ASA-CF08: datasheet, nozzle recommendation and conditions

CF08: stated composition and manufacturer description

According to Polymaker, the CF08 suffix means 8% carbon fiber in an acrylonitrile styrene acrylate base. The datasheet frames that loading as a balance: easier printing than ordinary ASA, better mechanical properties, and heat resistance close to 100°C. The company markets it as an outdoor reinforcement material with a matte finish and a density of 1.09 g/cm3 at 23°C.

The fiber loading also changes how you handle the filament. The datasheet note states the strand is prone to brittleness and requires a bending diameter greater than 60 mm. In practice, that means checking any filament path with tight bends, a kinked PTFE tube, or a winding multi-spool feeder before committing to a long print. The ABS and ASA page covers the unfilled versions; this page deals only with the carbon-filled formulation.

Carbon fiber alone does not establish an ESD property. The ASA-CF08 datasheet reports surface resistivity above 10^12 Ω under ANSI ESD S11.11; the product page also mentions ESD-safe enclosures among possible uses. These statements do not demonstrate suitability for an electrostatic-dissipation application: check the application criteria and exact product data.

Nozzle: Polymaker's instruction and the stated brass lifetime

Polymaker’s datasheet says brass nozzle abrasion occurs frequently with Fiberon ASA-CF08 and estimates a normal life of about 9 hours. It highly recommends a wear-resistant nozzle in hardened steel or ruby. This is the manufacturer’s estimate for this reference, not a guaranteed lifetime across printers or nozzles. Before printing, check the sheet’s recommendation and nozzle compatibility with your hotend; do not wait for under-extrusion to confirm wear.

Nozzle compatibility depends on your hotend and the references supported by its maker. The nozzle guide covers general selection criteria. The ASA-CF08 sheet names hardened steel and ruby; it does not qualify every other nozzle material or model. Check with the part maker that a nozzle fits the hotend and is suitable for filled filaments before using it.

The TDS does not specify the nozzle diameter used. It gives 270°C nozzle and 90°C bed for specimen preparation, but these temperatures do not identify a diameter. If using a profile, identify its nozzle and settings before printing. A profile link on the product page does not establish its contents here or its correspondence with every printer.

Enclosure, ventilation and cooling according to the datasheet

The datasheet separates thermal settings from the environment: chamber at room temperature, a well-ventilated area, and an enclosed printer recommended because the filament may release odors during printing. It does not specify the enclosure’s function, so do not assign it emission-containment or air-stabilization effects. The part-cooling fan is off in the recommended conditions, and the sheet advises letting parts cool naturally before removal.

When recording your setup, distinguish part-cooling fan settings, chamber temperature and the printer's environment. The sheet presents them separately; room-temperature chamber guidance does not cancel its enclosed-printer and well-ventilated-area recommendations. Identify the instructions applicable to the actual setup before selecting a profile. This suggested record measures neither emissions nor enclosure or extraction effectiveness.

For what an enclosure really does and how to set up air extraction, the 3D printer enclosure and ventilation and safety pages give the general framework. Published settings are a nozzle between 260 and 280°C, a bed between 90 and 100°C, and a printing speed listed as up to 350 mm/s, the last being a manufacturer figure you should weigh against your own machine's limits.

Reading the mechanical values without mixing up orientations

The datasheet reports printed-specimen measurements in X-Y and Z orientations: listed Young’s modulus changes from 3611.7 MPa in X-Y to 1903.8 MPa in Z, and tensile strength from 43.5 to 25.0 MPa. These are typical values for those specimens and conditions, not predictions of a part’s stiffness or strength. The sheet warns against using the figures as design specifications.

Elongation at break is listed as 1.8% X-Y and 2.7% Z, with ± terms published in the sheet. Charpy impact is 5.5 kJ/m² for X-Y notched and 11.0 kJ/m² for X-Y unnotched specimens. Keep specimen, orientation and method distinctions rather than predicting your assembly's failure mode from them. These are typical figures rather than guaranteed performance.

Specimens were printed at 100% infill, 2 shells, 3 top and bottom layers, fan off. These conditions do not automatically qualify a part with partial infill. The datasheet disclaimer says plainly that the values are for reference and comparison, not for design specifications. For a broader look at filled filaments, see the carbon fiber page.

Heat resistance and outdoor exposure

The product page displays HDT 103.0°C; the TDS attaches that result to ISO 75 at 0.45 MPa and gives 97.3°C at 1.8 MPa. It also lists Tg 106.6°C by DSC at 10°C/min and Vicat 110.8°C. Melting and crystallization are N/A: no usable values are supplied here. Decomposition is 328.4°C by TGA at 20°C/min. Methods and loads belong with the results; none of these temperatures is a universal service ceiling for a part.

Polymaker claims UV and weather resistance without a quantified aging test in the reviewed TDS for comparison across brands. Its moisture curve states equilibrium at 0.37% under 70% RH and 23°C: those are the documented curve conditions. They measure neither your spool nor every exposure condition of an outdoor object.

The sheet lists HB under UL 94 at 1.5 mm. Keep class, method and thickness together: that entry alone does not qualify your assembly near a heat source. For a defined use, identify applicable criteria and part verification rather than replacing the assessment with a specimen classification.

Drying, storage and spool handling

Polymaker describes the material as moisture-sensitive, asks for storage and use below 20% relative humidity and publishes drying at 90°C for 6 hours. Check whether your dryer can reach the stated setting; the datasheet does not establish that other consumer dryers top out lower or that moisture can only be diagnosed during printing.

Spool format makes the filament path worth checking: the product page lists 1.75 mm and 500 g and 3 kg spools; the datasheet says the strand can be brittle and calls for a bending diameter greater than 60 mm. Check the holder and actual path without inferring a failure rate.

Polymaker lists a melt index of 13.9 g/10 min at 240°C under 5 kg and recommends its PolySupport for PA12 as support material. The annealing entry in this TDS is N/A, without a usable procedure here. If your project assumes a post-print heat treatment, the datasheet gives you no basis to define one.

This formulation or unfilled ASA: the checks that decide it

Start with the constraints documented for this reference: Polymaker highly recommends a wear-resistant nozzle and estimates brass nozzle life at about 9 hours; it also publishes drying at 90°C for 6 hours, storage below 20% relative humidity, an enclosed printer recommendation and a ventilated area. The datasheet gives a room-temperature chamber. For mechanical values, it tests specimens in two orientations; that does not guarantee how your part will behave. Check these conditions against your equipment and geometry before choosing the filament.

If a documented condition does not fit your equipment, compare the datasheets for the exact ASA references under consideration; this page does not establish that unfilled ASA covers the same use or needs less equipment. The ABS and ASA comparison can be a starting point, but check each product’s constraints.

Keep ASA-CF08 and each document version attached to the figures. Another filled ASA, even with the same fiber percentage, needs its own documentation. The product page and TDS also differ in labeling: the page calls 3611.66 MPa bending modulus, whereas the TDS lists 3611.7 MPa for Young's modulus X-Y and 3265.0 MPa for bending modulus X-Y. Those properties are not merged here.

Sources and limits

• ASA-CF08 – Fiberon 3D Printing Filament by Polymaker
• Polymaker Fiberon — ASA-CF08 technical data sheet V1.0

We organize manufacturer and community documentation; we have not measured these products ourselves. The manual for your exact model takes precedence over general guidance.