ABS filament is a flexible materials that is an ideal choice for if you want your 3D-printed components to be robust and heat-resistant. Learn to print this materials like a Professional on this in-depth information.
Up to date on August 24, 2023
by
MatterHackers
What’s ABS filament? ABS is without doubt one of the mostly used and versatile supplies out there in 3D printing in the present day. There are a number of additional issues to think about when printing with ABS as in comparison with PLA, however the additional hurdles are nicely value it for the improved energy, post-processing capabilities, and temperature resistance of ABS.
What’s ABS?
ABS or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a typical thermoplastic. ABS filament is without doubt one of the hottest varieties of 3D printing filament as a consequence of its versatility and energy, and is usually used for injection molding and merchandise like Lego, devices, sports activities gear and extra.
Nice tasks for ABS:
- Automotive inside components – cellphone mounts, cup holders
- Cosplay – sand completely clean and acetone-weld giant components collectively
- Robots – robust sufficient to deal with weight and movement
- 3D Printers – Take a look at the Voron, made potential with ABS components.
Our Beneficial ABS Filaments:
- MH Construct Sequence – Low worth, nice for beginning out.
- PRO Sequence – Made within the USA, industry-leading dimensional accuracy.
- Fillamentum – Top quality materials with unimaginable colours.
Selecting the Proper ABS
There are various totally different manufacturers, colours, and even composites made by mixing different supplies or components with normal ABS resin. Relying on the particular wants of your venture, the one of many following supplies might be the most suitable choice.
MH Construct ABS
- Worth: $18.21 in bulk
- Finest Use: Common objective, nice beginning materials for settings improvement, a number of coloration choices.
PRO Sequence ABS
- Worth: $52 per kg
- Options: Made within the USA (like all PRO Sequence), ±0.02mm diameter tolerance, excessive capability spools out there.
Ultimaker ABS
- Worth: $50 per 750g spool
- Options: Nice compatability with Ultimaker 3D printers by way of NFC chip for computerized materials recognition.
- Observe: Solely out there in 2.85mm
eSUN ABS
- Worth: $23 per kg
- Options: Common objective, reasonably priced materials out there in quite a lot of colours.
Fillamentum ABS
- Worth: $45 per 750g spool
- Options: Unbelievable coloration choices, premium-quality materials manufactured within the Czech Republic. Solely choice for Translucent ABS in our catalog.
3DXTech Flame Retardant PC ABS
- Worth: $68 per kg
- Options: PC is a superb materials, however tougher to print with than ABS so this compound gives the most effective of each worlds. It is also Flame Retardant, making this materials an ideal selection for tasks that have to explicitly resist injury from fireplace.
Getting that first layer proper
As with all 3D printing, getting the primary layer down is an important a part of the print. All the pieces else is constructed upon this (actually) and it is the place most new 3D printer customers have points honing their abilities. Do not feel dangerous should you’re struggling to get good mattress leveling, everybody has to study it. Should you need assistance particularly on mattress leveling, try our article. Listed here are the important thing factors:
- You want the print mattress to be stage.
- Should you see some areas of your first layer are too excessive whereas others are too low, re-do your mattress leveling.
- You want the extruder to be homed to the right top from the mattress. (Z-offset)
- Should you whole first layer is equally too excessive or too low throughout the complete print, alter your Z-Offset.
- You want adhesive to help your ABS in sticking to the mattress.
- And naturally, ensuring that your extruder/hotend is heated to the suitable temperature.
Lego bricks comprised of ABS
Finest Mattress Setup for ABS
With a purpose to print with ABS, you want a headed mattress. The beneficial mattress temperature for ABS is 110°C. Most fashionable 3D printers can attain this temperature, but when yours can not, you must have the ability to get away with 90°C.
Observe: If that is your first time having your print mattress this scorching, watch out as these temperatures can burn pores and skin in a short time!
The very best construct floor for ABS is PEI, out there both clean or with a powder coated floor for additional mechanical adhesion. You may also print on glass with adhesion promoters like Magigoo or a regular glue stick.
