I’ve printed probably 5 kilos worth of prints with a lot of success, but exclusively PLA. I’d like to branch out to a new material. Should I start with ABS or TPU?
If you have an enclosure, I would say try out ASA. Similar to ABS, I’ve found it makes some really nice parts that are tough and UV resistant. Great for things you want to leave outdoors. Otherwise TPU is useful stuff too, and no heated chamber required. I was using it this weekend to print up seals and grommets for a trailer I’m rewiring. It’s nice being able to print up some parts I need rather than making a drive to the hardware store and hoping they’ll have something I can use.
I would try PETG. It doesn’t need an enclosure.
How is PETG different (better?) than PLA?
It can handle higher temperatures, and UV rays and is not as brittle as PLA. It has a little flex.
For smaller prints, agree. For larger prints a cardboard box will do just fine, but it needs a little something in my experience. Not too much mind you.
TPU is a fun one. Touch, extremely flexible, but not stretchy.
Don’t try to feed it with a bowden tube; you need a direct drive extruder. Other than that, it’s incredibly easy to work with.
TPU is what I’d suggest. You don’t need a enclosure and it should work for what you want. It’s a finicky material though so be prepared to spend some time getting to know it, figuring out it’s temps and speeds is a must for good prints.
Depends on the hardness of the tpu. You don’t have to dive into full flexibility
ABS needs an enclosure for anything above around 10 layers. Even a room closed with it warm and no one inside is not enough to save an ABS print. Just the air from the moving tool head and the bed are enough to disturb a print and cause layer separation. An IKEA Lack table and a garbage bag over it is enough of an enclosure to count and get most prints alright. It stinks though.
TPU will have holes and look terrible unless you print out of a filament drier. You can dry the stuff a lot and print for around 45 minutes with it in open air before it will absorb enough moisture to start expanding steam in the melt zone and blowing holes in your print layers.
That enclosure might work for smaller ASA prints, but I needed a lot more insulation than a garbage bag to pull off larger prints.
Maybe I got lucky with TPU, but I didn’t run into any significant issues with humidity when I printed treads for wagon wheels over the course of two or three days.
I’d say TPU
It’s a lot less gnarly than ABS and depending on the hardness you get can it can be anything from a pain to a cakewalk to print.
Plus IMO it’s got more uses due to it’s durability.
TPU really needs direct drive extruder to work well. ABS needs an enclosure, but you could just make one from an 8x4 sheet of foam insulation and tape for cheap.
I don’t know what a direct drive extruder is but I have a Bambu A1
A direct drive extruder is one where the motor that runs the filament sits right above the hotend. Since TPU is squishy, the long tube from a Boden setup gives it too much room to squish.
That’s a bowden extruder, you’ll have problems with TPU.
Try PETG, just dial up the retractions a bunch and slow it down.
It really depends on what you’re looking for. Are you just looking to learn how to print new materials, or do you have specific requirements for a project?
If it’s the former, I’d say the easiest thing to try is PETG. It prints pretty reasonably on most printers though has stringing issues. It has different mechanical properties that make it suitable for other applications (for example, better temperature resistance and impact strength). It’ll be much less frustrating than trying to dial in ABS for the first time.
ABS and TPU are both a pretty large step up in difficulty, but are quite good for functional parts. If you insist on learning one of these, pick whichever one fits with your projects better. For ABS you’ll want an enclosure and a well ventilated room (IMO I wouldn’t be in the same room as the printer) as it emits harmful chemicals during printing.
I designed and printed a fender for my kid’s bike. It would be totally usable as a fender but he’s a savage so he broke the first one within 30 seconds of me installing it. Then I changed the design to add more support and that one lasted a full hour before he broke it off. So I’d like to print the same design again in a new material. I think either of these two would work, as they would put up with more abuse in different ways. one would be much harder and the other more forgiving.
I don’t love the idea of the toxic fumes. I don’t want to get an enclosure and the printer is in my home office off of my living room. I could crack a window and let it run overnight but that sounds inconvenient.
TPU will be nearly impossible for your kiddo to destroy. ASA/ABS are rugged, but if your print has thin surfaces it’s less strong in my experience than PETG.
I didn’t find TPU hard to print personally, just go slow and turn retraction way down or completely off. It will string pretty good, but most slicers have a setting to avoid crossing perimeters that will keep it in check. The only thing I would be wary of is ending up with a floppy print, so make sure the part has some structure.
