ABS 3D printer filament can absorb moisture if stored outdoors. If your filament for 3D printing has moisture in it, you’ll get under extrusion, air bubbles, and blobs on your print, resulting in poor print quality. Any dust or dirt particles on the 3D printing filament can clog your nozzles, leading to printing issues. To avoid these and get a higher shelf life with ABS filament, you should store it in sealed bags or containers with desiccants inside them to absorb any moisture.

As stated earlier, ABS is prone to warping and layer adhesion issues. Usually, in ABS 3D printing, the upper layers are slightly colder than the bottom ones because they are far away from the heated bed. As a result, these upper layers will contract more, and if the contraction force exceeds the bed adhesion forces, the first layers will start to peel away from the bed’s surface. 

To prevent this and increase the surface area at the bottom of the print, it is necessary to use brims or rafts while printing with ABS. You can even use an ABS slurry instead of a glue stick to ensure that the ABS print sticks firmly to the print bed.

ABS releases lots of toxic 3D printer fumes when it melts, and these fumes have a pungent smell and might cause headaches or dizziness if you have prolonged exposure to them. Hence, you should always make sure that you print ABS in a well-ventilated area. Even while printing in an enclosure, you can install a fan to ensure fresh air circulation within the print area. 

One of the significant advantages of ABS filament is its post-processing capabilities. ABS material is highly reactive to Acetone and can melt if it comes in contact with Acetone. We can use this property to soften the upper surface of your ABS print and give it a smooth and shiny surface finish. The post-processed part looks similar to an injection-molded object, and there are no visible layer lines on the print’s surface.