Key Tips for 3D Printing With ABS
ABS is the abbreviation of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene which is widely used in manufacturing industries. Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a thermoplastic polymer that is popular for its better impact resistance at low temperatures.
Since Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a thermoplastic polymer, it is very lightweight and that is why it is used to manufacture lightweight parts and products. You can see the use of this polymer mostly in those industries that manufacture household products, toys, decorative items and also in bricks that are used in LEGO.
This thermoplastic polymer is also very popular in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) which is used in 3D printing. If we compare ABS with PLA and PETG then it comes between both of them. It is quite easy to print in PLA but due to the better heat resistance in ABS, it is popular among the users working on 3D printer projects of different kind. Moreover, it is quite easier to store ABS and further process as compared to PETG.
Advantages of 3D Printing with ABS
- ABS is comparatively cheaper than other printing materials
- There is no other printing material that comes at this price with endless applications.
- ABS is mostly used in prototypes and parts that have parts and functional units
Disadvantages of 3D Printing with ABS
- The only disadvantage of ABS is the odours that are emitted by it while printing the model.
1. The Right Setup:
An example of 3D printing setup. Image source: RSGlobaldesk
A decent 3D printing arrangement is essential to get the best prints from your 3D printer because the environment in which you print ABS has a ton of impact on the outcome. A decent arrangement will guarantee that the slicer settings will reflect accurately on the ABS 3D print, consequently giving you well finished and fundamentally sound models.
If the user wants to print using the ABS, it is very necessary to require a fenced-in area, not only for fibre but also for the user.
ABS is more delicate to temperature contrasts while printing than different materials. Without a fenced-in area, the user may introduce temperature changes close to your 3D print. This will prompt twisting, layer bond issues, and twisting.
A fenced-in area gives a shut space that gets residue or flotsam and jetsam far from the print, while additionally assisting with keeping the temperature inside at a consistent level. A decent fence in the area will prevent air drafts, which may prompt inappropriate or undesired prints. Introducing a 3D printer channel in the user enclosure will assist him with disposing of ABS exhaust, which can be harmful and poisonous.
The primary concern is to disengage your 3D printer from its environmental elements. This guarantees that while you're printing ABS, there's negligible temperature slope and that the part can be printed without any issues. There's an assortment of 3D printers, fenced-in areas accessible, with proficient choices that incorporate protecting material, to DIY arrangements utilizing an IKEA lack table and some acrylic sheets.
The primary concern is to disengage your 3D printer from its environmental elements. This guarantees that while you're printing ABS, there's negligible temperature slope and that the part can be printed without any issues. There's an assortment of 3D printers, fenced-in areas accessible, with proficient choices that incorporate protecting material, to DIY arrangements utilizing an IKEA lack table and some acrylic sheets.
2. Adhesive:
Adhesive resins pouring out of the container. Image source: EcoEnclose
ABS generally prefers not to adhere to uncovered glass or even to an unpleasant surface without any problem. This can prompt twisting of the underlying layers. Here and there, the corners or edges may take-off of the 3D printer's assemble plate.
Along these lines, it's fundamental to utilize a bed grip of some sort or another to get your 3D prints to adhere to the bed immovably. A well-known decision for improper stickiness is the utilization of ABS slurry, a paste stick, or even hairspray. These structures are a connection point between the bed and the primary layer, making it stick better. Users can similarly utilize slicer choices, for example, raft or an edge to ensure that your 3D prints remain solidly planted in their place.
3. Keep It Dry:
ABS hygroscopic material which is similar to PLA and PETG to some extent. Hence it can be implied that it'll retain moisture or dampness rapidly. Content with very high moisture in the filament can prompt improper layer attachment that can cause weakness.
This outcome is in a 3D printed part that can break away easily. It takes some time for the moisture to show up in the ABS filament. Even if you're a professional, it might take you some time before you sort out what's the issue with the filament. Assuming the ABS has assimilated the moisture, the user can see it while it's streaming out of the spout. Users will see a few little air pockets and even hear them popping.
It is very important to store any 3D printing material properly and this is particularly important for ABS. Assuming that the user lives in a humid region, it is necessarily important for the user to keep the ABS as dry as could be expected. Dry boxes offer an incredible method for putting away and printing your materials all the while. Then again, users can even utilize plastic vacuum packs to store filaments when he is not utilizing them.
4. Slicing:
It is well known to every 3D printer user how a decent arrangement can further improve your ABS print. But that is just fifty per cent of the story. With a decent arrangement, the user also needs impeccably dialled slicer settings to get the best outcomes. 3D Slicer direct how the part will be 3D printed. Thus, how tricky an ABS seems to be, for certain slick tips the user can get it to print how he needs it to.
5. Set the Temperature:
The printer must be capable of resisting high temperatures because the ABS requires high temperatures to print. Material like ABS, a higher hot end temperature prompts a superior progression of the fibre and assists with solid layer grip.
The user can utilize temperature towers to observe the specific temperature range in which he gets the best quality, however, a hot end temperature of 225 °C is a decent beginning stage. Alongside a higher temperature spout, ABS additionally needs a warmed bed. The warmed bed guarantees that the region encompassing the 3D printed part stays warm all through the 3D printing process.
This permits the part to chill off step by step, forestalling any twisting or parting of layers. A bed temperature between 90-110 °C should be to the point of printing ABS with insignificant issues. While ABS is more comparable in temperature necessities to PETG than it is to PLA, the last two fibres don't need a warmed bed.
6. Watch the Speed:
If the user is using ABS, then it would be more beneficial for printing when the printing speed is slow. The higher temperature and slow speed lead to a more readily layer grip. It additionally implies that each layer has an adequate opportunity to cool down. A print speed under 20 mm/s for the initial not many layers guarantees that they adhere to the forming plate well indeed.
This will protect from any lifting of edges or the corners of the 3D print. As the layers develop, the user can continuously speed up the printing process. The printing speed for the remaining part should be with the end goal that it permits the layers to cool down equally. This will forestall any layer dividing issues. A speed between 50-60 mm/s should give a decent harmony among quality and time.
7. Turn Off the Fan:
It is better to avoid forced cooling if the user is using ABS material. The temperature gradient can be produced by the part cooling fan that blows air on the 3D printed part. Uneven air drafts can also be seen due to the fan, which further adds to temperature contrasts. In the process in which the layer is cooled down too quickly, solid twisting in the 3D printed part happens. This prompts the edges of the layers to twist away from one another. This can stay away from by decreasing the fan speed to 0%.
