ABS and ASA are the workhorse filaments of functional 3D printing. They survive under a car hood, in direct sunlight, and at temperatures that turn PLA into a limp noodle. But they’ll warp off the bed during the first 10 layers, delaminate mid-print, and stink up your workspace if you don’t control the printing environment. The difference between a perfect ABS print and a failed one is almost always environmental, not slicer settings.
Step-by-Step: Printing ABS and ASA Successfully
1. Build or Buy an Enclosure
ABS and ASA warp because they shrink as they cool. The bottom layers cool faster than the top layers, creating internal stress that curls the corners off the build plate. An enclosure traps heat, keeping the entire part at a uniform elevated temperature throughout the print.
Minimum enclosure requirements:
– Maintain 40-50°C ambient temperature inside the enclosure during printing
– Fully enclosed on all sides (top, bottom, front, back, left, right)
– The printer electronics (power supply, mainboard) should be outside the enclosure or actively cooled — running a PSU at 50°C ambient shortens capacitor life dramatically
DIY enclosure options:
– Lack table enclosure: Two IKEA Lack tables with printed corner brackets and acrylic/Plexiglas panels. Total cost: $30-40. Maintains 35-45°C. Adequate for ABS, marginal for ASA.
– Photo tent enclosure: A 60×60×60cm photo light tent with a silver reflective interior. Cost: $25-35. Maintains 40-50°C easily. Good for occasional ABS/ASA printing.
– Creality enclosure (official): Fire-retardant fabric with aluminum frame. Cost: $60-80. Maintains 40-50°C. The fire-retardant rating matters — ABS printing in a non-rated enclosure is a fire risk if the heated bed MOSFET fails closed.
Passive vs active heating: The heated bed at 100-110°C provides enough ambient heat for a well-sealed enclosure. If your enclosure can’t maintain 40°C with the bed alone, add a small PTC heater (50W, 12V or 24V) with a thermostat controller. Do not use a space heater — they’re not designed for continuous unattended operation at print temperatures.
Our DIY enclosure build guide covers the full build process with thermal safety considerations.
2. Bed Preparation and Temperature
ABS and ASA need a hot bed and aggressive adhesion. The bed surface and preparation method matter more than for PLA or PETG.
Recommended bed surfaces:
| Surface | Temperature | Preparation | Release | Best For |
|—|—|—|—|—|
| PEI (smooth) | 100-110°C | Clean with IPA, no additives | Parts pop off when cool | ASA (adheres well to PEI) |
| PEI (textured) | 105-115°C | Clean with IPA | Good release when cool | ABS and ASA |
| Glass + ABS slurry | 100-110°C | ABS dissolved in acetone, brushed on | Scrape off, reapply slurry | ABS (aggressive adhesion) |
| Glass + glue stick | 100-110°C | PVA glue stick, thin even layer | Wash with warm water | ABS and ASA (consistent) |
| G10/FR4 (Garolite) | 105-115°C | Light sanding (600 grit), IPA wipe | Flex plate or pry | ASA (excellent adhesion) |
ABS slurry recipe: Dissolve 2-3g of ABS filament scraps in 50ml of acetone. Stir until fully dissolved (takes 10-15 minutes). Brush a thin layer onto a room-temperature glass bed. The slurry creates a microscopic ABS film that the printed part chemically bonds to.
What happens if bed temp is too low: Below 95°C for ABS, the bottom of the part stays below the glass transition temperature (~105°C for ABS). The part shrinks as upper layers cool, but the bottom can’t deform to relieve stress — corners lift. Below 85°C, warping is guaranteed regardless of surface prep.
What happens if bed temp is too high: Above 120°C, ABS stays above Tg and the bottom 2-3 layers remain soft. The part develops “elephant foot” — the first layers squish outward under the weight of subsequent layers. Dimensional accuracy at the bottom of the part is ruined.
