Things you should know about ABS 

It is so good to see, that there are people around, that don't just do reviews of the latest gearbest offer, but invest lots of time to compile lots of valuable information and put these in one video. I think this was one oft the best youtube videos on 3D printing I ever saw. So sad I can't give several thumbs up.

Paint it, glue it, drill it, mill it, tap it, weld it, or just smooth it.

First off, I love the videos. Second I mostly print abs, I actually find it easier than pla. I have an Anet A8, and my settings are as follows, nozzle temp 240c bed 80c and a coating of abs juice on the aluminum bed and no enclosure. 0.3mm first layer height .1-.2 mm for the rest of the print . 15-50% infill. This works great for me and I hope someone found it useful.

I was in the middle if sparking a cigarette as he said "then again, people still choose to smoke". Time to stop.

the "technologic" reference brought a big smile to my face, big thumbs up :)

I have ZERO interest in printing ABS but your videos are still worth watching. I learned about the min layer time today that solved many of my nylon issues. Thank you!

You are by far the best source of information on 3D printing online. I cannot thank you enough for these incredibly well done and informative videos

Thanks Thom. I was having a nightmare trying to print off some stands for my heated bed. It kept coming out like hair. I watch it for 2 hours as my heating came on every 30 minutes and I could see the print degrading every time it switched off. I put the printer in an enclosure this morning and it's printing like a dream right now. I also fixed the filament rate after watching your video on that too :) So, you've helped my solve 3 problems in one day... My environmental temps, my flow rate and what the hell I was going to do with that massive server enclosure I was stuck with since the server went past it's sell-by date. :D

This series is absolutely excellent, Thomas, thank you for this. These will really cut down the guess work for a ton of people. Also, I have to say that your picky sponsorship policy of only allowing quality products to sponsor you on your videos, along with your blunt and honest reviews/livestreams are two of the reasons I keep coming back. Keep up the good work!

Love the new filament videos Tom. Keep it up.

Awesome daft punk injection there. Very smooth!

"Then again, people still choose to smoke" Best statement ever!! HAHAHAH! 😂😂😂

Great video. I use mostly ABS because it can bond to itself using acetone. That bond is typically stronger than the layer adhesion. Can also mix up a slurry to patch small gaps/defects in your prints. 😊

This is the most knowledgeable & resourceful 3D printing channel on youtube. Trust me I'm subb'd to many & most of them don't even know 1/2 their stuff like Thomas does. These filament 101 videos are a great idea! Thank you Thomas, you rule!

Excellent tips! I ramped up the temp to 250 and while the print quality didn't change the first layer is much improved!

Awesome Darf Punk reference ! Great video

Could someone PLEASE remix that Daft Punk reference into an actual song?

Glad you did this one! I remember a while ago you were a bit critical of ABS, and it was actually interesting to hear you talk about the large variation in the plastic. I've experienced this. The varying types can result in massive differences in print quality, AND mechanical properties. And the same seems to be true of ASA. Wish there was a more clear and concise way of grading the material for 3D printing.

I just got into 3D printing a few weeks ago assembling an Anet A8 and really enjoying it thus far. So much so I'm neglecting my gaming (have not played ESO once since I got started printing). Anyway, thanks for the ABS info, especially since I started to build an enclosure for the A8 in preparation to expand to using ABS in the future. Look forward to any future vid on PETG...I use PETG tubing when water cooling my PCs and it would be fun to incorporate PETG printed parts into that...

I usually put a thin layer of thinly mixed ABS slurry (ABS dissolved in Acetone) on my (glass) print bed, and let that dry before warming up the printer. That worked the best for me for keeping the parts stuck down.

when you do PET, PETG etc video can you also include post processing (food grade) thanks (it is for one of my future projects

Diese aktuelle Serie ist sehr interessant. Ich freue mich auf weitere Folgen!

I really do like that grading. Thought often about that but never actually wrote it down.

Fun fact: I learned of ABS as the material LEGO is made of before knowing about out plastics or materials in general. It's knowledge that was strangely seared into my mind at age 7.

