The Ultimate Guide to ABS 3D Printers: How to Choose the Best One for Your Needs

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is one of the most commonly used materials for 3D printing. Known for its strength, flexibility and heat resistance, ABS is an excellent choice for creating durable parts and prototypes.

But not all 3D printers can print ABS effectively. Printing with ABS requires higher temperatures and good bed adhesion to prevent warping. Without the right printer, you may end up with failed prints and wasted material.

That’s why it’s important to choose the right ABS 3D printer for your needs. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to pick the best ABS 3D printer, from build size to print bed temperature. Read on to learn how to choose a 3D printer that can create smooth, strong ABS prints consistently.

What is ABS Material and How is it Used for 3D Printing?

ABS is a tough, durable plastic made from acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. It’s commonly used to create Lego bricks, auto parts, and consumer appliances.

As a 3D printing filament, ABS offers several benefits:

• Strength – ABS parts are rigid and impact-resistant. They can withstand bending and snapping better than PLA.
• Heat resistance – ABS has a glass transition temperature around 105°C, allowing it to hold up in hot environments.
• Flexibility – Thin ABS prints can bend and flex without breaking. This makes it good for products like phone cases.
• Smoother surface – ABS can produce glossy, smooth parts with acetone vapor smoothing.

Because of these properties, ABS is a popular choice for creating functional prototypes and end-use products such as:

• Mechanical parts – Gears, clips, mounts and housings that need to withstand drops and stresses.
• Automotive components – Custom interior and exterior trim pieces, lights, and ventilation parts.
• Durable consumer goods – Phone cases, camera accessories, kitchen tools, toys and more.
• Cosplay props and costumes – Helmets, armor, weapons and masks that require toughness.

Overall, ABS is versatile enough for both prototyping and creating sturdy, functional end products. Its balance of strength, heat-resistance and smoothing ability make it a primary 3D printing material for industrial and consumer applications.

Challenges of 3D Printing with ABS Material

While ABS has many benefits, it also comes with unique challenges:

• Warping – As ABS cools and contracts, parts can lift off the print bed and warp. This leads to detachment and failed prints.
• Toxic fumes – Printing ABS produces styrene gas, which is toxic in large quantities. Good ventilation is a must.
• Stringing – Molten ABS is “stringy” and can create messy strands on your print as the nozzle moves.
• Bed adhesion – The smoothness of ABS makes it harder for it to stick to print beds compared to PLA.
• Higher temps – ABS requires a higher extruder temperature (220°C-260°C) than PLA to melt and good airflow.

Overcoming these challenges requires fine-tuning your slicer profile, printing environment, and most importantly – choosing the right 3D printer.

Not all printers can maintain the temperatures needed for ABS consistently across the whole bed. And even slight cooling can cause warping and layer separation mid-print.

That’s why it’s critical to choose a 3D printer specifically designed to print ABS filament smoothly.

Key Factors to Look For in an ABS 3D Printer

Here are the most important factors to consider when choosing a 3D printer for ABS:

1. Enclosed Build Area

An enclosed build chamber that can reach and maintain temperatures of 80-110°C is highly recommended for ABS printing.

Enclosures keep the hot air around your print, preventing warping and layer splitting from cool drafts. This allows you to print larger ABS parts with less risk of detachment.

Look for a fully enclosed metal or wood frame to retain heat. Acrylic and polycarbonate enclosures also work, though they may require an active heat source to reach higher temps.

2. Heated Print Bed

To prevent warping, the print surface itself needs to be heated to 90-110°C for the first layer.

Heated beds are a must-have for ABS. The larger the heating area the better, as this allows heating across the entire print surface.

Beds with heat-resistant surfaces like glass, PEI, or BuildTak allow safe heating to these high temps.

3. Direct Drive Extruder

Direct drive extruders push filament directly into the hot end, with better force control compared to Bowden designs.

This improved traction helps extrude and retract the stringy ABS material with precision, minimizing ooze and stringing on prints.

4. All Metal Hot End

All metal hot ends can safely reach the 250°C+ extruder temperatures needed to print ABS.

This avoids jams and clogs from melted plastic in the heat break, which can happen with lower temp PTFE or plastic lined hot ends.

5. High Temp Capability

Look for a hot end and extruder that can sustain temperatures of 240°C – 260°C. This gives leeway for printing more exotic high-temp materials too.

Match this with a high-temp resistant build plate like glass or aluminum to handle 110°C+ bed temps.