3. Slicer Settings for ABS and ASA
Layer cooling — be conservative:
Part cooling fan: 0-20% for ABS, 10-30% for ASA
Fan speed for overhangs: 20-30% max
Fan off for first: 3-5 layers
ABS needs almost no part cooling. The part cooling fan creates temperature gradients across the part that cause warping. ASA tolerates slightly more cooling — run 10-20% for general printing, bump to 30% for overhangs and bridges.
Temperature settings:
ABS:
- Nozzle: 240-260°C (varies by brand — start at 250°C)
- Bed: 100-110°C
- Enclosure: 40-50°C ambient
ASA:
- Nozzle: 245-260°C
- Bed: 100-110°C
- Enclosure: 40-50°C ambient
Speed and acceleration:
- Print speed: 40-60mm/s (slower than PLA — ABS and ASA don't like rapid direction changes)
- First layer speed: 20-25mm/s
- Travel speed: 150-200mm/s (reduce if stringing is an issue)
- Acceleration: 500-800mm/s² (lower than PLA's 1000+)
Brim usage: For parts with sharp corners or a small footprint (<50×50mm), add a 5-8mm brim. The brim increases the contact area with the bed and distributes warp forces. ASA usually needs a brim less often than ABS — it has slightly less shrinkage.
4. Warp Prevention Strategies
Even with an enclosure and hot bed, some parts warp. Here are the additional tactics that make the difference between success and failure.
Chamber soak: Before starting the print, heat the bed to 105°C and let the enclosure temperature stabilize for 15-20 minutes. The enclosure air, the frame, the linear rails — everything expands with heat. Skipping the soak means the printer geometry shifts during the first 30 minutes of printing.
Draft shielding: Even with an enclosure, opening a door in the same room creates a pressure differential that drops the enclosure temperature 3-5°C in seconds. Place the printer away from doors and windows. If your enclosure has gaps, seal them with foam weatherstripping.
Mouse ears (lily pads): For parts with sharp corners, add 1-layer-thick discs (8-10mm diameter) at each corner in the slicer. These “mouse ears” increase the contact patch at the points most vulnerable to lifting. They’re easy to trim off with a deburring tool.
Reduced infill: 15-20% infill maximum for ABS. Higher infill percentages mean more material cooling and shrinking inside the part, increasing internal stress. If you need strength, add perimeters (3-4) instead of increasing infill.
As we covered in our PLA vs PETG comparison, each material has its sweet spot — ABS and ASA fill the high-temperature, high-durability role that PLA and PETG can’t match.
5. Ventilation and Fume Management
ABS and ASA emit styrene fumes during printing. Styrene is a respiratory irritant and a suspected carcinogen under prolonged exposure at high concentrations. The smell is the canary in the coal mine — if you can smell it, ventilate.
Ventilation options:
– Enclosure with ducted exhaust: Add a 120mm computer fan and 100mm flexible duct to the enclosure, venting outside through a window adapter. Mount the fan on the exhaust side (pulling from enclosure, pushing outside) to maintain negative enclosure pressure — fumes don’t leak into the room.
– Activated carbon filter: A Nevermore or Bento Box recirculating filter inside the enclosure captures VOCs and particulates. These are supplementary, not primary — they reduce but don’t eliminate styrene. Combine with external ventilation.
– Room air purifier: A HEPA + activated carbon unit near the printer reduces background VOC levels but won’t eliminate the odor if the enclosure isn’t sealed.
Minimum safety: Never print ABS or ASA in a room where people sleep or spend extended time without active ventilation. The enclosure should be sealed such that no odor is detectable in the room during printing. If you can smell it, your enclosure leaks.
