Prusament ASA Sapphire Blue

Prusament ASA details

Characteristics

ASA is a strong and versatile material. A higher melting point than PLA gives ASA excellent heat resistance, your prints will not show signs of deformation up to 93 °C. Unfortunately, ASA has a very high thermal expansion compared to PLA, which complicates printing, especially for larger models. Even with a heated bed set to 110 °C, the print can begin to warp and peel off the bed. The material also produces odor during printing.

Tips

High temperature resistance, one of the advantages of ASA, brings a certain side-effect that needs to be taken into account during printing: printed objects are prone to warping and lifting from the print bed. This is caused by the temperature difference between the nozzle (265 °C) and the ambient room temperature. If the print cools down unevenly, it creates an internal tension, which results in print issues. Generally speaking, 10×10cm objects should print fine, however, there are many factors entering the equation – shape, infill, ambient temperature, airflow and others.

ASA printing requires specific conditions for successful results. It’s important to run the prints in a well-ventilated room, because the material releases fumes and substances that could pose a potential health risk. However, when ventilating the room, do not create a draft around the print – this will negatively impact the result.

Usage

One of the biggest pros of ASA is its UV stability and the possibility to use acetone for processing – namely for smoothing out the surface or for gluing multiple ASA parts together. High temperature resistance is also a plus. For example, we use ASA to print the fan-shroud part for our 3D printers – this part creates an optimal airflow for cooling down the printed object.