Is there a reason no ASA is sold by Bambu Labs?
Not an official one, but I suspect it’s because they are still building out their filament supplier network.
They had a tough time keeping PLA in stock for a while until recently. They just added marble PLA and PETG-CF within the last couple weeks (with more colors on the way).
I suspect as they continue to grow, they will add more filament types/colors/finishes in the next few months, as well as official filament profile settings in Bambu Slicer.
Thank you Matt! I was concerned it had to do with ASA compatability.
Nope. Should be very similar to the Generic ABS profile. Start with that and see how it goes. Many have reported it prints very nicely with minimal tweaking needed.
Just about to print my first ASA on the X1C myself in about 15 minutes.
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ASA prints very nicely out of the box but I have problems with layer adhesion. Anyone else? I slowed down the print a lot, even turned off the fan (just a bit for overhangs) and it just doesn’t hold nearly as well as ABS.
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No issues here on my first ASA print on the X1C. Generic ABS settings on High Temp Plate with liquid glue.
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Yeah, my parts look just as good. But have you actually tested the strength? For example a simple headphone hook with screw I printed with ASA was extremely weak and basically delaminated as soon as I tightened the screw, while with PCTG/CPE/PETG/ABS it doesn’t do that unless I really try to destroy it. Also printed a collapsible sword for my nephew and with ASA it sheared off almost instanty, with ABS it’s extremely sturdy. I tried several ASA brands and it just isn’t as strong as it should be. Could use some tips if it works for you. To be honest I haven’t played with temperature much, just set it in the middle of what was recommended every time.
Not yet. It does feel very flimsy compared to the PETG-CF version I printed a couple days ago. Much lighter, but still pretty solid.
This is PolyLite ASA and I also have some PolyMax PETG I have to test out on these too.
Please post results if you do. I like ASA, I like the feel of it, I like how well it works for mechanical parts (in part due to slight shrinkage) and it doesn’t really smell (or trigger my VOC alarm :)) , but I was very disappointed in how strong it is.
My first and only ASA print is a benchy. A quick test snapped the chimney off which I think is to be expected as it’s so small. The second test snapped the cabin off at the steering wheel and cargo box level. I did this by hand and it didn’t take a ton of effort. I have no idea if it’s normal for ASA. Before my test, the benchy looked very good. Now it’s a convertible benchy. Made with Overture black ASA and generic ASA settings.
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Damn, that sucks. What a let down. If it’s that bad, I’d guess it’s not going to be suitable for my current usage. Some people here were saying they preferred it to PETG (which is what I have been using the most of).
Oh well, I guess I can use this roll of ASA as a support filament for PAHT-CF.
Before you give up on the ASA, watch these 2 videos,
The fact that my benchy broke isn’t a good test, I did not do side by side tests nor did I put any effort into optimizing the printing parameters
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I am currently trying to get ASA dialled in, on a temp tower 240 looked the best and seemed just as strong as higher temps so I done a print at that, I ended up having warping and cracks between layers with poor layer adhesion. My second print I set the temp to 245, I still had warping due to poor bed adhesion but no cracks and layers adhesion is much, much better. I also noticed during my second print that the part cooling fan came a lot even though my model had no overhangs, I kept an eye on it and everytime I see it on I turned it off. I was using the generic ASA profile so I need to adjust that in slicer for my next try lol
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Will do. I just don’t have a ton of ASA for structural parts experience yet. Eventually I will need prints for structural clips that will be outdoors, see big temperature swings, and UV. They’ll also probably take some impact, so something tougher is ideal. Still playing with a bunch of different filaments to try and figure out the best one for the job, with a balance of price/visual quality.
I haven’t tweaked any settings yet, I usually print bullshit shop stuff (like Gridfinity base plates that don’t have to be perfect) while I dial stuff in. So I guess my next steps will be temp tower to find some better temps to maximize adhesion and strength.
Never thought of that, great idea! Thx!
I’ve had good results with ASA but have only done a few prints and no massive/critical ones. I have a new roll of Polylite Red ASA and plan to run some calibrations (OrcaSlicer) but the only current print I plan is very small so no real test … But as I said, my previous prints were good.
The black ASA I got was also Polylite and it turned out pretty nice. Printed easily at fast speeds with no major tweaks required.
I’m still trying to figure out how to do real world testing on some of these pieces, to simulate the outdoors/elements and impacts, but it’s difficult to find the time for stuff like that. I’m considering just screwing some into a board and placing them on the roof of my warehouse and seeing how they fare after a couple of months. Don’t have any ideas for impact tests yet, as something like a drop test would probably depend on where it actually landed and absorbed the impact.
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LOL That works.
You might check YT. There’s a lot of people out there like CNC Kitchen that have run impact, strength and other tests. Also Polymaker has this:
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I have had the same issue with ASA on the X1C. Layer adhesion is very weak. I have tried lowering speed, lowering cooling, increasing temperature. No luck yet with the X1C but It has not been a methodical approach yet. I am building a small layer adhesion tester (smaller but similar to MyTechFun and CNCKitchen). This is primarily for layer tests for support interface layer between various materials but I hope to improve my ASA setting too.
Oddly the Ender 3V2 with a BIQU H2 Revo hot end prints ASA better so I need to figure out why.
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try the Wham Bam plate. I stuck my print so much that I damaged it and had to buy another one. So I assume that ASA sticks very nice on the Wham Bam plate. Do you know about it?
For any other filaments like PLA or PETG, I can highly suggest the dual textured plate. Its awesome. I never printed ASA on it though.
wow that looks awesome mate. Which noozle, temps and layer heights did you use here?
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