ABS prints MUCH better than PLA

Hi All
I wonder if you guys find this as well, after trying MANY times and different setting with PLA, replaced the PLA with ABS and upped the head temp to 240 and loaded the same model, it printed 100% no issues no streaking its a near perfect print, yet with PLA the same print was a mess....

I find ABS is MUCH more forging on temperature etc... and less streaky than PLA, and the resolution of the prints are much better and neater.
If this be the case I will from now on only use ABS as it is more satisfying to get results that try over and over again with PLA

Tx Ben

I have also found this and rarely print in ABS anymore.

I have far more problem with stringing when printing ABS than I do when printing PLA.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

The biggest problem with ABS is its greater tendency to warp. If you can overcome that, it is superior in just about every other way to PLA. Besides its printing characteristics, ABS is both lighter and stronger than PLA (and being lighter, you get more filament on a 1Kg reel, which makes it cheaper from most outlets). The fact that it can be polished and chemically welded using acetone is also an advantage for me. The last time I printed in PLA was when I used the reel that was supplied with the printer.

Dave

I have not tried ABS but I have had my fais share of PLA trouble. My experience is that there is good and bad PLA.

The PLA I've had varies more so in quality than ABS.
I prefer the feel of ABS when finished but like Dave mentioned it can be tricky to stick when a large surface area is trying to attach itself to the print surface (glass in my case)

My main problem with ABS is that it STINKS. In my prints I find quality to be roughly on par with PLA & ABS. I prefer PLA unless I need ABS due to e.g. temperature requirements.

Yes, normal ABS stinks quite a bit. But I've been printing SmartABS for a while and been quite happy with it, it doesn't smell as much as regular ABS and shows way less warping. Definitely worth a try if you have a good filament supplier!

I must have an abnormal sense of smell, because I hardly notice the smell when printing ABS.

Dave

Hi All
Was wondering if anyone has built a temperature controlled case for the Ormerods.... and if it would be worth the effort ?
I read ALL over the WEB of the high end printers have some sort of controlled environment, I`ve tried to print a 100x100x6mm item and NO GO, the PLA started to disjoint and deform like mad partly due to the design and also obviously due to the PLA cooling, one can actually hear the layers splitting after the print as the part cools
So I will eventually try a 50C controlled environment as this is what they recommend the ambient temp to be...
I printed this part in a room with no airflow, backwash plate... but fan cooling the PLA under the head.... then also the bed temp was quite low 56 then dropped to 45... I played with the head temp from 185 all the way to 205... as the part progressed to check what happens... I`m really disappointed in general with the print quality of the ORMEROD, as it takes so much effort to get printing and then parts crack..
However I suppose with a DIY job one will have to bear with it and eventually find the balance
So far ABS has been VERY easy to print compared to PLA.
I also tried the CRC plasticote directly on the glass, and it sticks like MAD !! I had to use a putty knife to release the prints from the glass.

Tx Ben

do you have the new arcylic spacer on the hot end? if so the air from the heatsink could couse bad layer adhesion see here :[forums.reprap.org]

I think controlled temperature environments are required to print large ABS parts, but not required if you only print PLA. I have printed 123x135x46mm parts in PLA, with no issues except that one corner lifted very slightly off the bed before the end of the print. On the other hand, I am having a real struggle getting an 80mm triangular ABS part to print well. When it gets to about 30mm high, it starts delaminating.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Quote
dc42
I think controlled temperature environments are required to print large ABS parts, but not required if you only print PLA. I have printed 123x135x46mm parts in PLA, with no issues except that one corner lifted very slightly off the bed before the end of the print. On the other hand, I am having a real struggle getting an 80mm triangular ABS part to print well. When it gets to about 30mm high, it starts delaminating.

Sharp corners make the warping worse, so a triangle is the worst shape because of the acute corner angle. Round the corners if possible. The use of a generous brim can help prevent corners lifting. On a few occasions I have resorted to painting some ABS slurry or solvent cement over the corners of the print after the first layer has completed. It soaks through the layer and glues it to the bed more firmly.

Dave

Hi Darathy
Where can I get the design for the new arcylic spacer, or is this a part that must be purchased ?
Tx Ben

Reprap pro ships its ormerod with new hot end design :[reprappro.com]
or if you buy a new assembled hot end you will get thisone.

By the question i asume you have this one:[reprappro.com] ?
Then i guess it makes my comment irrelevant to your case

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2015 03:45PM by Darathy.

Mnnn. Jip I have the green one. A new hot end assy. Is nit viable as this would cost too much. Import duties an exchange rate is a killer. If I can get the design I can have it made locally. Tx Ben

Hi guys,
Well my experience is the opposite! I get excellent prints with PLA, no problems at all, except possibly the fact that the parts are fractionally undersize but that can be compensated for it necessary.

My problem is that I CANNOT print in ABS. I have tried three times now but without success. I find the hot end of the Ormerod 2 struggles to reach a high enough temperature, I would like to get 230 degrees but I am lucky if I get 220. The Bed will eventually reach 95 degrees and I have tried the ABS juice to help it stick but it is is almost as if the extruded ABS is just not molten enough.

I suppose it could be the reel of ABS I am using, I have just ordered some more in order to compare.


Brian

Check that all your heater connections are good - especially the heated bed connections, which can be problematic on the earlier Ormerod 2s - then turn up the power supply voltage. There is a potentiometer at the low voltage end of the terminal block. If you go above 13V then you should preferably connect a couple of 1N4001 diodes in series with the fan to reduce the voltage back to around 12V.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2015 02:06PM by dc42.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Hi Dave,

I tried this a couple of weeks ago.

It was originally on 10.6 volt, I turned it up to 12.5 volt, I also checked the bed connections. Perhaps I need to crank it up to 13.5 volt and as you suggest put a couple of diodes in series with the fan which will drop the fan voltage by 1.2 volt.

I have been thinking about another option more long term which is to take the power going to the heated bed and instead just use it to switch a relay which in turn could power the bed from a separate power supply of say 15 or 20 volts. What do you think?


Brian

Quote
Europa
..It was originally on 10.6 volt, I turned it up to 12.5 volt..

Strange, with 11.0 volt measured at the heatbed terminal I can get to 110 degrees in 10 minutes with a slice of cardboard as cover

...and to 150 degrees in 20 minutes but I don't think I will do that again, there goes my radiator foil isolation mod :-)



Erik