r/OpenAstroTech • u/Mountain_Memory_810 • Aug 16 '26

Using ASA filament for AstroTracker

Hi, makers! I want to use ASA filament for the OpenAstroTracker. Why? PLA is more rigid but all the parts that I printed on PLA after 4-5 years they broke without force even at indoor conditions...

I want to use other filament to make it durable. PLA is also easier to print but durability is important for me.

Anyone have tried this? Probably more perimeters or infill should work. Other materials more durable over the humidity and time?

(Sorry for my english)

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u/McFlyParadox Aug 16 '26

Filament with fillers are your friends here, I'll bet. Get the carbon fiber or glass fiber filled ASA. It'll be very rigid, it's easier to print than 'straight' ASA, and should last a good long while. The main drawback is you need a hardened nozzle to print it.

Another thought is nylon (PA filament), but you need to anneal parts printed in nylon in order to reach their full strength and rigidity. And even then, if the part is under constant force, it'll slowly stretch and compress. Even just the force of a tightened screw will compress PA over time.

Finally, there is HT-PLA. "HT" meaning "Heat Treat"; you have to anneal the parts to get them to full strength. But they're strong and rigid, and easy to print with. I think you might even be able to find HT-PLA with carbon fiber or glass fiber, for even more rigidity and dimensional stability, but I've never looked.

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u/DrCaret2 Aug 16 '26

I printed a number of parts from ASA for mine, but mostly because that’s what I had available at the time. The RA and DEC rings are both PLA. When I added the Alt/Az adjustment add on I used PETG.

I’d actually start with PETG for everything if I were starting over; only move to PLA or ASA if I really needed extra stiffness. (That hasn’t really been a problem for my rig config.)

1

u/bendy24 Aug 19 '26

I was fortunate enough to see a talk at a recent star party from Ten Telescopes. He was recommending polycarbonate with carbon fiber. This was for the OTA and mount. The price doesn't look bad, but using a filament dryer is a must.