3D printers for ABS and ASA: every enclosed model with a 100 °C bed

A 3D printer for ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) needs three things: an enclosure, a heated bed that reaches 100 °C and a hotend that runs at 240 to 280 °C. Twenty-five shipping printers in the database have all three, and the same 25 print ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate). The cheapest by launch price is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon at $299.99, and the table lists all 25 cheapest first.

The three lines come from filament makers Bambu Lab, Prusa Research and Polymaker. Printer prices are US launch prices for the base configuration, and temperatures are each printer maker’s stated maximum; a dash means no published figure. The table leaves out announced and discontinued printers, such as the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon.

Whether an open-frame printer can print ABS at all is covered in which filaments need an enclosure. Prusa Research notes that ABS releases fumes as it prints; 17 of the 25 printers list an activated-carbon or HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter, compared in the enclosed printers with filtration list.

What 3D printer do you need for ABS?

You need an enclosed printer with a bed that reaches 100 °C and a hotend that runs at 240 to 280 °C. Bambu Lab lists an enclosed printer for ABS, Prusa Research says ABS “requires printer enclosure”, and Polymaker advises one to prevent warping. A chamber heater and a hardened nozzle are optional.

The three filament makers’ figures:

Filament maker	ABS nozzle	ABS bed	ASA nozzle	ASA bed	Enclosure
Bambu Lab (filament guide)	240 to 280 °C	90 to 100 °C	240 to 280 °C	90 to 100 °C	Enclosed printer for both
Prusa Research (ABS, ASA)	255 °C	100 °C (80 to 110 °C by part size)	260 °C	105 °C first layer, 110 °C after	Required for ABS, advised for ASA
Polymaker PolyLite (ABS, ASA)	245 to 265 °C	90 to 100 °C	240 to 260 °C	75 to 95 °C	Advised for both

What to check on a spec sheet:

• Enclosure. Of the 25 printers, 13 have a passive enclosure (no heater) and 12 an actively heated chamber. Bambu Lab leaves its chamber heater off by default for ABS and ASA. Its chamber temperature guide suggests 60 °C only for warp-prone parts (large or densely filled) and parts that need extra strength. The heated chamber guide explains how chamber ratings compare.
• Bed. All 25 printers reach 100 °C, the top of Bambu Lab’s and Polymaker’s ABS ranges. Of those, 23 reach 110 °C and 18 reach 120 °C.
• Hotend. The lowest maximum here is 290 °C, on the Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) and Prusa CORE One L+, above every nozzle range in the table. The other 23 reach 300 °C or more.
• Nozzle. Bambu Lab marks a hardened steel nozzle as not required for ABS and ASA, but required for glass-fiber ABS (ABS-GF). The hardened nozzle list gives each printer’s stock nozzle material.

Which 3D printers can print ASA?

The same 25 printers that print ABS can print ASA. Bambu Lab gives both an enclosed printer, a 90 to 100 °C bed and a 240 to 280 °C nozzle. Prusa Research asks for a hotter bed for ASA, 105 °C for the first layer and 110 °C after, and 23 of the 25 reach 110 °C.

The two that stop at 100 °C are the Creality K2 and the Bambu Lab P1S. Both reach Bambu Lab’s ASA range and Polymaker’s 75 to 95 °C range for PolyLite ASA, but not Prusa’s figures.

What differs is how the parts hold up outdoors. Prusa Research says ASA is “more UV resistant, warps less, and doesn’t smell as much” than ABS. It adds that ABS parts used outdoors “turn yellowish and more brittle over time.” Polymaker calls PolyLite ASA “an alternative to ABS with an improved weather resistance.”

What is the cheapest 3D printer for ABS?

The cheapest shipping 3D printer for ABS in the database is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, which launched at $299.99. It is enclosed, its bed reaches 110 °C and its hotend 320 °C, so it also meets Prusa Research’s ASA bed figure. The Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 and QIDI Q2C follow at $399.

Elegoo lists ABS and ASA among the Centauri Carbon’s supported filaments. Its enclosure is passive, with no chamber heater. The cheapest printer here with an actively heated chamber is the QIDI Q2 at $499, rated to 65 °C.

Eight of the 25 launched at $600 or less. After the $399 pair come the QIDI Q2 and Sovol Zero at $499, then the Anycubic Kobra S1, Bambu Lab P2S and Creality K2 at $549. The enclosed printers under $600 list compares them by chamber rating and filtration.

Which large 3D printers can print ABS?

Thirteen printers here have a bed at least 300 mm on its shorter side. The cheapest is the QIDI Plus5 at $749, with a 320 × 320 × 300 mm build volume and a 65 °C heated chamber. The largest is the Snapmaker Artisan, at 400 × 400 × 400 mm, which launched at $2,999.

All 13, by launch price:

• QIDI Plus5: 320 × 320 × 300 mm, $749
• Creality K2 Pro: 300 × 300 × 300 mm, $849
• Anycubic Kobra S1 Max: 350 × 350 × 350 mm, $899
• Creality K1 Max: 300 × 300 × 300 mm, $899
• FLSUN S1 Pro: Ø 320 × 430 mm (a delta with a round bed), $1,099
• QIDI Max4: 390 × 390 × 340 mm, $1,149
• Bambu Lab H2S: 340 × 320 × 340 mm, $1,249
• Creality K2 Plus: 350 × 350 × 350 mm, $1,299
• Bambu Lab H2D: 325 × 320 × 325 mm, $1,899
• Prusa CORE One L+: 300 × 300 × 330 mm, $1,999
• Bambu Lab H2C: 305 × 320 × 325 mm, $2,399
• Snapmaker Artisan: 400 × 400 × 400 mm, $2,999
• Bambu Lab H2D Pro: 325 × 320 × 325 mm, $3,799

Nine of the 13 have an actively heated chamber. The Creality K1 Max, FLSUN S1 Pro, Prusa CORE One L+ and Snapmaker Artisan are enclosed without a chamber heater. The large enclosed printers list sorts the same 13 by build volume.