ABS print parameters — temperature, bed, cooling and drying

ABS is the classic technical material — 100 °C of declared resistance and a matt surface that can be polished and smoothed with acetone. In the same table, though, the manufacturer rates the warping tendency as high, the odour as strong and the difficulty level as hard. Without a closed 50 °C chamber and a ventilated room there is no point starting.

Porima has two entries: ABS and Eco ABS. They differ only in the cooling range (0–40% versus 0–30%); all the other 28 fields are identical. We cover the carbon-fibre version separately: ABS/CF print parameters.

Full parameters for ABS and Eco ABS

Parameter	ABS	Eco ABS
Nozzle temperature	250–280 °C	250–280 °C
Bed temperature	80–110 °C	80–110 °C
Recommended nozzle diameter	0.4 mm	0.4 mm
Cooling (fan)	0–40%	0–30%
Drying	6–12 h at 40–60 °C	6–12 h at 40–60 °C
Enclosure (chamber)	closed frame, 50 °C chamber	closed frame, 50 °C chamber
Recommended printers	printer with an enclosure	printer with an enclosure
Bambu AMS compatibility	Yes	Yes
Print difficulty level	hard	hard
Print speed	high	high
Detail resolution	0.2 mm and above	0.2 mm and above
Abrasiveness (nozzle wear)	none	none
Warping tendency	high	high
Stringing tendency	medium	medium
Layer bonding	good	good
Support removal	easy	easy
Temperature resistance	100 °C	100 °C
Impact resistance	high	high
Flexibility	high	high
Moisture resistance	low	low
Surface finish	matt, can be polished	matt, can be polished
Opacity	opaque	opaque
Colour saturation	high	high
Odour	strong	strong
Post-processing	easy	easy
Chemical solubility	dissolves in acetone	dissolves in acetone
Spool material	recycled plastic	recycled plastic
Recycled content in filament	no	no
Recyclability	no	no
Diameter tolerance	±0.03 mm	±0.03 mm

Source: the official Porima FDM technical data table (FDM Technical Data). The descriptive ratings (none / low / medium / high) are the manufacturer's own labels, not the result of testing to any standard. Temperature resistance is the manufacturer's own declared figure — it is not HDT, nor any other normed test. The ±0.03 mm diameter tolerance comes from the manufacturer's data, not from the FDM table. See also the print temperature table and the filament drying guide.

How to print ABS

A 50 °C chamber is a condition, not a convenience

The table states it outright: closed frame, 50 °C chamber. The point is for the layers to cool slowly and evenly. In an open printer ABS shrinks unevenly, pulls off the bed and cracks along the layers. A draught from an open window is enough to ruin a print that had been going well until then.

An 80–110 °C bed and warping

The warping tendency is marked as high — the top of the table alongside PC/ABS and ABS/CF. Set the bed in the upper part of the range, use a brim, and do not print large flat bases without rounded corners. Full diagnosis: warping.

Cooling 0–40% (Eco ABS: 0–30%)

Zero by default. The fan comes on at most for short bridges and fine details where a layer would not have time to set. Every extra percent is bought at the cost of layer bonding — and delamination is the most common reason a finished ABS part gets rejected.

Odour: strong — and that is not a detail

The manufacturer classifies the odour of ABS as strong; the same goes for Eco ABS, ABS/CF and PC/ABS. Print in a ventilated room, ideally with a filter or extraction, and do not put the printer in a bedroom. More: odour and fumes while printing.

Drying 6–12 h at 40–60 °C

Moisture resistance is rated low. Damp ABS gives a porous surface and even worse layer bonding, which on a material already prone to cracking ends in delamination halfway through the print.

Acetone smoothing and HIPS supports

The manufacturer rates post-processing as easy and describes solubility plainly: dissolves in acetone. Hence the popular vapour smoothing and acetone welding. ABS also has a natural partner for soluble supports — HIPS, which dissolves in D-limonene and prints in a similar temperature range.

The most common problems with ABS

• Warping — the manufacturer assigns ABS the highest degree of warping tendency — without a 50 °C chamber it is a matter of time, not chance
• Layer delamination — every percent of cooling above zero and every draught weakens the bond between layers
• Odour and fumes — the odour is classified as strong; this applies to Eco ABS, ABS/CF and PC/ABS as well
• Dimensional accuracy and shrinkage — ABS shrinks on cooling markedly more than PLA, which shows up in fits and holes
• First layer will not stick — with an 80–110 °C bed and high shrinkage the first layer decides the whole print
• Damp filament — 6–12 h of drying at 40–60 °C in the manufacturer's FDM parameter table and low moisture resistance

Filament from this page: ABS Porima 1 kg. Category: technical filaments. Eco ABS is available to order — see the full Porima range.