Video summary

I Almost Died Extruding ASA Filament - 3D Print Vlog #94

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product reviewed

  • ASA filament (ABS-like) with UV protection, mixed with black colorant, intended for outdoor use.
    • Described as ABS + UV resistance to reduce warping/degradation outdoors.
  • Alternatives discussed separately (no direct review/quality-testing details provided):
    • PLA
    • PETG
    • Matte PLA
    • Matte PETG
    • Silks

Key features mentioned

  • UV-protected ASA
    • Positioned as an ABS replacement suitable for outdoor printing without typical warping/degradation issues.
  • Batch prep & drying
    • Dried in a hot dryer for ~4 hours at ~80°C, then increased to ~85°C.
  • Color-mixing approach
    • ASA + black colorant, hand-mixed earlier the same day.
  • Extrusion/testing plan
    • Purge ASA first, then run a test print (likely intended for outdoors, e.g., a plant).
    • Run very slowly for testing, targeting about 10 kg/hour (~50% speed).

Pros (as reported)

  • Extruded “pretty well” initially
    • Early footage suggests the filament output looked good during the test.
  • Ventilation/respirator helped
    • When using a respirator mask/ventilation, the strong odor wasn’t noticeable (“when I had this on it didn’t smell anything”).
  • Outdoor durability concept
    • UV protection was presented as the reason ASA should work outdoors.

Cons / risks (as reported)

  • Strong nasty odor during processing/purging
    • ASA “does give off a very nasty odor.”
    • Concern it’s too toxic-smelling for production with multiple employees (4–5 people).
  • Safety/production practicality
    • The creator avoids running ASA during daytime/employee hours and even considers stopping ASA entirely if there’s no interest.
  • Quality control/testing issues
    • A prior attempt failed due to a laser micrometer synchronization problem (machine timing/sync issue).
    • As a result, ASA from that session was “out of spec” and no longer trusted (e.g., “coming out like 1.5 last night”).
  • Eye protection not used in one run
    • He had protective goggles available but couldn’t find them; this test proceeded without them.

User experience & workflow notes

  • Respirator + ventilation were essential to making ASA workable in practice (odor control).
  • Re-spooling
    • ASA is moved via a re-spooler onto a master spool because it’s difficult to remove filament from the original spools.
  • Environmental control
    • It had rained; moisture was a concern.
    • He used open bay doors (breezy) and max ventilation during testing.

Machine issue & fix (affecting filament quality)

  • Problem
    • Laser micrometer sync issue caused ASA to go out of spec during the prior attempt.
  • Fix
    • A menu setting was accidentally changed:
      • It was supposed to be 5, but was set to 1.
      • Correcting this restored proper auto synchronization and kept puller speed stable.
  • Stability after fix
    • Reported stability of ±0.03 on the line.
    • Puller speed would correct when values drifted above/below 1.75.

Comparisons made

  • ASA was treated as less important than PLA/PETG/matte variants/silks in practice due to:
    • odor,
    • needing a two-person/respirator-style workflow,
    • reduced practicality for production.
  • Compatibility note
    • The micrometer setting guidance may vary by machine/manufacturer:
      • his manual/default suggested 1, but his system required 5.

Unique points mentioned (all)

  1. Tested ASA with a respirator due to toxicity/odor concerns.
  2. ASA described as ABS + UV protection for outdoor use.
  3. 25 kg ASA batch size mentioned (not all tested).
  4. ASA mixed with black colorant (hand-mixed earlier).
  5. Drying: ~80°C for ~4 hours, then increased to ~85°C.
  6. Purging ASA produces a strong smell; ventilation was used.
  7. Planned test print(s) and likely an outdoor application test.
  8. After rain, moisture concerns led to open bay doors and max ventilation.
  9. Used slow extrusion for testing (~10 kg/hour).
  10. First extrusion looked “pretty well.”
  11. Earlier failure attributed to laser micrometer sync causing out-of-spec output.
  12. Cause of sync issue: wrong menu setting (1 instead of 5).
  13. After fix: puller speed auto-adjusting; stability ±0.03 around 1.75.
  14. Creator states: “ASA we’re going to give that a hard pass for now.”
  15. ASA odor described as “nasty/toxic,” manageable with respirator but not feasible for employee presence.
  16. Plan to focus on PLA/PETG/matte PLA-PETG/silks.
  17. Creator asks viewers if they use/want ASA; otherwise he may stop selling/testing it.
  18. Safety note: he couldn’t find eye goggles and didn’t use them for that test.

Verdict / recommendation (based on the video)

  • ASA can extrude successfully, and it’s positioned as an outdoor-capable ABS/UV material.
  • However, the major blocker is the strong odor and handling/treatment needs, making it not practical for normal production around employees.
  • Net recommendation: pause/deprioritize ASA and focus on PLA/PETG alternatives unless there’s clear demand and proper safety controls.

Speaker-specific views

  • Single main speaker (creator): all observations and decisions—ASA description, odor/safety concerns, extrusion outcome, the “hard pass” decision, and the laser micrometer troubleshooting—come from the same person.

Original video