●
Nozzle temperature:
240 °C
●
Bed temperature:
80 - 100 °C
●
Heatbed:
Make sure the surface is clean, as described in
chapter (
extra important with PETG
, risk of damage to the Smooth PEI
sheet if treated incorrectly)
12.3 ASA/ABS
ASA and ABS are very similar materials. ASA is many ways even better than ABS
and can be considered a successor to ABS. ASA is UV stable compared to ABS
(less yellowing) and shrinks somewhat less when printed. The only advantage of
ABS is the easier surface treatment with acetone. Going forward, we will only talk
about ASA, but the same goes for ABS.
ASA is a strong and versatile material. A higher melting point than PLA gives ASA excellent
heat resistance, your prints will not show signs of deformation up to around 100 °C.
Unfortunately, ASA has a very high thermal expansion compared to PLA, which complicates
printing, especially for larger models. Even with a heated bed set to 100 °C, the print can
begin to warp and peel off the bed. The material also produces and unpleasant odor during
printing.
Advantages
Disadvantages
High impact and wear resistance
Difficult to print
Very good temperature resistance
Tendency to warp
Suitable for outdoor use - UV stable
Worse detail resolution
Soluble in acetone - easy to glue
together
Unpleasant odor during printing
Can be smoothed with acetone vapors
Typical use
● covers and protective cases
● prototypes
● replacement parts
● toys and figures
Tips and tricks
Printing with ASA/ABS is much easier when done inside an
enclosure
. The heated bed will
quickly heat the enclosure and reduce the thermal shock on the extruded filament. As a
result, both warping and layer separation is decreased significantly.
Acetone makes it easy to glue multiple prints together. All you have to do is rub the contact
surfaces lightly with acetone and press the parts together. In addition, prints can be
smoothed with acetone vapor to give a perfectly glossy finish. You have to be careful when
handling acetone, but it is not nearly as dangerous as PLA solvents.
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