Hello all, just out of curiosity, how does PLA compare to ABS? I am not talking about using it in the Zortrax, but in general. I know that PLA warps less, but are there any cons? Why would you use ABS instead of PLA for a particular print (cost is not important)? Would an ABS print look "nicer" than a PLA one?
Regarding warp, does anybody have two identical models printed with both materials showing the extent of warping?
Thanks!
John Tangerås
pla is glossy and more brittle.
send me a file that you have already printed in z-abs and i will print it with pla on a rep2 or witbox and then send it over, for you to check the differences on your own :)
pla is glossy and more brittle.
send me a file that you have already printed in z-abs and i will print it with pla on a rep2 or witbox and then send it over, for you to check the differences on your own :)
Hello Voudas, thanks for the generous offer! I'll go through my files and see if I can find a "high" warp file. I'll send it tomorrow!
PLA won't hold up as well as ABS in higher temperature environments. It will get soft. If just using for indoor use or not direct sunlight in middle of summer, you should be fine. David Barwin did a test with both on the dash of his car in summer time.
PLA is much stronger and denser than ABS, and it warps/shrinks a lot less. Support removal can be more difficult, but if you get the temperature and fan right it's not bad. Surface finish is generally not as pretty as ABS. There are many variations of PLA formulation, and results vary from brand to brand and of course there are many "filler" options.
The "brittleness" thing is rarely a factor in my experience. The temperature issue is a big factor if you do any kind of machining after printing - threading holes etc works much better with ABS.
PLA's chemical resistance is good, but you can't solvent weld it.
I started with ABS but now print more often in PLA because of the strength, lack of warping, wide choice of materials, and not having to wait for the bed to heat up.
I like the satin finish of ABS, and it's easier to glue/paint/etc than PLA.
I don't really like generic PLA, but I LOVE polymax for engineering parts that need to be extra strong.
That stuff is AWESOME. But it would be difficult to paint/glue/etc.
PLA's chemical resistance is good, but you can't solvent weld it.
Actually I had good results welding PLA with glue for PVC tubing (kind of acetone + MEK + "don't remember what" composition).
Unlike Julia I find the brittleness of PLA to be a problem especially with parts that have to clip together. So I guess it depends on your use and expectations ... I actually printed almost exclusively with PLA for my first year and have never stopped using it in the last 4 years (repraps) so I think my experience is as balanced as Julias so it really does just depend on what purpose you want to use it for. I haven't used Polymax (or other fancy "strong" PLAs) yet which is supposed to be awesome though so my comments don't include those.
The other big con as mention is the low softening point. PLA will not survive being left in the car long in an Australian summer without losing some of its shape. Many PLAs soften as low as 40C.
An extra pro, for transparent colours I find it generally gives better results than a transparent ABS thought not as nice a T-Glass/Z-Glass especially for single wall stuff (do our Zortrax even do single wall - not tried that yet).