What are the optimum settings for ASA filament?

What are the optimum settings for ASA filament? makenica.com/what-are-the-optimum-settings-for-asa-filament December 19, 2020

Haven’t we always faced a grave deadlock when it boils down to select the perfect material for our 3D model? We need to consider several factors such as mechanical strength, chemical strength, model feasibility, etc, that spins our heads off. It is tedious to fix on one filament, but the process is simple when you aim for one quality over the other.

3D printing services has taken the manufacturing sector by storm. It has indeed reached unimaginable heights, at a stage where it is inevitable. Selecting an optimum filament for our design and adjusting your printer is indeed challenging but always intriguing.

Today, we will shed more light on the printer settings that are needed to be modified for ASA materials. But before that, let us understand what ASA is! We shall also discuss their properties and functions that set a clear picture for settings. We shall do a comparative study with other popular filaments to get a better understand of ASA.

What is ASA? ASA, abbreviated as Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate is one of the most used filaments in FDM printing. It is an amorphous thermoplastic that consists of butadiene elastomer in its polymer chain. It is widely considered as an engineering plastic since it is obtained from petroleum and can maintain its appearance and mechanical resistance under impact.

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ASA is also known for its high chemical resistivity and can withstand high temperatures easily without deformation. These properties make ASA the most preferred one when compared to ABS and PLA filaments. ASA is commonly used in automobile part manufacturing and sometimes for outdoor furniture.

One of the advantages of ASA is that it doesn't allow warping. Materials like ABS are much prone to warping and discolors when in contact with adverse environmental conditions. These two conditions won't happen in ASA plastics, and that's why ASA is preferred in automobile manufacturing.

Properties of ASA for 3D printing: For many 3D printing enthusiasts, ASA is relatively unknown and very much unexplored as ABS. ASA is quite advantageous over the other materials used for FDM printing. We will throw some light on the properties of ASA that makes it the optimum 3D printing material.

ASA resins are very much resistant to UV rays, which makes them suitable for commercial usages. It is said to be ten times stronger to UV resistance than ABS. ASA ave higher versatility which makes it suitable for combining it with HIPS material for models with cantilevers.

ASA has a high melting point than ABS, which runs from 240 to 260 celsius. These prints are of top quality when printed hot and not too cold. That's why you need to alter the layer fan speed so that material drying is slow.

ASA fumes are considered highly toxic to humans and generally avoid overheating of the filament. Styrene is highly noxious when melted at higher temperatures, so it is essential to print this in an open environment.

Try to fit your layer bed temperature and nozzle temperature within the given range so that you don't end up overheating the material.

Advantages of ASA: PLA and ABS are some of the household names used in commercial FDM prints. Both these filaments have disadvantages of their own, which is heavily exploited by ASA to overshadow these filaments at the industrial level. 3D printing using ASA might be something very new in industrial productions, but ASA is already heavily used in other additive manufacturing methods. Here's why.

As discussed, when we opt for commercial products, we need plastics that are UV resistant and heat resistant, which can still hold up shape even in adverse conditions. ASA has its niche on these that makes them preferable in several plastic product manufacturing units. Outdoor decors, plastic furniture, Bumper of the car, etc; are all products of ASA.

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Car Bumpers are made out of ASA since ASA has strong mechanical properties. It has a tensile strength of up to 7330 psi and flexural strength of up to 11400 psi making it robust in structure.

ASA is said to have low water absorption percentage than the other materials making it somewhat moisture resistant. It has an average absorption percentage of 0.38% under 73degree Fahrenheit, making it a humid resistant and all-weather material. You can expect your material to remain safe under a high moisture environment and don't require frequent drying as ABS and PLA. ASA also has its own set of disadvantages as ABS and PLA. These are significant when not attended to it with utmost care. You need to alter your print settings accordingly to avoid these on a larger scale. Let's discuss a few drawbacks of using ASA.

Drawbacks of ASA: Just like any other plastic material, ASA has a set of drawbacks. These drawbacks are significant in that they tend to ruin the overall print quality. The major drawbacks in ABS and PLA are less present in ASA, making it a bit more preferable than the rest. Let's see some disadvantages of using ASA. ASA consists of styrene, which on heating produce toxic fumes. These fumes are capable enough to damager the liver and lungs of humans and animals, making them hazardous.

It is best to use ASA in an open area rather than using it in enclosed ones, allowing more ventilation and air to pass through.

ASA has high thermal properties require high bed and nozzle temperatures for it to melt and solidify. Commercialized 3D printers won't have much stability in withstanding a higher amount of nozzle temperatures. In due course of time, it might do a reality check on the printer's durability, which might sometimes turn out to be what we expected.

Another unlikely disadvantage in this material would be warping during the 3D printing operation. Warping in ASA is very rare but certainly can't be ruled out. Also, ASA material is quite expensive than PLA and ABS materials.

