risking something time-consuming.

Then inspect the coating. In the 2019 comparison, adhesive came away with the print, leaving bare areas; topping up produced uneven thickness. The reviewer also noted larger pump droplets marking the underside, though cleanup was easy. These are reasons to inspect between jobs, not a fixed rule that everyone must wash after every print.

3DLAC recommends water for residual adhesive. Use it as your plate’s care instructions allow, keep liquid away from the printer’s electrical parts, and dry the surface before recoating. If the coating is patchy or built up, cleaning and starting with a thin layer is more predictable than adding more over it.

Is Plus worth adding to your printing routine?

The strongest reason to choose Plus is that you want a pump-applied bed adhesive for a confirmed compatible setup. The weaker reason is simply that “Plus” sounds stronger. Without a matched comparison on your material and surface, stronger marketing doesn’t tell you whether you’ll get fewer failures or easier release.

An ordinary PVA-based glue stick is the closest practical alternative where your printer maker recommends one. Prusa explicitly supports basic PVA glue for appropriate uses; you don’t automatically need a specialist adhesive. A stick also puts the coating where you rub it, without spray drifting beyond the plate. If your current stick already holds prints and protects the surface during removal, keeping it is a sensible choice.

The original 3DLAC aerosol is another option if you prefer that application method. The older comparison described Plus’s mist as coarser than the aerosol’s. So the pump format shouldn’t be taken as a promise of a finer coating or a better-looking underside.

There’s no solid basis here for declaring Plus better than hairspray across printers and filaments. Nor does a 100 ml bottle tell you the cost per successful print. You’d need measured consumption, recoating frequency and comparable failure rates. I wouldn’t switch a dependable routine on the promise of savings alone.

When shopping in the US, check that both the selected option and bottle say Plus 100 ml, especially on Amazon or listings grouping several formats. MatterHackers has an exact-Plus listing, but a listing alone doesn’t mean you can order it immediately. Confirm availability before planning around it. In Canada, Voxel Factory separately lists the 100 ml Plus bottle; don’t transfer shipping restrictions from its original-aerosol listing to Plus.

Who should consider 3DLAC Plus?

Consider Plus if your glass-bed setup permits it, you’ve addressed basic first-layer problems, and you’d rather spray a thin coating than rub on a stick. Give it a small trial that checks the whole job: whether the corners stay down, whether the cooled part releases and whether the underside looks acceptable.

Skip it if your current routine works, your plate prohibits it, or your main problem is ABS shrinking in an unsuitable printing environment. If your plate specifically calls for a PVA separating layer, start with that recommendation.

I’d try Plus when the pump bottle would make bed preparation easier. Its value depends on making your printing routine easier overall. If you gain adhesion but spend more time fixing uneven coatings or struggling with removal, it hasn’t solved the problem you bought it for.