Correct ABS Temperature for 3D Printing

Trizzy Orozco
Correct ABS Temperature for 3D Printing

 

If you search for the ideal ABS Temperature for 3D Printing online, you will come across different answers. It can be especially confusing if you are still a beginner! While the ideal heater temperature range between 200-250 °C, it still varies depending on the type of plastic and printer that you have. So, this begs the question: what is the accurate ABS temperature for 3D printing? Read on below to find out.

 

Starting out

 

While you can never be too sure about the right ABS temperature for 3D printing, the range that it should be heated should give you a clue as to how you should go on about it. What you should do is begin heating the ABS plastic in the mid-range of the recommended temperature: 230 °C. From there, you can incrementally increase or lower the temperature by 5 degrees until you hit the sweet spot of balancing the print quality and strength of the part.

If you’re a novice, it can be pretty hard to tell. Here’s what your ABS print would look like if you either went overboard or too little with the heat.

 

Underheated ABS print

If you notice that your filament refuses to adhere to the previous layer, then it means it is undercooked. The heating temperature is insufficient if the filament also has a rough surface or the part can be easily pulled apart.

 

Overheated ABS print

 

Your print will have a stringy quality to it in between parts when you overheat your ABS filament. The plastic also tends to leak out of the extruder when it is moving to a different area of the print when the temperature is set too high. However, please note that this doesn’t apply to all materials as leaking also happens when the filament has a runnier quality even at low temperatures. In case this happens, increase the retraction to three to four millimeters.

Knowing the correct ABS temperature for 3D printing is crucial to the accuracy of your prints. While no one gets it perfect the first time, you will be accustomed to printing with ABS filaments with more practice. If you want to order ABS filaments, check out our wide collection here. You can also email x3d@x3d.com.au if you have questions regarding ABS printing and anything printing-related.