7:12 this needs to be remixed in the style of daft punk ^.^ keep up the good work bud

I have started out with PLA. I learned all about its setup. I loved the way it worked and was able to print many times with out any issues. So by an error in search trying to get PLA on Amazon it sent me ABS. I expect it would be nice to test out the other so I tested printing. I have had nothing but issues with ABS. From failed prints. To flat out prints that just fail half way with no issues with the temp. Yet every once and a while I get a print. Now there is no reason why a 13 hour print failed 5 times then the 6th one is successful. In fact I have tested PLA in many prints and have had massive successful prints. Yet when ABS I have had nothing but problems. I know we got some die hard ABS fans. Yet I have done the proper tests. Evaluated the temp issues. My filament is new and its PLA was rather perfect. I have to say ABS temp issue seems to be the bonding issue. Now I have tested this many times. Then I switched to PLA to see if I had any issues. That is when oddly 5 prints printed perfectly. Yet I go through 10 failed prints to 1 successful print. Now I have zero Idea why people like this Item. I printed another product that I use in the house. The PLA has no issue. Yet ABS has strength problem. I did some checking and found that ABS seems to have a bonding issue as it breaks instead of bends. PLA tends to bend to prevent breaking. I must say not a fan of ABS.

Hey Tom! Great to see that you are still around! :) I watched your old vids back when you always where looking a little besides the camera onto your telepronter :) The quality of your content is amazing (it s always been great content, but now the production quality is just top notch). So much info, packed into very little time and still not flooding my mind. Thanks for staying on youtube and doing your thing.

It would have been good to discuss filtering methods for abs no one seems to do much of that. It may not be covered under abs basics but I think it is a subject that needs to be covered and there is not enough information out there about it

I use only ABS everywhere,abs with acetone is best glue paint etc . Abs its simple to cut ,work with it, sand ,glue (just use drop of acetone) etc. Printing ABS ....hmmmm no cooling 100*C on bed 243-245 hotend add few % to flow ,after bed heat aply abs with acetone (ad acetone to reach something around tea) and aply smal amount on pre heated glass (yes after it reach 90*C ++) and i newer get problems when it cool down (sry for my eng)

I like how you are starting off the new year! Looking forward to seeing what's next!

Brilliant information. So fast it almost needs watching twice! I think this one beats the PLA one for me, as I think perhaps you took people's familiarity with PLA for granted a little.

Apparently it's "byoo-tah-dye-een." Quite a mouthful!

7:12 call him rap god

I'm currently doing most of my prints in ABS for drines.... On an open air printer, no enclosure, ptfe lined extruder, using a PrintinZ print surface. Bed heated to 105c. Having very good results! I much prefer the ABS for functional / durable parts. I'm going to try and create some sort of enclosure though.

Wow Tom, I've not watched your vids for a month or two but I love the production quality and the new set!!

Love the "Technologic" homage!

Very informative and helpful. Thanks!

I avoided BAS for a long time, but when i tried it... damn i love it. Maybe i got lucky, but i've got great experience with it. Super glossy after print (i'm printing about +5C above recommended), great layer adhesion, only con for me - too much time to preheat the bed) hair fixation spray does a great job) I'm using E3D V6 clone with PTFE tube down to the nozzle, but it feels great. With hair spray im preheating the bed to only 90C. Sometimes it sticks even too much.

Great video Tom! If I print ABS it's basically to have cheap replacement parts for my printer (since most ABS is quite cheap, and it can withstand the heat from the hotend), and I print it at about 255-260°C with 5-10% fan (which I know most people are very sceptical about, but it works for me). There's definitely better options out there, but most of them are more expensive (I paid twice as much for my roll of PC, and about 40% more for standard PETG), so for personal use I tend to stick with ABS for higher-heat purposes.

Great video! Concise and informative, and lots of great tips. One note: there are many UV-Clear spray paints available which provide a fair amount of protection from the sun, and also provide a nice finish to ABS parts. You make an excellent point about black filament, and those often provide great long-term protection (hence the large number of black ABS automotive components used). I'm really looking forward to your upcoming video on PET/PETG based filaments. These have become very popular filaments, but many struggle to get the most out of them.