However, you've got one-stop online 3D printing online stores like Makenica, which can provide you ASA for cheaper rates with no compensation in quality. Makenica excels in offering top-notch service and ensures delivery of products with superior quality.

Printer Settings for ASA : Generally, there will a change in printer settings and when the filaments change. You can't use ABS settings for PLA and expect top quality print. As filaments change, their thermal properties change, and you need to adapt your printer accordingly to obtain a top-notch finish. Here are some printer settings for ASA material to obtain a high-quality finish.

Layer bed settings:

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Every printer has its layering method. Some come with guided wizard setups, while some require manual leveling. 3D printer bed leveling is done using screws that attach the bed to the carriage. Tightening and loosening of the screws change the plane of the bed if it isn't bent.

First, move the print head out and away from the bed to prevent it from colliding with the bed. After that, alter the z-axis value, which brings the nozzle closer to the bed it can get.

Check, if there’s enough room between the nozzle and the bed. If not, tighten the screws of the bed so that you get a minimum clearance for print.

Insert a paper on the bed, and level the corners of the screw by bringing the nozzle near to the screw. Check for the clearance and repeat the same procedure for all corners. This method is efficient to ensure that the bed is leveled.

Nozzle Distance: Most of the nozzle distance setting depends upon the leveling of the bed. You must maintain some clearance between the nozzle tip and the bed so that they don't collide. To set an automatic default distance, run the setup wizard that self-calibrates according to the bed level.

You can also manually check the distance and adjust using Z-axis calibration. If you find that layers of the print skirt have a significant distinction between them, then your nozzle is higher than the optimum level. You can lower your nozzle distance and re-calibrate.

Similarly, if you find your print skirt to be bubbling up against each other, your nozzle is lower than the optimum level. Increase the default nozzle distance and re-calibrate the print settings.

Nozzle Temperature Settings: Nozzle temperature is an important setting for FDM printers. Nozzle temperature is according to the thermal properties of the material. Most commercial FDM printers have preset values, but we can't call shots with those values. Especially for ASA, it is quite different than the other materials and requires a different setup.

Due to the presence of styrene and butadiene components, ASA requires high temperatures for layer adhesion. The melting point of ASA ranges from 240-260 degrees celsius, and you need printers that can go up to those levels. Generally, ASA prints are better in quality when they're printed hot and not cold.

Configure your nozzle temperature settings and run calibration as and when you change the brand of the filament. Not all brands can give you the expected output, but you can get the maximum out of what you have by regularly calibrating it.

Bed Temperature Settings:

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Just like ABS and PLA, your material will get more adhesion if printed on a hotbed and not a cold one. Having a leveled temperature through the print bed can prevent the object from warping, one of the major concerns of 3D printing services.

For ASA printing, ensure that you maintain a bed temperature of at least 110 degrees celsius and not less than that. Ensure you re-calibrate the settings after changing the material or the brand, as it differs from each other by a significant margin.

You can also use lubricants such as Kapton Tape or hair lubricant on the bed to ensure that heat is spread uniformly on the surface. Lubrication can prevent warping and provide a good surface finish.

Cooling Fan settings: Unlike ABS and PLA, you would generally want to reduce the speed of the cooling fan by a significant margin for ASA models. As discussed earlier, ASA undergoes more molecular adhesion when it is hot. Quick cooling can cause splits and cracks on the surface, as layer adhesion consumes a bit of time.

Highly advisable to switch off your coolant fans for ASA print. However, you can run your coolant fans at considerable speeds, about 5% to 10% of the fan speed. It will improve the overhangs present in the model and improve the overall print quality. Provide more focus on bed temperature, based on which you can tune your fan speed.

Printer Maintenance: When it comes to printer maintenance, ASA is no different from ABS and PLA. Try to clean the printer extruder gears every month to avoid gear clogging. Gear clogging can cause severe problems in terms of extrusion, and you need to keeps tabs regularly. There are chances of under extrusion or no extrusion when your gear clogs up.

For nozzles, ensure that it remains dust-free. Use a toothbrush or a small wire brush that quickly fixes the dust present on the nozzle. If you can't extrude ASA at all while your hot end is at optimum material temperature, there are high chances that your nozzle might be clogged. In that case, perform unclogging methods such as cold pull, needle-based cleaning, etc., to remove the clogged material.

Ensure that you print ASA in an open environment as they release harmful fumes when exposed to higher temperatures. It is better to use safety masks when printing is done for larger parts. However, you can get the pungent smell of styrene, which can be minute in short FDM prints.

Conclusions: What we have discussed were just some basic settings for ASA material in the 3D printing operation. ASA is widely used in several additive manufacturing methods, and each has different setups for varied processes.

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It is quintessential for 3D printing enthusiasts to follow these settings before you go for the printing operation. Only by adhering to these conditions, you can expect a top-notch print.

ASA is a material that may not be commercially affordable but needs to be explored more when it comes to 3D printing services. It is much more advantageous than ABS and has tons of potential to provide the ideal model, which can serve under many upcoming applications.

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