PLA vs ABS Which Filament should I use for 3D Printing ?
PLA AND ABS are two of the most important materials/filaments commonly used in the 3D printing industry. While there is not much difference in terms of its efficiency, there are certain factors which separate these filaments in terms of storage, smell, rigidity and applications.
What is PLA?
PLA(Polylactic Acid) is one of the most commonly used filaments in 3D Printing . The ease of use is one of the main reasons it is sought after by beginners to professionals. It is a biodegradable thermoplastic material that is made from fragments of corn starch and sugarcanes which are often renewable.
What is ABS?
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is also one of the most commonly used 3D printer materials. It finds its purpose in making durable parts that are able to resist high temperatures. It is a little more tough in terms of texture and can be post-processed with acetone to give a burnished(glossy) finish.
Both these filaments are thermoplastics; They become soft and ductile when heated and return to its solid state when cooled.Their ability to soften and be processed again is one of the main reason for its global demand.
STORAGE
Both of them can be stored for a good amount of time after which the lifetime of both filaments are ineludible.Under humid and damp conditions, both filaments are bound to lose its efficiency.
ABS - ABS when exposure to excess moisture will tend to foam and jet from the tip of the nozzle when printing.This results in foggy prints with a reduced part accuracy which lacks in clarity and quality. This may also leads to the cumbrance in the nozzle,thereby dis servicing the nozzle for later use. It can be easily hardened by using any source of heat (e.g, heating bed).
PLA - PLA reacts a little differently to moisture. In addition to the foaming, we can see a slight discolouration and a cutback in the properties of the printed part. It dries with room temperature and there won't be a need of any external source.Now,this can alter the crystallinity ratio of PLA and might lead to changes in temperature during extrusion of the filament and other such characteristics.This is not a vital concern for most of the 3D printers.
Odour
ABS - ABS gives out a smell while printing with it. Properly ventilated rooms is the solution if you want to rise above the smell. Also, the extruder temperature must be properly set before printing any object.
PLA - The smell given out by the PLA is more bearable as the filament is derived from sugar and the smell is a mild sweet odour. It is definitely an improvement over heating other plastic materials.
Accuracy
Dimension wise, both the filaments are able to create distinct perfect parts.
ABS- The most important hamper for anyone printing with an ABS filament is that it curls upwards while printing and it does not stick to the bed if the temperature is not perfectly set. Apart from this,mixing the mixture with Acetone or a shot of hairspray could help. While printing sharp objects there might be certain discrepancies in print and this can be avoided by providing a small cooling fan along with the printer
PLA - When compared to ABS, it is resistant towards warping and there is no necessity for a heated bed since the room temperature is enough for the printing process.Even though this is the case,the absence of the heated bed can still allow the plastic to curl up a little on huge parts.
In general,
ABS - In general it is more strong, flexible and rigid and hence preferred by a lot of engineers and professionals from other fields. It is resistant to the external factors which in some cases easily affect PLA. Finally, heated bed is an important requirements for printers printing with this filament and some printers cannot support ABS without an heated bed.
PLA - It is usually preferred by hobbyists and for other small scale innovations. The wide variety of the colours available gives the printed object a shiny finish. After the post processing, PLA is said to have sharp corners, low layer heights and increased printing speed.
Now that you know what separates both ABS and PLA, you may want to buy a
filament for your printer. Visit our 3D Printer filament page and check out our wide range of materials and colors.