ASA - Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate

ASA, or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, is a high-performance plastic originally developed as an alternative to ABS. ASA possesses many of ABS's positive properties, such as high strength, impact resistance, and heat resistance, but offers additional advantages in terms of UV and weather resistance. This makes ASA particularly suitable for outdoor applications, such as housings for electronic devices, vehicle components, and building products.

A major advantage of ASA is its excellent resistance to UV radiation and weathering. Unlike ABS, which can become brittle and yellow over time under sunlight, ASA retains its mechanical properties and color stability even after prolonged outdoor use. Furthermore, ASA is easy to print and less prone to warping, making it an excellent material for 3D printing, especially for producing functional parts intended for outdoor use.

One disadvantage of ASA is that it poses similar health risks to ABS during printing, as it can release fumes that necessitate good ventilation of the printing area. Furthermore, it is more expensive compared to other plastics like PLA and requires a higher printing temperature. Despite these limitations, ASA is an excellent choice for applications requiring high resistance to environmental factors and a long lifespan.

Raw material properties	Synthetic
Flammable?	Building material class B2, normally flammable
softening temperature	110 – 125 °C
Melting point	240 – 260 °C
Dimensional stability	Up to a maximum of 95 degrees Celsius
Weather resistance	Very high
density	Low ( ~ 1.07 g/cm³) Suitable for light construction and model making
Elongation at break	8%
UV resistance/fading	No fading
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