ABS V's PLA - positives / negatives

Greetings all.

From suppliers, either material is just the "bee's knees" (just buy me and all will be good...).

I am reasonably confident that this topic has been explored before, finding the discussion(s) is a completely different animal.

From a "PRINTERS PERSPECTIVE" would any anyone care to share their advice as to what they think is best?

The filament I am looking to use is 1.75mm extruded via a 0.4mm hot end.

I know the materials have different specs re the extrusion hot end and bed temps.

My question has 2 parts.

1) does anyone have a preference for one over the other & if so why?

2) not being into printing trinkets (because I can [and probably will]), I am looking for some guidance on the suitability of material for different environmental conditions.

This may be a stretch, links to other references would be appreciated.

Cheers

Daggs

I print with ABS because a lot of my prints are for functional items that require the toughness of ABS.
ABS requires an enclosed printer with elevated temperature (about 45-50C) to print without delamination.
Simple post processing with acetone vapor makes prints very glossy.
ABS doesn't not tend to clog extruder nozzles the way PLA does. I'm coming up on 10 months without a print failure due to a clogged extruder.
I print on a 1/4" cast aluminum bed plate covered with clean Kapton tape and generally don't have problems with prints letting go of the bed.
ABS is only slightly hydrophilic and doesn't usually have to be stored in a dry box.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

I haven´t done a single print with ABS, because of the cancerous fumes and the difficulties with warping, delamination, getting the bed to 100°C+ etc.

I like to print with PETG.
No warping/delamination, no heatbed required and no toxic fumes. The parts are indestructible and flame retardant. I´m not sure about the temp-range before PETG gets soft, but I´ve made some tealight holders, that work without problems.
Stringing is the only issue I have with it and the fact, that it´s always opaque doesn´t tick all boxes for me.
-Olaf

It depends on what I want to use it for. But generally I like HIPS over ABS, it doesn't smell as bad, doesn't delaminate as much, bends rather than breaks, can be found as foodsafe and is less prone to moist absorption. It's only slightly more expensive, can be aceton treated like ABS, sanded and drilled without problems. It does warp about the same as abs though.

As for PLA, it's more suitable for gears when the working temperature is below 30 degrees. It doesn't wear as quickly as ABS. Nylon would be the superior material for gears, if you can print it without warping. I like PLA for smaller stuff, or for see through relief prints with a light behind. The disadvantage of pla for me is that you can't really sand or drill in it because the material has high friction coefficient together with low glass transition temperature it gets soft very quickly. Layer adhesion is slightly better than ABS but nowhere near HIPS. It still warps with large prints on a heatbed. I've had some x motor and idler parts snapping in two while abs holds up much better.

ABS heat resistance is great for extruder parts, PLA is not very usable for extruder parts when printing abs, hips or nylon.

I'd like to try petg, seems like a really good material for some stuff I want to print and use. I also use flex filament, which is polyurethane, it's not easy to print but can be very useful for custom belts, chemical resistant, and can take a beating.

Yes it really does matter what the end use is.

PLA lower temperatures and generally less finicky to print (no warping or enclosure needed). While ABS can withstand higher temperatures than PLA and is more durable over all (PLA can be brittle when thin). ABS is slightly softer than PLA and so PLA makes a stiffer structure. A very thin print of ABS can actually bend and can be useful when movement is required.

ABS has a more unpleasant odor (though tests show it's not actually harmful to humans in normal printing doses. it can be fatal to small animals like birds in close vicinity). PLA smells a bit like burning candy (I think it smells more like hot car coolant, kind of sickly sweet).

Neither is considered truly safe for wet or hot food contact (no cups to drink from though a plate for cookies is fine).

ABS is the stuff Legos is made from (as well as many other toys) PLA is the stuff those clear party drinking glasses are made from (the ones that crack like glass if you squeeze them too hard).

ABS comes from crude oil and not considered "green" while PLA comes from plant starches such as corn so it's more "green"

PLA is much more sensitive to problems with moisture and must be kept dry when storing before printing, while ABS can be affected by high moisture it's much, much less of an issue.

ABS warps more easily than PLA (thus the need for a heated chamber).

ABS is available in many solid colors, PLA is available in solid colors as well as transparent ones (they remind me of jolly rancher candies) this means that PLA is more useful for things that require light transmission such as lamp shades.

Both have their uses, both have their strengths and weaknesses. I use both but I find myself using ABS about 80% of the time.

I hope this helps.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2015 04:46AM by tmorris9.

One time use is probably OK, but I would not reuse any FDM printed parts, regardless of material, for food storage or consumption. The ridges in FDM printed parts are impossible to clean, and there are always gaps that will allow food materials to get between layers into the interior of the part where it also can't be cleaned out.

Greenness is all relative. ABS made from oil diverts that oil from fuel production and locks up that carbon and keeps it from getting into the atmosphere. OTOH, demand for ABS filament contributes to demand for oil. 3D printing, in general, isn't green because it uses electric power, produces waste heat, and necessitates more power use for making components that go into machines, delivery trucks that deliver the parts and filament, etc. If you want to take greenness to an extreme, you should not do anything but sit quietly in a dark room and breathe slowly. Everything else you do is not "green". Just imagine all the power that has been wasted to make thousands of 3D printers that never get used to make anything but Yoda heads, and all the power and plastic that has gone into printing millions of Yoda heads!

If you want a "green" hobby, take up kite flying (using only paper, bamboo, and cotton string!).

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]