this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2025
30 points (94.1% liked)

3DPrinting

17841 readers
34 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: or [email protected]

There are CAD communities available at: [email protected] or [email protected]

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe/ may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I've printed probably 5 kilos worth of prints with a lot of success, but exclusively PLA. I'd like to branch out to a new material. Should I start with ABS or TPU?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Fear ABS and ASA like your worst nightmare

ABS and ASA are awesome, but if you don’t have an enclosure the warping and odor can make them a pain to work with (the odor is powerful, irritating, and potentially dangerous).

But the end result is strong and can be smoothed with acetone fumes. I consider ABS and ASA my “okay, this one is serious” filaments. Parts that need to be able to withstand stronger forces and higher heat, or stuff that I want to look really good with some very easy post-processing.