Abstract
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a polymer popularly used in 3D printing. Little work has been published on the thermal contraction of PLA at low temperatures and previous research on the subject has been inconclusive. To fill our gap in knowledge, we have developed a new experimental method to measure the linear thermal contraction of PLA indirectly utilizing a parallel plate capacitor. We hope our research will be useful for determining the suitability of PLA for manufacturing parts in future low temperature experiments.