Tips for printing ASA

[Bilfrost]

Hi all. I have been printing PLA and PetG until now.
I tried ASA for the first time this morning, and it is a disaster. Seeking some tips.

Here is what I did.

• New roll of Bambu ASA, white. Dried it overnight (55 degrees, my drier doesn’t go higher), weighed it and no difference from last night to this morning. It was stored with a large desiccant, so I expect it is dry.
• Started with printer calibration, since I just changed to a new 0.4 nozzle.
• Then tried the filament flow rate calibration. Textured PEI plate. First few layers looked good, then I stopped watching and when I went to pick it up, they were all scattered on the plate with some spaghetti around them.
• Sprayed hairspray on the plate. (I used gluestick every now and then, but it can leave an uneven surface, which caused some issues with my 0.2 nozzle, so thought that I will try spray this time). Same thing, at layer 4 the corners started lifting, so I stopped the print.
• All settings on default.

Clearly, something is not working, and I am trying to figure out what to do next.

[JonRaymond]

There are several other good threads with tips for printing ASA/ABS. There are a good number of us that print with it.

@JonRaymond

This is what works for me.

Ideally you want the chamber temp as warm as possible. This is how I “preheat” the chamber.

• Turn the bed on full (100-120c depending on your supply voltage)
• Home the machine (to bring the bed to the top)
• Turn on the aux fan so it will blow across the top of the hot bed.

This will get you a chamber temp or 45-50ish in about 10-15 minutes.

Keep the build plate as clean as possible. Oils from your hands cause adhesion issues so be very careful when you handle the plate and remove parts from it. If you start to have adhesion issues. Wash the plate with hot water and dish soap.

If you have a part that really wants to warp (high wall cout can cause this) adding a brim with 0 “object - brim gap” will help.

[Bilfrost]

Thanks! I will try the preheating.
I can’t do the brim yet as I am still trying to do the flow calibration - those are only 7 layers though.