Method X ABS-R Natural

Real, production- grade ABS for manufacturing applications

ABS is one of the most popular materials for injection molded consumer products due to its clean surface finish, durability, and heat resistance. METHOD X can print manufacturing-grade ABS without warping and without weakening additives thanks to its 100°C heated chamber.

3D Printing on a MakerBot Method X in ABS-R combined with RapidRinse support structure is a new gamechanging support material technique where once 3d printed the support structure dissolves in tap water leaving you with a dimensionally accurate ABS part.

ABS-R is a new ABS formulation that provides superior printing reliability and performance with a 98% jam reduction for consistent, repeatable ABS prototypes, tools, and parts.

RapidRinse is a new and unique, fast-dissolving support material designed to eliminate cumbersome and costly post-processing procedures. RapidRinse easily dissolves in warm tap water and does not require caustic chemicals, typical for some soluble support materials. RapidRinse can dissolve significantly quicker than other high-temperature soluble support materials under the same conditions.1 Without the need for solvents, engineers no longer need to purchase additional post-processing equipment. RapidRinse’s water soluble properties are intended to make it an easier and safer support material to work with, leaving behind minimal residue.

ABS is one of the most in-demand, yet difficult, materials to successfully print on a desktop 3D printer due to its propensity to shrink, warp, curl, or crack without the right conditions. ABS-R is a new ABS formulation that provides superior printing reliability and performance for consistent, repeatable ABS prototypes, tools, and parts. ABS-R is optimized to work with the new RapidRinse fast-dissolving support material to deliver the best print quality and user experience.

The METHOD X’s heated chamber, a patented VECT™ (Variable Environmental Controlled Temperature) 110 Technology, combined with proprietary RapidRinse soluble supports are designed to deliver incomparable ABS parts as easily as PLA but with superior material properties. Printing with RapidRinse on METHOD X can produce dimensionally accurate ABS parts of ±0.2mm (±0.007 inch)2, giving engineers more confidence in creating parts to spec.

ABS-R works with MakerbotRapidRinse™ Fast Dissolving Support

Q: What is the MakerBot RapidRinse™ material?
A: RapidRinse is a proprietary water soluble support material for ABS developed by Stratasys and MakerBot.

Q: Which MakerBot® 3D printers can print ABS-R and RapidRinse?
A: RapidRinse can be printed on the MakerBot METHOD X® and METHOD X Carbon Fiber Edition 3D printers.

Q: Which extruder can print the ABS-R material?
A: The 1XA extruder is used to print the ABS-R material.

Q:Which extruder can print the RapidRinse material?
A: The 2XA extruder is used to print the RapidRinse material.

Q: Can I use ABS with RapidRinse?
A: No, the ABS-R material is specially designed to perform with the
RapidRinse material.  MakerBot’s other model materials, including ABS,
will not adhere well with the RapidRinse material.

Q: Can I use RapidRinse with other model materials?
A: No, the ABS-R material is specially designed to perform with the
RapidRinse material.  MakerBot’s other model materials will not perform
well with the RapidRinse material.

Q: Can I use ABS-R with SR-30™?
A: Yes, ABS-R will work with SR-30.

Q: What is required to dissolve RapidRinse supports?
A: Water is the only requirement to dissolve the RapidRinse supports. 
Heat and agitation can accelerate the dissolution process.

Q: Recommended Support Removal Equipment
A: In addition to a tank with water, MakerBot recommends the following additional equipment for any support removal solution:

-Safety Gloves
- Waterproof and chemical resistant.
- Splash Resistant Safety Goggles
- Stainless Steel Tongs
- To remove large parts from the solution
- Stainless Steel Strainer

- To remove small parts if not using a small parts basket

Q: How should I dispose of the used solution?
A: A waste water profile is available for RapidRinse.  Please reach out to customer support to
receive a copy.  Check your local, state, and/or international
regulatory statutes for what is acceptable for disposal.  MakerBot
recommends that disposal procedures be verified by the proper
authorities in your region. MakerBot cannot anticipate local, state, or
international regulatory statutes. MakerBot cannot be held liable if the
solution is not handled and disposed of properly. You may need to
document how you dispose of the used solution.

Q: Why does my build surface get damaged faster when printing with ABS-R?
A: The ABS-R material has improved adhesion to the build surface, which
may increase the wear and tear on the build surface. If you experience
excessive build surface wear, it is recommended that you replace the
surface.  Spare build surfaces can be purchased here.

Q: How can I keep my filament dry?
A: It is critical to keep the filament as dry as possible.  If the
filament absorbs moisture, this can result in poor print quality, such
as material oozing from the nozzle and stringiness in the print.  We
recommend always keeping desiccant with your spools, whether stored in a
bag or in the machine.  The bag must remain sealed and undamaged in
order to preserve the desiccant.  There is desiccant in the spool hub on
the material spool, so be sure to always keep the spool and hub cap
together.  Best practice is to always leave your spools in a sealed bag
or the machine with desiccant.  Additionally, we recommend not opening
the sealed bag until the filament is ready to be used.  If not using the
filament for a long time, we recommend removing it from the machine
drawer bay and storing it in a sealed bag with desiccant. 

Q: What should I do if my filament is wet?
A: If your filament does absorb moisture from the air, the filament drying
feature on the machine can be used to dry it out. We recommend placing
the filament in a sealed bag with desiccant while running the drying
procedure on the machine.

Q: Which FW is required for printing RapidRinse and ABS-R?
A: Firmware 1.11 or later is required.  If you receive a new machine, be
sure to update the firmware prior to completing the first run
experience.  If your machine is connected to the internet, you should be
able to download the latest firmware directly to your machine.  If your
machine is not connected to the internet, the please go to support.makerbot.com to download the latest firmware.

Q: When I cut my RapidRinse filament, it fractures and splinters.  What can I do about this?
A: We recommend cutting your filament at a 45 degree angle to reduce the splintering.

Q: How can I slice prints with ABS-R and RapidRinse?
A: MakerBot CloudPrint™ software can be used to slice your prints.

Q:How does the dissolution speed of RapidRise compare to other soluble support materials on the market?
A: Our internal testing shows that RapidRinse filament dissolves
significantly faster than competing soluble support materials.