ASA 

What is the ASA

The ASA is an amorphous thermoplastic terpolymer material similar to ABS, known as engineering plastic for maintaining its appearance and impact resistance even after being exposed to long periods of time in the open air, rain, cold and salt water of the sea. That is why it is a material used in many products that we see and use in our daily lives: housing parts (roof coverings), electrical installations (junction boxes), automobile parts (front grilles), toys, structural elements for outdoor use ( pipes and construction profiles) and many more.

Advantages of ASA in 3D printing

ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) is an increasingly common material in the world of 3D printing thanks to being developed to be an "advanced ABS". Every user knows that the PLA is the most consumed and that ABS is the most used material in 3D printing to make resistant and functional elements, but both have some disadvantage. The ABS is prone to the warping effect when carrying out mostly large pieces, something that is solved with the use of 3D printers with temperature controlled printing chamber. Another problem that presents the ABS is the yellowing or discoloration that originates when being in contact with climatological atmospheres.

All the problems mentioned above are solved with the appearance of the ASA. This material is very resistant to UV rays and to long exposure in adverse weather conditions. By presenting a high dimensional stability (mechanical resistance), a high glass transition temperature and good chemical resistance, the ASA is a material widely used in the main sectors of the industry, such as in the automotive sector. The older we must add that the ASA is slightly easier to print than ABS, especially with large pieces.