Excellent information, very helpful, professional and well done, thanks !

wow your Video series is so high quality and informative. Great Stuff, excited for more!

I'm definitely looking forward to the PETG episode, since I think I'm ready to "graduate" from PLA to PETG.

The best way to keep ABS from warping I've found is to apply ABS slurry on a PEI bed. I was able to make 20x20 cm prints without significant warping (although removing it from the bed afterwards is quite a challenge). The ABS will also be under stress after printing, so baking the part while it's held in place can be beneficial.

7:10 queue the draft punk music. Technologic!

Wouldn't use ABS for large parts/sculptures, but for small items, it works great! Acetone etching is also like magic. I use ABS for all my fan/extruder/bed parts where they are going to be right next to the nozzle and block. Been successful printing a 8hr bust with a Kossel, but my little Qidi is my go-to for ABS stuff where it's enclosed, wouldn't attempt it in a Y movement bed without enclosure. 235C-240C hotend, 90-100C bed, 40-50mm/s with a brim.

Fantastic channel! I have learnt so much in just a couple of days.

That post processing rap was lit

To be honest, i bought a CTC Printer from ebay (second hand) and i've got a little bit of PLA and tried printing it at about 210°C and my hotend leaked PLA a little bit and i had a few drops in the first model, after that i didn't have anymore PLA, but the seller gave one more fillament roll, which turned out to be ABS, because at 210 °C it barely got fluid, so i set the bed to 100°C and the hotend to 250°C and it prints very well. i only get warping, when printing stuff bigger than 5x5 cm. Its my first printer and i have it since 1 week, but so far ABS seems to be easier for me (at small models).

I build my own heated enclosure that would get up to 45c about half way up the 1m delta & 40c is not enough for abs. I would say 50 to 60 would probably be better for large prints. Also sugar water works great for an abs bed. when it cools down the prints usually pop off.

This helps. My temps were too cold so it would pop off.

Yeah the final boss filament is POM. it doesn't stick to the build plate, it doesn't stick to itself, glue doesn't work, it can be melted with chemicals and it's so temperature sensitive that even a cool person being near it could cause it to warp. You need a printer enclosure that can do 100°f minimum and have to print on porous material like wood or coarse paper, you also have to engineer shrink tolerance into it.

Used to be all about ABS. I discovered PLA+. There is a special ABS from 3D printLife that I'm saving for a future project.

Such good videos Tom. Tight, concise and so much good stuff. The best nugget for me there is extending minimum layer time to overcome melting in small features.

I keep saying Formfutura Titan-X / 3dfilaprint ABS-X is well worth a try. It doesn't warp at all and is very strong. Im on my third batch now.

Very informative! especially the daft punk bit :)

Very very complete and interesting : thanks !!

Great video! Never stop learning by you!

Thanks Tom for another informative video. I a small amount of ABS printing but mostly do PETG wish works fine for some of the projects I do. It would be nice if you could a do video on top one or two filaments for Airbrushing models etc.

I bought a cheap micrometer and measured my first layer thickness (measured the brim). My printer apparently expected 0.2 mm thick "paper" when leveling the bed. Now my 0.2 mm first layer is actually 0.2 mm. I then adjusted the first layer temperature to get the desired bed adhesion. For my Monoprice Maker Ultimate with stock surface, that is 255C with bed at 100C. Hotter and I almost have to chisel the part off. Cooler and it pops off too easily.

@7:11 Thomas almost breaks into a cover of Daft Punk's Technologic

Good technique, very informative!

besides the temperature resistance (which, if anything, have particular applications), why would any1 prefer ABS vs PETG?; been using PETG almost as often as PLA and is fantastic, no enclosure needed, no fumes, love it!

I'm really enjoying the series Tom, keep up the great content!

Loved the daft punk reference!

