Kinda had it with ABS. Trying to do large prints and the warping and cracking is driving me nuts, that is if the print doesn’t peel off the build plate and fail altogether in the first place. I’ve done what I can as far as print settings to have the best possibility of success, but even then the prints will often split.
I print car parts and things that are exposed to heat and chemicals occasionally, so ABS has been the easy choice, but are there any filaments out there that have comparable qualities but aren’t as likely to warp?
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 2 months ago
ASA is the go-to answer. You could also try filled ABS or ASA, either glass fiber or carbon fiber. The fibers do not make it any stronger per se, but they do mitigate shrink and warp to a large degree. If you do so, use a hardened steel or gemstone nozzle.
PETG may also be suitable for some applications.
Pretty much this. ASA will still warp a little but it has half the shrinkage of ABS, is UV stable, and it gives off a lot less voltatiles while printing.
kata1yst@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Yep exactly. ASA for strength and/or outdoor use, PETG for everything else.
ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
I would go PET/PETG for everything unless you need the slightly higher temperature deflection of ASA. I have PET prints that have been outside for 2.5 years now with no discoloration or apparent issues in strength.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I did some reading before asking and ASA was mentioned as also having difficulties with warping. Has this not been the case in your experience?
Not the person you asked, but in my experience good (!) ASA is way better manageable. It still shrinks and can be annoying, but way less than ABS. As with ABS especially a good print bed and heated chamber is doing wonders.
On a glass plate + 3DLac + Brim it goes absolutely nowhere. Quite the opposite, I have to further cool down the plate and use a scraper to get it off. There might be better plates available, I just went with the oldschool structured glass because I wanted things to fucking work during print.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 2 months ago
That’s because everyone starts with PLA, and PLA has the lowest shrink and warp of all commonly available materials… which is why it’s so common and everyone starts with PLA.
Basically anything is going to warp more and compare poorly against PLA, but ASA’s shrinkage after cooling is less than half of ABS, so it compares favorably to ABS in particular. 1.6% vs 0.7% or something similar. PLA’s shrink rate, meanwhile, can be as low as 0.3% for competently manufactured blends. Shrinking while cooling is what causes warp, especially on broad flat objects.
Badabinski@kbin.earth 2 months ago
ASA can still warp, but an enclosed and warm build chamber should do a lot to squelch that. Are you printing on an open bed slinger? Or do you already have a build chamber?