{"id":14252,"date":"2023-03-29T15:07:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T15:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the3dsourced.wpengine.com\/?p=14252"},"modified":"2023-04-05T03:12:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T03:12:08","slug":"abs-vs-asa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/rigid-ink\/abs-vs-asa\/","title":{"rendered":"ABS vs ASA: Which Filament is Most UV Resistant?"},"content":{"rendered":"

ABS and ASA filaments are both strong and tough materials for 3D printing -but with some key differences<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASA has superior UV and weather resistance, making it more suitable for outdoor prints. It also has better color and shape retention over time and a nicer tactile feel than ABS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, ABS is a better choice for indoor prints that do not require high weather resistance because it’s more widely available and may be more affordable than ASA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I’m going to explain exactly what separates ABS and ASA and help you decide which is right for your<\/em> project. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n

What’s the Difference Between ASA and ABS?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ABS vs ASA 3D Printer Filaments<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do ASA and ABS Compare<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Differences With Printing ABA and ASA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UV and Weather Resistance<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. What's the Difference Between ASA and ABS?<\/a><\/li>
  2. ABS vs ASA 3D Printer Filaments<\/a><\/li>
  3. How do ABS and ASA Differ?<\/a><\/li>
  4. ABS and ASA Key Stats<\/a><\/li>
  5. The Key Differences in Printing ASA vs ABS<\/a><\/li>
  6. Which is Best for UV Weather Resistance?<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    ABS vs ASA 3D Printer Filaments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you know anything about 3D printing, chances are you\u2019re familiar with ABS filament<\/a>. It is, after all, one of the most popular materials used by FDM experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And for good reason; ABS is a sturdy plastic<\/strong> with higher melting points than PLA<\/a>, as well as a long, durable lifespan. This makes it suitable for making replacement parts for cars and machines, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ABS, however, is not perfect. It has flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First and foremost, it can be more difficult to print with than PLA, depending on which brand of ABS you have purchased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It also wears under rough weather conditions and yellows under the UV rays of the sun. So if you were wondering why your once-white birdhouse is now tinted yellow, there\u2019s your answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With this in mind, a new (and I use the term lightly since something created in the 1970s can hardly be called \u201cnew\u201d) material called ASA filament<\/a> is now being produced at a level that allows domestic users of low-cost 3D printers<\/a> to employ it in their machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How do ABS and ASA Differ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to know the key difference between ABS and ASA filaments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ASA has phenomenal strength and is exceptionally weather and chemical resistant, meaning it will withstand outdoor weather conditions of all sorts with unmatched durability.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another benefit of ASA plastic is its ability to retain both shape and color over time. While many filaments will gradually yellow over time, ASA has the lowest levels of yellowing for such a stable, resistant-to-wear printing material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition, ASA has unparalleled retention of physical features. In other words, it keeps its shape even under harsh weather<\/strong> conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So if you\u2019ve always wanted a 3D printed replica of Michelangelo\u2019s David as the centerpiece for your garden without worrying about his \u2018special bits\u2019 eroding, ASA has your back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Although it’s hard to explain in an article, our customers report (and we agree) that ASA prints have a nicer tactile feel to them than ABS<\/strong>. Worth noting if ergonomics are also a requirement in your print. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As the two plastics have similar strength and toughness properties, they also both respond well to finishing, such as acetone smoothing<\/a><\/strong>. You can smooth ASA prints in acetone vapor similar to how you would with ABS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While we\u2019re discovering the benefits of ASA, it would be worthwhile to consider the plastic\u2019s density. Whereas ABS has a density of \u20181.04\u2019 per g\/cm3<\/sup>, ASA has a substantial density of \u20181.07\u2019 per g\/cm3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ABS and ASA Key Stats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The 3D printing, heated bed, fan, density, and UV resistances between ABS and ASA are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Category<\/th>ABS<\/th>ASA<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Best Printing Temperature<\/strong><\/td>230-250\u00b0C \/ 446-482\u00b0F<\/td>230-250\u00b0C \/ 464-482\u00b0F<\/td><\/tr>