As with all 3D printing, mattress leveling and Z-Offset are essential to success. ABS doesn’t have any particular wants for Z-Offset, so if you’re utilizing the identical construct plate as different supplies you possible is not going to have to regulate this setting. Professional Tip: Your print mattress might be a barely totally different form when absolutely heated to ABS print temperatures, so all the time carry out your mattress leveling at temperature to get the most effective outcomes.
Enclose Your Printer for the Finest Outcomes
The trick to have ABS components keep on the mattress throughout a print and never break up after being printed is to permit the printed half cool as slowly as potential, and as uniformly as potential. Right here are some things to remember to realize these objectives:
- Little to no layer cooling – begin along with your half cooling fan utterly off.
- Enclosed construct space – preserve a secure and excessive ambient temperature round your half after it has been printed.
There are various absolutely enclosed 3D printers out there in the present day, along with enclosures out there as equipment for a lot of machines that don’t come absolutely enclosed. Moreover, try our video beneath on constructing a customized, low-cost enclosure for any printer that can allow you to begin printing with ABS immediately.
In case your first layer just isn’t sticking:
- Be certain the mattress is stage.
- Be certain the mattress is scorching sufficient – we suggest 110°C.
- Make it possible for the ambient temperature of the print surroundings isn’t too scorching or chilly (or else alter accordingly).
- Be sure you put the adhesive on the mattress.
- Be certain the print head is shut sufficient to make a pleasant first layer.
- Be sure you run the extruder sufficient earlier than your print begins so there may be filament going onto the mattress throughout the complete first layer. In MatterControl you possibly can add a skirt and calibrate how a lot materials you wish to extrude to make sure the hotend is absolutely primed.
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PEI is an effective way to print ABS. It makes an ideal shiny backside layer and the heated mattress ensures that your components keep good and flat.
For extra in depth info relating to ABS mattress adhesion try this text we wrote for extra detailed steering.
Getting the temperature proper
When working with a brand new roll of filament for the primary time, we typically like to start out out printing at about 230°C after which adjusting the temperature up or down by 5 diploma increments till we get the standard of the print and the energy of the half to be in good steadiness with one another. This temperature vary is a generalization, so please reference the precise filament you may have when growing your print settings.
FYI – there’s a temperature tower characteristic construct into MatterControl so you possibly can create customized temperature towers to assist in your print setting improvement.
What to search for
If the temperature is simply too excessive:
You will notice extra strings between the separate components of your print and it’s possible you’ll discover that the extruder leaks out a whole lot of plastic whereas transferring between separate areas of the print. If this occurs you must attempt to incrementally decrease the temperature by 5 levels till the extruder just isn’t leaking a lot materials.
ABS being printed too scorching can produce a tough texture, in case your components really feel and/or look tough, strive reducing the temperature and see if that impact is decreased.
Generally you should have a cloth that’s merely much less viscous than ABS and can leak extra even at decrease temperatures. We suggest you evaluation your retraction settings and probably tune this particularly.
If the temperature is simply too chilly:
You’ll both see that the filament just isn’t sticking to the earlier layer and you might be getting a tough floor, or you’ll get a component that isn’t robust and will be pulled aside simply. In both case, you must enhance the temperature by 5 levels and take a look at once more till you get good line segments on each layer and have a robust half when carried out printing.
A print gone chilly. Verify your retraction and warmth for clear prints.
Altering filament
When switching ABS colours:
- Whereas the extruder is chilly set the warmth to 120°C and watch for it to warmth up.
- If you attain 120°C take away the present filament from the extruder. You might be able to again it out by hand or it’s possible you’ll have to reverse the extruder.
- If you’re having hassle eradicating the filament, enhance the temperature to 180°C and take a look at once more.
- Clear the extruder gear and blow out any particles from the extruder entrance.
- Improve the warmth and cargo the brand new filament usually.
- Run the brand new coloration via the extruder till it runs clear and the brand new coloration is all that’s popping out of the extruder. If you’re switching from a darkish coloration (reminiscent of black) to a lightweight coloration (like white or pure) it’s possible you’ll need to extrude for a couple of minutes to be you positive haven’t any darkish contamination.
- Print one thing that you do not care if it has bits of the earlier coloration in it, or run the extruder for a number of minutes. It could take as a lot as 10 to fifteen minutes of extrusion earlier than you possibly can believe that there will not be darkish materials combined with lighter materials.
