My goal from day 1 was to have these big machines, with heated chambers, that could print ASA (
Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate) issue free. I simply fell in love with ASA at day 1... Why? because ASA prints very fast under the right conditions, has a viscosity that lends well to FDM 3D printing, and when dialed in, it is very repeatable, dimensionally accurate, requires no annealing, and has better UV resistance than any other filament. Under the right conditions, it prints with very similar characteristics as PLA. Its not brittle or overly rigid, which makes it great for roll cage clamps or parts subject to vibration. ASA relieves the need to weld things on to a Goblin frame (clamps/wire ties/fixtures) that can otherwise be 3D printed. Its also reasonably strong, but where it truly shines is automotive interior parts, or anything under frequent UV exposure. Unfortunately, to print large ASA parts requires a very controlled higher temperature environment and proper fume evacuation due to the VOC's that it emits. I redesigned these machines I built from the ground up with the primary end state goal to successfully print large ASA parts. For this we are talking insulation, multiple temperature sensors, and specialized heaters. It has been a 3 year journey of trial and error to get to the point where I figured out what works. It was more of a hope than a plan. Fortunately my armchair engineering experience has resulted in 3 machines that work exactly as planned and advertised.
I have finally gotten through the pain of getting these machines dialed in for ASA's peculiarities, and I am now seeing success. I am 2 hours away from the first attempt at an 8 hour print of the remaining piece of the parking brake / rear storage compartment. The bin and lid are already done. I should have the remaining 3 console sections printed in the next few days.
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