ABS vs ASA Key Differences
| Property | ABS | ASA |
|---|---|---|
| UV resistance | Poor — yellows and becomes brittle | Excellent — formulated for outdoor use |
| Warp tendency | Higher shrinkage, needs enclosure | Slightly less shrinkage, still needs enclosure |
| Layer adhesion | Excellent | Very good (slightly less than ABS) |
| Smell during printing | Strong styrene odor | Less odor than ABS (but still present) |
| Print temperature | 240-260°C | 245-260°C |
| Bed temperature | 100-110°C | 100-110°C |
| Post-processing | Acetone vapor smoothing ✓ | Acetone resistant — cannot vapor smooth |
| Cost per kg | $18-25 | $25-35 |
| Best use case | Indoor functional parts, vapor-smoothed cosmetics | Outdoor parts, automotive, UV-exposed applications |
Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Mistake 1: Opening the Enclosure Mid-Print
What people do: The print looks good at layer 50, so they open the enclosure door to check on it or remove a booger of filament.
Consequence: The ambient temperature drops 15-20°C in 5 seconds. The top layers contract. The temperature delta between the hot bed-supported bottom and the cold-shocked top creates enough internal stress to delaminate layers or lift corners instantly. The print is ruined.
Fix: Use a webcam inside the enclosure. If you must open the door, pause the print, let the enclosure temperature return to 45°C, then resume. This adds 15-20 minutes of soak time to every interruption.
Mistake 2: Printing ABS on a Cold Build Plate
What people do: Start the print immediately when the bed thermistor reads 110°C.
Consequence: The thermistor reads the aluminum plate temperature. The build surface (PEI sheet, glass) takes 2-3 minutes longer to reach equilibrium. Starting before the surface is at temperature means the first layer goes down on a 90°C surface — below ABS’s Tg. Warping starts during the first layer.
Fix: After the thermistor reads 110°C, wait 3-5 minutes before starting the print. The enclosure thermometer (ambient reading) will stabilize around this time as well.
Mistake 3: Running Too Much Part Cooling
What people do: Copy PLA part cooling settings (100% fan after layer 2) because the slicer defaulted to it.
Consequence: The part cooling fan blasts room-temperature air across layers that are shrinking as they cool from 250°C. The rapid temperature differential creates layer adhesion failures — the print looks fine but snaps along layer lines under load.
Fix: 0-20% part cooling for ABS. If you need bridges, enable “fan for bridges” in the slicer and limit it to 30% maximum. The fan should only activate for overhangs and bridges, not during standard perimeters or infill.
Mistake 4: Poor Filament Drying
What people do: ABS absorbs less moisture than PLA, so they skip drying.
Consequence: ABS and ASA do absorb moisture — less than nylon or PETG, but enough to cause problems. Wet ABS prints with surface bubbles, pops, and poor layer adhesion because water in the filament flashes to steam in the 250°C nozzle. The steam creates voids in the extrusion that become failure initiation points.
Fix: Dry ABS at 65°C for 4-6 hours, ASA at 70°C for 4-6 hours. Our filament dryer guide covers dryer options and storage best practices.
⚠️ Regulatory Notice: ABS and ASA printing releases styrene fumes which are regulated as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in many jurisdictions. Always print in a well-ventilated area with appropriate fume extraction. Electrical components inside enclosures must meet fire safety certifications applicable in your region. Verify that your enclosure materials are fire-retardant or fire-resistant. Never leave an actively heated printer unattended without fire safety measures including a smoke detector and automatic fire suppression. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for your specific ABS/ASA filament brand should be reviewed before use.
Internal Links
Building an enclosure is the prerequisite for ABS/ASA success — our DIY enclosure build guide covers construction, ventilation, and fire safety. To understand where ABS/ASA fit in the material landscape, our PLA vs PETG comparison breaks down strength, temperature resistance, and printability. For keeping your filament in peak condition, our filament dryer guide explains moisture management.
YouTube Resource
CNC Kitchen’s comprehensive ABS printing guide covers enclosure effects, layer adhesion testing, and real-world strength comparisons:
uavmodel Product Recommendation
The eSUN ABS+ filament (available at uavmodel.com) is formulated with reduced warp tendency and lower odor compared to standard ABS — it prints at 240-260°C with better inter-layer adhesion than generic ABS and comes in 25+ colors with consistent 1.75mm ±0.03mm diameter tolerance.