Observe: We beneficial eradicating the filament when tender fairly than when absolutely melted so that there’s a decrease chance of depositing melted materials onto the extruder drive gear or leaving meterial excessive up the soften chamber entrance. Each of which may trigger jamming and are onerous to wash out. Delicate removing additionally helps make sure that you get every part out of the extruder tip.
What to do if issues go improper
There are a number of key issues to test when your prints aren’t working. However earlier than we take a look at options we have to have a short description of your signs.
“I can not get the primary layer to stay.”
- Be certain the extruder is on the proper top. Modify the restrict swap or extruder to 0 top
- Be certain the print mattress is stage. Degree the mattress.
- Be sure you’re printing on the proper temperature and that your mattress is the suitable temperature.
- Verify the ambient temperature of your surroundings. If it’s too chilly or too scorching outdoors, your print can fluctuate drastically!
“The half has dangerous inner layers and prime surfaces.”
- Verify the extrusion temperature (it’s possible you’ll want to extend it by 5 diploma bumps).
- Verify the filament pressure.
- Clear the filament drive gear.
- Lower your velocity.
- Be certain your half is correctly cooled.
“The skin edges of my components have a number of little bumps on them.”
- Be certain your printer is getting sufficient information. If printing from a pc, make sure that the pc just isn’t too busy to feed the printer instructions. If the printer is pausing it’s often because of the pc being too busy.
- Print from the SD card. On some printers you possibly can try to print from the SD card. This typically helps the printer have sufficient information to run extra easily.
Nonetheless, do not be too fast to imagine the issue is in your ABS. With the suitable settings and persistence hobbyists have succeeded in printing all types of supplies a lot of which have very low viscosity. It is best to have the ability to get usable components even with some decrease high quality filament.
“Tall sections of my prints look melted or squished collectively.”
- Activate “Cooling”. In case your printer has a fan you must allow “Cooling” within the print settings.
- Get a small fan. In case your printer doesn’t have an built-in fan you must look into getting a small desk fan. This may also help dramatically with tall sections of your print or when “bridging” (printing prime layers that span gaps).
My half is curling away from bed.”
- Just be sure you have quantity of adhesive on the mattress and that you just’re making use of a recent layer with each print. As well as, activate a brim. Having a brim that extends out a bit helps give the half a big base to work with, in addition to having extra to stick to.
“My printer is not going to extrude any materials.”
- Be certain your scorching finish is getting scorching. Verify to ensure the recent finish is heating in any respect. If it’s not, you must have your printer serviced. It’s possible that you’ve a unfastened connection, or your electronics have been fried (assuming the printer remains to be related and responding to your host software program).
- Clear the drive gear and alter pressure. The very first thing we’re going to do is clear the filament touching drive gear and make sure that we’ve got correct pressure in opposition to the filament. Often improper pressure or a clogged drive gear will make the print look extra like the image we’ve got for low temperature filament, but it surely typically does stop extrusion all collectively. Clear the pinch wheel with a wire brush, and ensure your pressure is nice and stable (an excessive amount of also can stop extrusion and is extra frequent with direct drives [the motor is directly connected to the drive gear] however much less frequent with geared drives).
- Take away the present filament. It could be that you’ve a small particle in your extruder tip jamming the plastic. Use the change filament approach described above to tug out any particles which are within the extruder tip.
- Verify for and take away jams between the extruder and scorching finish. That is essentially the most excessive kind of downside as a result of now it is time to take issues aside. Generally warmth can creep up the filament within the extruder and trigger a bulge that then cools and prevents any additional extrusion. That is often on the junction between the extruder and scorching finish. Take off the extruder and take away all of the ABS you possibly can (it’s possible you’ll want the recent finish scorching to get all the fabric out.) If you cannot get out all of the filament by pulling, it’s possible you’ll have to try to drive it down via the recent finish. We often use a small allen wrench. If this fails you possibly can try to drill out the extruder or scorching finish however it’s possible you’ll want to interchange components. You’ll want to take precautions in opposition to being shocked or burned. If you’re not certified to do that work, discover somebody who’s, fairly than threat harm.
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Sincerely,
The MatterHackers Crew