Polymaker PolyLite ASA
Manufactured by Polymaker
Quick Summary
If a printed part is going to live outside, ASA is the answer and PolyLite ASA is the affordable version of that answer. It holds colour under UV, tolerates heat that would deform PETG, and machines and sands like ABS. The catch is the printing itself: you need heat, patience, and something resembling an enclosure.
Print Settings That Work
Polymaker specifies 240-260 °C at the nozzle and a 75-95 °C bed with the part cooling fan off. Those are not suggestions. Cooling is what cracks ASA prints, and an unheated chamber is a slow-motion version of the same problem.
Print at 250 °C with the bed at 90 °C, keep speeds moderate at around 60-80 mm/s, and let the chamber warm up for ten minutes before the first layer. On a textured PEI sheet, a thin ABS/ASA slurry or a glue stick makes the difference between a part that finishes and a part that peels at hour three.
Print Quality
Surfaces come out semi-gloss and even, and the material sands beautifully. Layer adhesion is strong when the chamber is warm; in a cold room it is the first thing to fail, which is a useful diagnostic. Fine detail is a touch softer than PETG because there is no part cooling to freeze overhangs, so design in chamfers instead of steep unsupported angles.
The real payoff shows up months later. A PLA bracket on a fence post goes brittle and pale in a season. The same part in ASA still looks and behaves like the day it came off the plate.
Where It Falls Short
Warping is the constant enemy. Large flat footprints lift at the corners, and thin tall parts split. Fumes are noticeable, so print somewhere ventilated. Bed adhesion is the weakest of the specs here, and it needs help from an adhesion layer more often than PETG does.
Verdict
Buy PolyLite ASA for outdoor brackets, automotive interior parts, and anything that will sit in a hot car. Skip it if you print on an open-frame machine in a draughty room; you will fight it and lose. Prusament ASA is the better-finished alternative, and eSUN ABS+ is the easier one, but for cost per usable outdoor part this is hard to beat.
- Polymaker PolyLite ASA vs prusament asa — Prusament ASA measures tighter and has a nicer matte finish; PolyLite ASA costs less and prints in the same window, so it's the volume choice.
- Polymaker PolyLite ASA vs polylite abs — Same family and near-identical handling. Pick ASA if the part lives outdoors, ABS if it lives in a drawer and you want to save a little.
- Polymaker PolyLite ASA vs esun abs plus — eSUN ABS+ is easier on an open printer and cheaper; PolyLite ASA is the only one of the two you should trust in direct sun.
What temperature should I print PolyLite ASA at?
Polymaker lists 240-260 °C at the nozzle with a 75-95 °C bed and the part cooling fan off. 250 °C nozzle and 90 °C bed inside a closed chamber is the setting that warps least.
Do I need an enclosure for ASA?
Effectively yes. ASA shrinks as it cools, and a draught across a tall part is enough to split it at a layer line. A cardboard box over an open-frame printer is a crude but real improvement; a proper enclosure is better.
Is ASA better than ABS for outdoor parts?
Yes, for anything that sees sunlight. ASA holds its colour and surface under UV where ABS yellows and chalks. Mechanically the two are close, and ASA smells slightly less aggressive while printing.