The BEST 3D printing material? Comparing PLA, PETG & ASA (ABS) - feat. PRUSAMENT by Josef Prusa

Which 3D printing material is best for your application? I tested PRUSAMENT PLA, PETG and ASA to see how the perform in the categories: Price, Printability, Printing Quality, Static Strength and Layer Adhesion, Ductility, Stiffness, Impact Resistance and Thermal Resistance.
Let's find out how the materials perform and when you should use which!

Print settings of the hooks:
3 perimeters, 20% infill, 0.165mm layer height, 8 top & bottom layers

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[CNCKitchen]

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[diebustergarage]

why am i watching this at 3am, i don't even have a 3d printer.

[LTMoore-yylm]

7:50 strength tests start. 11:25 stiffness test. 12:25 impact test. 13:20 temperature test

[BenWilson]

As an additive manufacturing engineer, I seriously love how well done the science is on this channel...

[ethanvink]

I tested PLA, ABS, and PETG for an engineering project last year. I found that PETG was the strongest, ABS was second, and PLA was significantly weaker. I think the design of the hooks is the main difference, where yours was open, and mine was closed. An open hook applies a torque on the material, which may lead to the difference results.

[zippeveryone]

Its true that stiffness does not equal strength, but its also very important to remember that tension stress isnt the only parameter that matters when doing strength testing. Id like to see you test all 5 pillars of mechanical stress: tension, compression, bending, shear, and torsion.

[JL]

PLA would really be the best material - if the temperature resistance wouldn't render it unusable for most applications. (without annealing etc). You can't put it in a car, mount an eletric motor to it, leave it in the sun - its basically living in the shadows^^ . The toughness/strength etc. can usually be compensated by making the part bigger or reinforcing areas.

[JulienTJ]

For me it's PETG all the big things. Easiest to print (always sticks perfectly to the build plate!) and is quite strong.
For small items it's PLA because it has the best finish surface.
ASA for high temps.

[arcreed]

Would be very interested in seeing this test repeated with the prints having spent a significant time under a UV light

[bobcunningham]

Part design techniques, infill techniques, slicing tweaks, filament selection, printer configuration, the list goes on. So many variables to consider! I'm quickly losing track of how best to get from an idea to a great print using my software tools, equipment and filaments.

I'm thinking Stefan has provided enough information to not only generate a basic decision tree, but to provide surface plots of the trade-offs between choices at each level in that decision tree. I'm thinking he should collect his data and wisdom to author a book: "Engineering the 3D Printing Process for Consumer Printers and Filaments."

I'd buy one!

[glennedwardpace]

From an aircraft design perspective, quadcopter or otherwise, ASAs lower density looks really attractive. I can print something 15 percent bigger for the same filament weighty, and design members and walls 15% thicker. Since stress usually acts on the outside skin of a part first, that 15% bigger makes a big difference to the ultimate strength

[chemistt]

I would add that the prusa spool design is also great if You want to dry filament....if the sides are solid then the bottom layers wont get that dry

[mikerhinos]

Discovered ASA recently, and now it's my favourite filament...
If possible use an enclosure because of warping and layer adhesion, fan 20% max, but the best part is it can be smoothed with hot acetone vapour just like ABS. It gives you injected plastique look, with no layer visible at 0.2mm, at all...

[GnuReligion]

Certainly someone has used multiple extruders to create composite solids with interweaved materials. This may produce interesting strength test results. Nylon/ASA.

[radovanobal]

I use PETG for anything I use in the car and if there are parts that I expect to break and do not want flying parts all over the place.
PLA+ for everything else. I do not have conditions to print ASA

[JamesMelton]

I'm really grateful for you amd this channel. Being new to 3D printing, caring about the subjects of your content, but lacking the time to learn on my own, your contributions cannot be understated.

Please keep up the fantastic work! You have made a huge impact on me already, and allowed me to produce amazing things!

[BikerMage]

I used the sample PLA roll that came with my printer, then immediately switched to PETG. It's a bit tougher to dial in, but the thermal and UV resistance are good things in my opinion. And the warpage can be a good warning sign before complete failure, especially in printer parts. Oh, and small stringing can be easily burned off with a lighter.

[nonyabeeznuss]

This channel has become a go-to invaluable resource for my projects! Thank you for actually doing the science and not just being a glorified advertizer.

[jgarmer]

i use petg when i need part to flex a little without snapping like i printed some hooks to keep my shed doors open they needed to bend a little to allow the door to pass under then click down to hold in place when i try pla it just snapped even when i annealed them petg is still going stong. i also notice with many materials exposed to the hsrsh Florida sun petg seems to hold up very well to uv and barely fade its color. Pla can fade quite a bit in the full sun and dark colors like browns and black absorb enough infrared that they wurp badly but lighter colors can survive I print quite a bit of abs in an enclosure made of pvc and mylar blankets and it works quite well for taller print you have to be sure to Orient it so the heat from the bed can flow up the print evenly. if it traps heat the you can get layer issues. The mylar blankets can keep it around 38c in chamber with no problem. Great work on your research.

[chipschnarel]

Another interesting dimension for your tests would be abrasion. Which materials would be best for uses like gears or shafts and bushings or cams? Do any of the materials self-lubricate as they wear? Your quantified analysis is very useful and unique in this hobby environment. Great job. Thank you. We are looking forward to more videos.