PLA VS ABS: Which 3d printing filament is better for you?
PLA and ABS filaments are the most used materials in 3d printing. They both have virtues for each. PLA is strong and be friend with environment, ABS is flexible and cheap. For specific print part, The most important thing is to choose the right material. When searching for building material could be used, there are so many items that you have to consider, including flexibility, strength, accuracy. In order to get accurately and properly print object, sometime you have to use special conditions with special material.
Until now, there are several kinds of materials that are used in 3d printing. PLA and ABS filaments are the most used types currently. They looks like the same in appearance, but they are entirely different in printing and property. So here is the question: Which type is better for 3d printing.
PLA, or Poly Lactic Acid, is derived from corn starch and sugar cane which are both renewable resources. From this conditions, this material are quite safe and easy to use. According to one experience, parts will be decomposed on soil in 6 months or 3 years. Until now, PLA is the most used bioplastic, The product includes plastic cups, forks, sucker, food package, medical implants, disposable tableware and flowerpot.
Likes other thermoplastic, PLA has characteristics similar to PP, PE and PS. It can be made from already manufacturing machine. These equipment are designed for petrochemical plastic, such as extrude, mold or film. This makes it relatively cost efficient to use.
The nature pla is sub transparent granulate with slight yellow, there are no special fume with raw pla resin.
The melt point of PLA is about 178 °C. In printing, you could set the temperature at 190-220 °C. It could be printed without heated bed, but we recommend that you use one at 55-60 °C.
Its glass transition temperature is 60°C to 65°C, this limits the usage of this material, such as in high temperature surrounding.
Compared with ABS, PLA is easier and more convenient to use. There are almost little or no shrinkage on print bed, you could print bigger diameter parts in open framed printers, don’t worry about warping, cracking or lifting from the bed.
You could use pla in whenever you can. It’is easy used and bioplastic that can be composted or recycled in soil. This makes pla is the ideal material for gifts, models, prototypes.
The glass transition temperature is about 60°C. If you are printing parts that need to hold temperature above 60°C, PLA maybe cannot meet this requirement. In this temperature, PLA is starting to soft and strength decreased. Meanwhile, due to the brittleness of nature pla, objects or tool parts cannot bear dropping repeatedly.
ABS, short name of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It is a strong and sturdy oil based plastic. ABS is widely used in business construction objects, including plastic car parts, Tool part and even lego building blocks. Meanwhile, ABS has great chemical resistance and electronic insulation, ABS is also used in consumer electronic parts, insulating layer of cables.
As the common used plastic in market, ABS material is suitable for all the process machine, drill, cut, welding, polish and electroplate. You can use this material in any there you could image.
The nature abs is white granulate. The color will be white or slight yellow, they are different between manufacturer. For example, ChiMei’s ABS resin is slight yellow, but LG and Sabic’s ABS is white.
The glass transition temperature of abs is about 105°C. That means that abs parts could be used in somewhere that has high temperature. PLA will be soften and lose strength but abs cannot.
About printing temperature, we suggest to set 220-250°C with a heated bed at 80°C or more. In order to get the best result, you need to test different temperature, Meanwhile, the cool fan should be off in printing.
According to view at the end point of nozzle, the melted abs thread are flowed out hot ends sequentially. ABS is tend to be easier to print than PLA, you never need to worry about jamming or clogging, that is common in pla. The main issue of abs is the shrinkage in cooling. The shrinkage can cause problems with part lifting from the bed, splitting or layer cracking. For these reasons, It’s must to print ABS with heated bed, Preferably with in closed frame printer.
If the part needs to used in hot temperature location, mechanical operations or rough dropped, ABS is the good choice. Such as toys, keyboard of computer or tool handles. In one word, This material could be suitable for most objects.
Due to the shrinkage of ABS, we don’t recommended to print without heated bed, it’s very hard to get good result. Meanwhile, ABS is an type of oil based plastic. Don’t use ABS for objects related to food.
As we have said, PLA is bioplastic which is made from renewed resource, it will be water and CO2 in burning. If you happen to printing with pla, you can smell slightly sweet, it’s pleasant on the nose. In the contrast, there are strong smell while abs prints, it’s harsh smell, liking burning the plastic.
When talking about strength, PLA can print incredibly strong objects with great layer adhesive, but PLA is tend to more brittle than other plastic. For this reason, PLA is always used for rapid prototype or function designed parts. ABS is often preferred with high flexural strength and better elongation before breaking, it can be used in professional application, end use objects.
General speaking, the accuracy of FDM printer are mainly depended on the calibration of printer and product complexity. Both them can be made for high dimensionally accurate objects, layer height can be down to 0.1mm. For connecting or interlocking objects, we suggest using 1-2 mm shell thickness and 30-50 mm/sec speed, this will ensure the result and strength in shell.
Compared with abs, pla has lower printing temperature, almost no wrap. Then pla can print for objects with complex features, such as connecting or interlocking.
PLA vs ABS Surface Finish and Post Processing
Due to the accuracy of 3d printer, both pla and abs parts have layer visible in surface. PLA is sub transparent, surface is glossy. ABS is the nature color of pale.
Both them could be used in post processing. Acetone alway use for ABS, it can smooth the layer with glossy finish. Meanwhile, ABS is also could be machined( sanded,weld, drilled, cut) after printing. PLA also could be sanded, but it should be take care the temperature, PLA has lower soft point than ABS
PLA vs ABS Heat resistance
ABS has more usage range than PLA, especially in hot location, ABS is more suitable for PLA. PLA can lose its structural strength and began to deform.
PLA and ABS are the most popular FDM 3d printer material. They have different advantages for each. ABS have better mechanical properties than PLA, PLA is easier to print with.
PLA is better for objects that request more fine feature. Low shrinkage and easy for print help to offer quality surface details.
ABS is more suitable for professional applications that need strength, flexibility, thermal stability, ductility. But ABS is tend to warping in printing.
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