Hi everyone, I’d like some advice about this filament support material sold by Bambu: Support for ABS | Bambu Lab US Store
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I know it says it’s for ABS, but I’d like to ask if anyone has tried using it with ASA. Both materials are very similar, almost identical, so I’d like to know whether it’s also compatible with ASA or not.
I mainly print with ASA because it produces less odor and fewer fumes compared to ABS. However, I haven’t found a dedicated support material for ASA yet, so I was thinking of using this one — I just don’t know if it will work.
It works fine with ASA, ABS and ASA are very similar chemically. I do find ASA smells worse and warps more than modern ABS. Perhaps ASA was better than old ABS that was meant for injection molding but modern ABS made for 3D printing is better IMHO. I only use ASA when I need the item to have UV resistance.
The problem I have with ABS isn’t primarily the smell you can smell it, yes but the particles that can only be captured with activated carbon. Just to make sure I wasn’t talking nonsense, I asked GPT about it, and it provided a really good article along with some sources, which I’ve included below.
I printed with ABS only once back when I had the MK3S+, and the experience was terrible. Now, when I use high-quality ASA, I don’t smell anything, and there’s a much better chance that the filters in my printer can actually capture the emissions. That’s why I use ASA.
The main downside, however, is the price and the fact that you can’t buy refills like you can with ABS.
I also tried HIPS, but it didn’t go well for me. If it works for someone else, that’s great but it definitely didn’t for me.
Wojnowski, W., Kalinowska, K., Majchrzak, T. & Zabiegała, B. “Emission Profiles of Volatiles during 3D Printing with ABS, ASA, Nylon, and PETG Polymer Filaments.” Molecules, 2022.
ResearchGate
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“Filtration Strategies for Reducing Chemical and Particle Emissions from 3D Printers.” Chemical Insights / Underwriters Laboratories. 2021.
Chemical Insights
“3D printers are worse than I thought. Time to do something about it!” Tom’s 3D, 2024. toms3d.org
My experience is quite the opposite — ABS smells, and ASA doesn’t.
ASA is generally superior to ABS for outdoor use due to its excellent UV resistance and weather durability. While ABS tends to fade, crack, or become brittle under sunlight, ASA retains its color, strength, and surface finish even after long-term exposure.
If you’re concerned about airborne particles, you should be aware that all filament types emit them to some extent. Even PLA releases ultrafine particles and volatile compounds, which can be harmful at certain concentrations or with prolonged exposure.
In general, PLA emits the least. PETG is typically higher than PLA but still below ABS in most studies. ABS and ASA produce the highest levels of ultrafine particles and VOCs, especially at higher nozzle temperatures.
I have a particle meter positioned right outside my printer’s exhaust, and the readings never exceed normal background levels. The fact that you can smell something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmful — our sense of smell is simply sensitive enough to detect even trace amounts of certain compounds.
I actually know about this, which is why I have additional KYZ filters installed on my H2D. And exactly as you wrote, I understand that ASA/ABS are really exceeding some standards. I wanted to ask which VOC particle meter you have. Personally, I only found this one: 3D Printer Emission Sensor Array (Sensorbox v2) by Tom | Download free STL model | Printables.com
, but we always come back to the fact that it cannot detect the smallest particles, which are actually the most dangerous. Honestly, I’m thinking about building one myself, but again, €100 or so is quite a lot.
The ones I found online as ready-made solutions cannot actually measure the smallest particles.
The main issue with ABS/ASA isn’t the particles. It’s the VOCs. In particular styrene, which is considered “probably carcinogenic in humans”. The other stuff in the fumes also isn’t healthy.
So in this case: if you can smell it, it does harm you.
I print a lot of ABS, and used to print a lot of ASA, I would purchase 50kg at a time.
When I purchased ABS from some smaller local companies, it had a horrible smell. When I tried some high quality ABS from Polymaker or Bambu it was like a different material, no smell and minimal warping. YMMV.
It’s a good thing the lab staff doesn’t think like that
There are also toxic substances that can harm or even kill you long before you can smell them.
You can detect styrene at concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm, but adverse health effects typically start appearing around 10 ppm or higher.
I often print POM, which can release something far nastier — formaldehyde. You can smell formaldehyde at about 0.5 ppm, but it can already cause irritation and health effects at 0.1 ppm.
So your concern about smelling styrene is a bit exaggerated — you can sense it long before it reaches harmful levels. Formaldehyde, on the other hand, becomes dangerous before you can even detect it by smell.
I hope that clears things up and puts your mind at ease.
Don’t worry, I’m at ease. Because I make sure to filter or exhaust the fumes.
I think we need to differentiate between immediate/short-term health effects and long term effects. While it’s not yet 100 % proven that styrene is carcinogenic, it’s at least quite probable. So if you’re exposing yourself to it, you at least increase the risk of getting cancer one day. Why not err on the save side and make sure to not breatht it?
Would I worry about occasionally getting a sniff of the stuff? No. But I wouldn’t want to breath it in for hours at a time.
Under occupational conditions, the safe exposure limit for long-term exposure is 20 ppm over 8 hours (≈ 85 mg/m³), while the short-term exposure limit is 40 ppm over 15 minutes (≈ 170 mg/m³).
For home use, it’s best to keep the concentration as low as possible. However, relying on smell as an indicator of safety is not a reliable method.
Also, keep in mind that activated carbon saturates very quickly and loses efficiency rapidly at elevated temperatures. The built-in filter is therefore far less effective than many people believe.
That’s a good point. The chamber temp of the H2 is already high enough that activated carbon looses most of its effectiveness.
That’s the reason why the Nevermore project introduced Scorch (don’t ask me what that stuff is, I’m not a chemist) as an addition to the carbon, so that it still performs well.
I believe it’s zeolite-based. I haven’t used it myself, but it might be worth a try. When I print with POM, I use around 300 g of activated carbon per session, although I operate well below the temperature at which formaldehyde is released.
The main problem is determining when the charcoal becomes so saturated that it can no longer capture more particles. You’re also right that its efficiency decreases at higher temperatures, but you’re forgetting one important fact — the air inside the printer primarily circulates, meaning the same particles keep circulating as well. The only effective way to determine whether the filter needs to be replaced would be to directly test the air inside the printer, but I can’t really imagine how that would be done. Do you know how this is handled in professional printers?
I have never worked with a professional printer, so I have no idea. But I guess it’s either “replace after X hours” or using sensors. There are sensors to measure particles and VOCs, so that should be possible.
On my Voron I go by nose. If it starts stinking again, I exchange the activated carbon and Scorch.
From what I’ve looked into and I’m really no expert it seems there isn’t a sensor capable of detecting such tiny particles that could just be connected to a circuit board. I only found dedicated devices that cost several thousand euros, so I highly doubt something like that would be built into it. As you said, I think this will probably come with time as the technology develops.