6. Compatible Nozzle Sizes

The optimal nozzle size for ABS is around 0.4mm to 0.5mm.

This balances quality and speed. Wider nozzles can cause weak layer adhesion on large vertical surfaces due to excessive beading.

Choose a printer with easily changeable nozzles to find the right size for your specific ABS material.

7. Powerful Cooling Fans

Once ABS hardens, it needs strong cooling fans to solidify each layer quickly. This prevents ooze and deformation on overhangs.

Dual 5015 fans or high CFM radial fans provide the extra airflow needed for crisp ABS prints with sharp corners and details.

8. Filament Runout Sensor

A filament runout sensor pauses your print if filament unexpectedly runs out. This prevents wasted time and material with partial prints.

Runout sensors are highly recommended for all materials, but especially with costly ABS filament.

9. Auto Bed Leveling

Auto bed leveling probes the print surface before each print and makes micro adjustments. This compensates for an uneven print bed – a common cause of poor first layer adhesion with ABS.

Auto bed leveling optimizes your first layer squish, ensuring your ABS print sticks firmly throughout the print.

10. Sturdy Metal Frame

Desktop ABS 3D printers need a rigid frame to minimize vibration that can affect print quality.

Sturdy metal frames hold calibration better and reduce resonance compared to acrylic or wood frames.

This allows sharp corner printing at the high speeds and accelerations needed for ABS.

Recommended ABS 3D Printers

Now let’s look at some top ABS 3D printers that meet the criteria above. Here are some excellent choices in different price ranges and build sizes.

Budget Options Under $500

These affordable ABS 3D printers offer decent performance on a budget:

• FlashForge Adventurer 3 – Fully-enclosed with heated bed up to 110°C. Good value for money.
• ANYCUBIC Mega Zero 2.0 – Direct drive extruder and auto bed leveling for under $200.
• ** Artillery Hornet** – Compact ABS printer with direct drive and 120°C heated bed.
• QIDI Tech X-Plus – Sturdy metal frame with 5″ touchscreen and resumed print after power loss.

Under $1,000 ABS Printers

Stepping up to $500-$1000 gives better print quality and reliability:

• Prusa i3 MK3S+ – Legendary Prusa i3 with multi-material upgrade. Reliable pre-built workhorse.
• FlashForge Creator Max – Fully enclosed large build volume printer with heated chamber.
• Creality Ender 5 Plus – Popular CoreXY model with large 12″ cubic build area.
• ANYCUBIC Vyper – Auto bed leveling and direct drive extruder for smooth prints.

High-End ABS Printers $1,000+

For premium performance, these pro-level machines excel at ABS:

• Ultimaker S5 – Commercial-grade dual extrusion with enclosed build chamber.
• Raise3D E2 – Dual extruder machine with auto nozzle cleaning and change system.
• BCN3D Sigma – IDEX printer with dual independent direct drive extruders.
• Prusa i3 MK3S MMU2S – Flagship Prusa model with advanced multi-material hot end.

How to Get Better ABS Prints

Buying an ABS-capable 3D printer is the first step. But you’ll still need to fine tune your print profiles for best results. Follow these tips:

• Slow down – Print ABS at 40-80mm/s maximum speeds for better layer adhesion.
• Print first layer hotter – Use 5-10°C higher first layer nozzle and bed temperatures.
• Increase extrusion – ABS can handle 5-10% higher extrusion rates than PLA to compensate for ooze.
• Avoid drafts – Shield your printer from breezes which can cause uneven cooling and warping.
• Use brims – Brims improve bed adhesion and prevent corner lifting.
• Smooth with acetone – For glossy ABS finishes, try acetone vapor baths or rubbing with acetone-soaked cloth.

Take the time to dial in your slicer settings and environment for your specific ABS material, and you’ll be rewarded with super strong printed parts.

Wrapping Up

From high-performance race car components to sturdy tool handles, ABS opens up new possibilities for strong, heat-resistant 3D printed parts.

But the strength of ABS does require a capable, specially-tuned 3D printer. Follow the tips in this guide to choose the right enclosed printer with a high-temp extruder and heated bed.

Investing in an ABS printing 3D machine gives you the power to create durable end-use products instead of just prototypes. Dialing in the perfect ABS profiles lets you tap into the full potential of this engineering material for super tough prints.

So for your next ABS project, choose a printer designed specially to tame the power of ABS filaments. Your models will come out strong, clean, and ready for the real world.