I have never used ABS because it still seems to be more trouble than it's worth, but I have found the perfect bed adhesion for PLA on my CR-10S I was thinking of making a short video on it but I haven't got round to it yet.

I need a part for permanent underwater placement. What type of filament should I use???

I like your studio setup.

I live in Texas and it is currently 38 celsius in my garage. Would that be a good environment to print ABS?

Nice jumper dude - greetings from straya

Thanks Tom for all yourevideos! Learned so much from them all :)

Thank you Thomas! Great video!

As always, very useful. Thanks.

I would like to see a review/comparison of the hobbyking budget filaments. For around 15 quid the abs/ pla and polycarbonate all printed like a champ. I have my printer in a chamber but always run 60mm, 230-245c and the part fan at a fixed 35%.

Hey I’m having issues getting abs to stick to my bed it sticks for the first few layers then either folds up into itself or just starts sliding around the bed. If anyone could help that would be much appreciated

Hi do ABS plastic can stick with duct tape because I have a pipe made from abs and I have to seal it. Thanks

thanks

I've been lurking in this channel for long, and I finally found the opportunity to comment on something. I don't know if it was intentional or unintentional reference, but your listing of actions that could be performed on the ABS plastics immediately reminded me about "Daft Punk - Technologic" :D With the opportunity I would also like to thank you for the amazing content you put out to the world to see and learn from!

I think the Atom3D link is missing in the video. At least I didn't see an annotation when you pointed to the right top corner. ;)

This ABS is used for the gasket on my lint screen, in the base of my LG front loading washer. Have just ordered a 3rd one, as the gasket breaks down. Could there be something more durable out there? Disappointed in its short life. Do you have a suggestion?

Hi Thomas, your videos are really great and helps me print my ideas everyday. I usually print using PLA filament on my sunhokey prusa i3 acrylic frame 3d printer. Recently I purchased conductive ABS filament which requires proper chamber and everything so it doesn't warp. Since my printer structure is pure acrylic and its melting temperature is 135Degrees, I cannot use chamber to print my abs prints. I was wondering if i purchase a hot air hair styler and direct the hot air towards the bed from some distance to keep the air warm just near the bed area; will it help? My printer will be not in chamber and it may prevent some acrylic melting. Have you come across anyone who has tried this out? Thank you for your time.

Love this series of videos! What kind of filament would you use if the part had to hold or be submerged in water indefinitely?

Great video. Thomas, Thank you.

Good video. I'm using ABS on my 3d Action Figures.

Really love how you explain really well this stuff! Hope for a video on PETG soon :)

If You do make an PETG episode, could you add a section how to glue it. I mean, wich glue types work and wich do not. Thanks in advance.

paint it, glue it, drill it, mill it, tap it, weld it, smooth it...... 3d print it 3d print it. a daft punk techno logic parody.

Make a Video about PETG. I think PETG is a under estimated material. I print all my stuff with PETG. I think, PETG is a perfect mix between PLA for easy print and durability from ABS.

proper job! keep it up! thanks for good and meaningful review!

could someone please tell me how can ı use which filament in 3d printer. which material has good properties.

Nice Daft Punk Technologic bit!

How good is the rough glass bed of a Sidewinder X1 for ABS?

Hi, I'm looking to start 3d printing in ABS. Is there any printers that could be recommended for me that are preferable £500 or under? Maybe even one that I can add an enclosure too after.

Have to try to print ABS in our 35 to 40°C afternoons maybe will have not too bad results ;)

Why do you have this big bag of ABS granules?

What about tap holes?? I ordered some abs parts which have M5 tap holes, unfortunately the taps are not strong enough, the threads stripped off after a few turns of the M5 bolt. I am now thinking of using a hex bolt shaped recess that will hold a M5 bolt in place

Would you recommend ABS for a part that will spend the majority of its time submerged in chlorinated pool water, or is there a better alternative for that use case?

Ah, gotta love milk's opack white color.

7:09 love that daft punk moment xD technology technology technology paint it glue it drill it mill it tap it weld it or just smooth it

Excellent VIDEO!!!