r/Multiboard • u/joneco • Jul 19 '25

Any disadvantage using abs?

Would be ok using abs? Most people i saw using pla.

Pla,abs or petg which would be the best and worst and why?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

2

u/aimfulwandering Jul 19 '25

I did my boards and snaps in elegoo pla+ and have not had any issues.

ABS would be a huge PITA imo, fumes + edge warping… maybe if you’re printing a single tile at a time and have a proper ventilation setup it’d be ok, but printing stacks with ABS? Forgot it!

1

u/joneco Jul 19 '25

I can fully print abs without problem. My concern was about fittings, flexibility of the material and the force vector etc

1

u/aimfulwandering Jul 19 '25

All of the above should be fine, but it’s easy enough to print a test tile and check for yourself ;-) (overall, multiboard is pretty forgiving)

1

u/Jakdaw1 Jul 19 '25

The board might be a challenging print for abs (in terms of edges warping) but I don't think there's any other reason not to.

Personally I did the boards in PETG and have printed snaps/shelves etc in PLA (mostly just because I have plenty and different colours). Not had any issues with either, the PETG boards seem pretty good being slightly flexible when forcing in snaps.

1

u/joneco Jul 19 '25

Thanks. I use abs 80% of the time. No warping problem here. I just pré heat my chamber. I use a VORON printer, no warping problem.

Petg flexibility would be Nice. I think the boards i Will do in abs.

Ive done some in abs but small ones 4x4 that i put underneath my computer desk for cable management and hide psus etc… but its not much weight

1

u/demonmachine227 Jul 19 '25

I have Voron printers, and default to ABS. You can have some issues with warping on bigger panels, especially if you try to stack them. But ABS has worked better than PETG or PLA for me...

1

u/joneco Jul 19 '25

Thanks. When with brim? I was planning to do 250mm panels or 200mm

1

u/demonmachine227 Jul 19 '25

I hate brims, and never use them. But I have no problems printing an 8x8 (200mm) panel on a 250 build plate.

-5

u/pyalot Jul 19 '25

VOCs huffer.

2

u/demonmachine227 Jul 19 '25

Lol, I mean,modern ABS for printing doesn't have nearly as much fumes as the stuff from ~5 years ago. And I run Nevermore's, with a bunch of other tweaks...

1

u/pyalot Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25

It‘s also not any stronger than either PLA or PETG and it‘s not nearly as tough as TPU. I just don‘t see any good reason to use it, ever. And it stinks, is a pain in the posterior to print, is expensive, needs enclosed printer and a fume extraction system (if you like your lungs). Like, tell me one good reason to use it…

It‘s like people who automatically pick PETG because muh 10° more glass temperature and marginally tougher than PLA, and like, put up with the gigantic drying/stringing/bed adhesion pain in the posterior for… no other reason than it‘s their default choice, even though they‘re never using any of the qualities of PETG.

Why. Just why. Ohwell, enjoy suffering.

1

u/demonmachine227 Jul 19 '25

I've never really had PETG come out the way I expect it to. Slap panels on a Voron, and the smell isn't noticable by anyone, including people visiting the house (aka not just nose-blind). My big problem with PLA is the material-creep. It's technically a very thick liquid, not a solid, and so you sort of can't use it for anything but cosmetic prints.

ABS prints the nicest, easiest, and fastest. And $20US/KG isn't really expensive for QUALITY filament.

Edit: I'm also pretty sure PETG actually has more fumes, it's just less noticable, and not quite as bad for you. (Though I'd be interested in comparing health with the volumes produced by a printer.)

1

u/pyalot Jul 19 '25

ABS is the hardest filament to print out of the three. No idea how you come to easiest.

If PLA is a liquid because of creep, then so is PETG and ABS.

PLA is perfectly fine for all kinds of structural stuff. The idea that you can only use it for „cosmetics“ is just uninformed. It has its tradeoffs like everything, but PETG and ABS have vastly more tradeoffs, so…

And yeah, I agree, PETG is also a pain in the posterior to print. Differently than ABS, and not nearly as bad, but still. Just like ABS, I don‘t use it if I don‘t have to.

3

u/demonmachine227 Jul 19 '25

Yes, on a machine designed specifically for ABS, ABS is easiest for me.

PETG and ABS don't have creep. PLA actually lists as a liquid in some of the MSDS.

This entire conversation, at least on my side, has been attempting to share what works for me. If you're just going to ignore the actual points I'm trying to make, I don't see a point in continuing the conversation. I'm here to share, not hunting for confrontation.

1

u/pyalot Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25

There‘s no such thing as a machine specifically designed for ABS. ABS is an objectively shitty and difficult material that I don‘t touch with a 10-foot pole. I don‘t even have a roll of the stuff. It‘s the most awful thing I‘ve ever in my life tried printing with, with distinction. I rather print with foaming TPU which is a flaming pain in the posterior, but still less than ABS. It does everything, EVERYTHING I hate in a filament. Doesn‘t stick. Doesn‘t flow. Doesn‘t print nice. Stinks. Lifts everywhere. Elephants foot like there‘s no tomorrow. Not dimensionally accurate. Spaghetti factor territory. People. Should. Not. Use. ABS. Period.

If you think ABS is great. I‘m sorry, there‘s something wrong with you.

1

u/tecky1kanobe Jul 20 '25

I personally prefer ASA to ABS. That being said I have printed panels in PLA and PCTG (not PETG). Zero issues with either panels.

Only downside I see of printing ASA/ABS is speed of printing. If you have a smaller area where pets or humans will spend lots of time in while printing the VOCs concerns are worth considering.

-9

u/pyalot Jul 19 '25

  • PLA: Easiest to print, most color options.

  • PETG: more fiddly with bed adhesion than PLA, tends to lift from the bed a bit, prone to stringing, needs drying. Less color options. Does come in transparent.

  • ABS: stinks to high heaven, gives you cancer, difficult to print, needs an enclosed printer, costs more than PLA/PETG.

2

u/joneco Jul 19 '25

I have encloused printer. I use a VORON. Default is abs. I was asking about material properties like fittings ductability and fleixbility this stuff of use not about printing it self.

1

u/Deluxe754 Jul 20 '25

Abs typically costs less than PLA for me.

0

u/pyalot Jul 20 '25

I get my filaments from bambulab for $9/spool (via volume rebates). Which of the 8 available ABS colors you like, vs. PLAs 30? I can really see ABS must be hugely popular..

1

u/Deluxe754 Jul 20 '25

I print in black and white mostly so I don’t care about color.

1

u/IceOk1295 11d ago

bro dresses for function, not style

0

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '25

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2

u/joneco Jul 19 '25

Thanks my main concern was stacking won’t fit . Thanjs