    Heated Bed Temperature<\/strong><\/td>90-95\u00b0C \/ 194\u00b0F<\/td>90-100\u00b0C \/ 230-239\u00b0F<\/td><\/tr>
    Fan Power<\/strong><\/td>0%<\/td>10%<\/td><\/tr>
    Density<\/strong><\/td>1.04 per g\/cm3<\/sup><\/td>1.07 per g\/cm3<\/sup><\/td><\/tr>
    Yellowing Over Time (When Exposed to UV)<\/strong><\/td>Moderate<\/td>Low<\/td><\/tr>
    UV Resistance<\/strong><\/td>Moderate<\/td>High<\/td><\/tr>
    Weather Resistance<\/strong><\/td>Moderate<\/td>High<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    The 3D printing differences, and density, UV resistance and yellowing differences between ASA and ABS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    All right, so what we\u2019re seeing here are quite a few similarities between ABS and ASA filament; they have comparable temperatures for printing; both on the printer\u2019s hotend and heated bed, as well as a marginal difference in density.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So that\u2019s good to know; ASA filament is of a strong build like ABS and, in addition, should be very easy to print for those already familiar with ABS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s look at the few key differences when printing to help you decide which of the two you should be buying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Key Differences in Printing ASA vs ABS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    First off; cooling. This is one of the most important differences to remember during<\/em> printing. When printing with ASA, the printer\u2019s cooling fan should be turned down to approximately 10% or just 5% power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason for this is simple: cool it too fast, and the ASA is susceptible to cracking. And, let\u2019s be honest, you don\u2019t want your statue of David to lose his masculinity like he had once the pope was through with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, an easy reminder for printing with ASA: turn your fans low, to about 10% power, and make sure your printing environment isn\u2019t drafty, or cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ASA can be cold after the printing process, of course, it\u2019s just while the material is cooling \u2013 this process needs to be slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For best results, you still want a small amount of cooling though<\/strong>, which is why we don’t recommend completely turning your fans off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"ASA
    A low-cost weather station printed with our white ASA by Martin <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Which is Best for UV Weather Resistance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll have noticed quite a bit of mention in this article about ASA filament\u2019s excellent ability to retain its shape and color even in rough weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This, more than anything, would be the deciding factor if you wanted to change from ABS to ASA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are printing indoor items, then ABS is as good as ASA in terms of life and color\/shape retention. However, if you want that magnificent statue of David to last for years in your front yard, in all his naked glory, ASA is the way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It will last longer than ABS in the sun and doesn\u2019t yellow, at least not noticeably, under UV radiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, the decision is yours to make; ABS or ASA. And it shouldn\u2019t be a hard one, as we\u2019ve already discussed that the biggest influencing factor should be what you are printing and where you want to put it; inside or outside the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are thinking of buying ASA filament, it is worth bearing in mind that it is slightly more expensive than ABS, but that makes sense due to its sturdier outdoor design and purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We advise you to buy from somewhere that offers excellent support along with excellent high-quality filament.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    ABS and ASA filaments are both strong and tough materials for 3D printing -but with some key differences ASA has superior UV and weather resistance, making it more suitable for outdoor prints. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":30864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":""},"categories":[32,17,7],"tags":[],"featured_post":[],"post_template":[],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant.jpg",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant.jpg",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/ABS-vs-ASA-Which-Filament-is-Most-UV-Resistant.jpg",1280,720,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"3dsourced","author_link":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/author\/3dsourced\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"ABS and ASA filaments are both strong and tough materials for 3D printing -but with some key differences ASA has superior UV and weather resistance, making it more suitable for outdoor prints. ... Read more","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30865,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14252\/revisions\/30865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14252"},{"taxonomy":"featured_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_post?post=14252"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dsourced.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=14252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}