How do you tell it's ABS or PLA?

I've ordered some ABS filament from UlitMachine.

It was delivered to me today, and the package also had several feet of orange and clear filaments.

While I appreciate the free sample, I wish they'd told me what type of plastic these were...

Is there a way to know whether they are ABS or PLA before trying to melt them and extrude them?

PLA can be made flexable in boiling water.

You can also do a quick burn test with a lighter.

PLA will smell sweet. ABS Defenatly not.

PLA seems harder to burn, and my sample just seems to caramize while burning.
ABS turns black and gives off black smoke.

Hope this helps.

I did a snap test. Compared to my black PLA filament, which snaps right away when I try to bend it, these filaments took quite bit of effort to snap - I had to flex it back and forth.

So, I guess they sent me ABS filament samples. Come to think of it, that only makes sense since I ordered a batch of ABS filament - they probably wanted to show me the other cool colors.

Thanks!

I have ordered twice from Ulti and both times there was a piece of paper with the samples stating which they were. Also, the order for the PLA spool came with PLA samples and the order for the ABS spool came with ABS samples.

I kinda wish they would have sent me some ABS samples with my PLA so I could try out ABS. I had to order a whole spool to figure out if my printer could handle it.

I order from them all the time. Every time the free samples have always been PLA.

Well, I doubled checked the order summary in the invoice sheet, but it does not say what type of plastic these samples re. I wonder if they didn't mention it because there was no space left (I'v also ordered some other little parts, like nuts and screews)

I printed it at 220 C. I first tried 230 C, but it was popping at when it came out of the nozzle - maybe some moisture in the filament? It was forming a big blob at the nozzle tip when idle... what a mess.

Anyway I printed some test piece at 220C without a fan... so it'd better be ABS, since if otherwise that would mean I've printed PLA at 220 C without even a fan! The result was quite good. Definitely better print quality than PLA with which I had inconsistent extrusion issue (I have another posting about it, so sorry about making you read it twice - if you did see the other posting).

Also compared to the other white cheap ABS I tried before (whole 2.2 lb of it!) the printing quality of this orange ABS is better, too. It's actually a bit shiny, too - I thought the surface of ABS was dull.

The only complain I have is that it's so gooey and sticky when melted, even after lowering the temperature to 220 C, it is still a bit of messy to deal wtih.

I wonder if this gooey characteristic is common among ABS or from the pigment used for orange coloring...

One thing to keep in mind about colored filament (regardless of type) is that the pigments alter the melting point of the plastic. I had to up the temp a few degrees to print black PLA and I have read reports of the same for different colors of ABS.

Clear and semi-transparent filaments (both colored and uncolored) are most likely PLA. I don't think I've ever seen anyone selling clear ABS.

As close as you get with ABS is natural. It looks white, but not quite solid white.

These samples are PLA; I found a sticker (not invoice, but a sticker that they would've stuck on the plastic bag, if these filaments were in a plastic bag) which says "PLA Samples 4043D".

It says "Samples", not "Sample", so I believe it's referring to both samples.

So, I got the plastic type wrong. LOL. Man, I'm a king of guessing-the-plastic-type-wrong.

If anyone is not certain about what type of filament you have, please come and ask me - it will be most likely NOT the type I tell you. LOL