Recommendation to print ABS?  

Re: Recommendation to print ABS?

Hey there,

till now, i print small objects in ABS (there, where i need the temperaturedurability or stability).
Today, i would like to print a cupholder-insertion for my new care (to hold pens, chips, etc.).

I have the following problems:
- Live-Z. Correctly adjusted with PLA, i have no clean, flat bottom-surface when ich print ABS. It seems, that i have to lower the noozle a bit, but.. is there another way? I'm slicing with Slic3r - maybe, software-correcture?
- Infill. I'm using fewer grid-infill (2-5%). But every ABS-line is not touching the underlying - it looks like "wires in the air", they "lay above each other" but they don't toch each other (start/endpoint yes, but 80% of the length.. not)

I'm using ABS-Filament from a german supplier (Material4Print) and use the Prusa-ABS-Preset in Slic3r. In this settings, the fan is turned off - should i activate it (30%, after the first X layers)?

Thanks 🙂

You can get different extrusions from different rolls of filament as well as from different brands.
What you should do is to measure the filament diameter, for example each 10cm, and see what your average diameter is. Then you can adjust your extrusion multiplier after that.

You might also need to adjust your Z level of course, I tend to do monitor each first layers and doing small adjustments even if I dont switch filament.
If I print a model where I think there is a risk of the model beeing knocked of the bed.. small footprint, tall model for example, I tend to squeeze it even more onto the bed. So dont be afraid to play with the Live Z Adjust. You might need to do that when you switch filament brand, type, spool or just printing a special model.

ABS needs to cool as slow as possible, otherwise you'll get some heavy warping.. thats why its often recommended to build an enclosure if you're about to print a lot of ABS. And that's why the fan is turned off, it has to be.

A recommendation for you would be to order a spool of PETG, and give that a try! As I see it, it only have benefits over ABS.
It doesnt warp, you can print with/without fan depending on if you want a good surface finish or layer bonding (for more durable models).
It doesnt give you the toxic fumes that you'll get from ABS.
Its food proof

You could also look at for example ASA, or the HTPLA filaments, if you really need something else than just regular PLA?

Best Regards Patrik

Re: Recommendation to print ABS?

Hey there,

till now, i print small objects in ABS (there, where i need the temperaturedurability or stability).
Today, i would like to print a cupholder-insertion for my new care (to hold pens, chips, etc.).

I have the following problems:
- Live-Z. Correctly adjusted with PLA, i have no clean, flat bottom-surface when ich print ABS. It seems, that i have to lower the noozle a bit, but.. is there another way? I'm slicing with Slic3r - maybe, software-correcture?
- Infill. I'm using fewer grid-infill (2-5%). But every ABS-line is not touching the underlying - it looks like "wires in the air", they "lay above each other" but they don't toch each other (start/endpoint yes, but 80% of the length.. not)

I'm using ABS-Filament from a german supplier (Material4Print) and use the Prusa-ABS-Preset in Slic3r. In this settings, the fan is turned off - should i activate it (30%, after the first X layers)?

Thanks 🙂

You can get different extrusions from different rolls of filament as well as from different brands.
What you should do is to measure the filament diameter, for example each 10cm, and see what your average diameter is. Then you can adjust your extrusion multiplier after that.

You might also need to adjust your Z level of course, I tend to do monitor each first layers and doing small adjustments even if I dont switch filament.
For example if I print the treefrog which has a very small footprint around the feet of the frog, I tend to squeeze it even more onto the bed for the first layer. So dont be afraid to adjust the Z level.

ABS needs to cool as slow as possible, otherwise you'll get some heavy warping.. thats why its often recommended to build an enclosure if you're about to print a lot of ABS. And that's why the fan is turned off, it has to be.

A recommendation for you would be to order a spool of PETG, and give that a try! As I see it, it only have benefits over ABS.
It doesnt warp, you can print with/without fan depending on if you want a good surface finish or layer bonding (for more durable models).
It doesnt give you the toxic fumes that you'll get from ABS.
Its food proof

Best Regards Patrik

Re: Recommendation to print ABS?

Hey Patrik,

thanks for your answer.
I will test and adjust some settings the next hours to find out, why the infill-layers are not bond together. I think it has something to do with the layerheight: I printed the first object with .35mm layers. Some days ago i printed a little warrior-model also with .35, same problem. After i switched to .20, the infill/layers were okay. Maybe you are right, and with .35 i had to adjust extrusion-multiplier a little bit higher. With .20, the first layer was not perfect and had a flat surface, but much better than .35.

So, why i want to print with ABS. 2 Things:
1) I have 2kg ABS-filament and no roll of PETG 🙂
2) I would like to smooth the surface with aceton. For deco-objects, models, etc. this is a nice finish, and you dont have to do much work after you printed the objects to get great results.

I've build, only for that, an "acetone bucket". It's heated by a round heatbed, has an inner frame, were you put your objects into. The frame can be easily removed and inserted into the bucket. A little 40mm Fan inside the bucket keeps the acetone-vapor in movement for fast results. Built a prototype, and want to test it now.. 🙂

Edit: And yes, i've built an enclosure for my MK2 too. Running ~40°C inside when i print ABS, with a little enclosure-fan that "should" filter the ABS-smell/air with carbon. Still in phase of testing.. 🙂

Re: Recommendation to print ABS?

On my other printers I run ABS at 10% higher extrusion multiplier than PLA. So, 90% on PLA and 100% on ABS as set in S3D.
ABS doesn't need quiet as much squish as PLA either. I have not used ABS in the MK2 so these are observations from printing it on other printers.