ABS
ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is a long-established technical thermoplastic widely used in consumer products, housings, everyday items and industrial plastic components. It is a familiar material in many products we use daily, even if it is not always recognized by name.
In FDM manufacturing, ABS is a practical general-purpose material when the part requires more toughness and impact resistance than standard modelling materials. It is especially suitable for functional prototypes, enclosures, brackets, protective covers and end-use parts that need to withstand handling and normal mechanical stress.
ABS is not a specialty material for extreme conditions. Instead, it is a practical base material for technical plastic parts. It has moderate heat resistance, good impact resistance and a pleasantly smooth, slightly slippery surface. This can be useful in parts that are handled frequently or where the part should feel more like a finished plastic product.
Our ABS material is currently available in grey and black. Depending on the production volume, other colours may also be available.
Properties
The main strength of ABS is its balanced overall performance. It is lightweight, tough and suitable for a wide range of technical parts. The material has good impact resistance, making it a good choice for parts that may be exposed to knocks, handling or repeated use.
In terms of heat resistance, ABS is better than many basic materials, but it should not be considered a true high-temperature material. According to the manufacturer’s technical data, the heat deflection temperature is 87 °C under a lighter load, and the Vicat softening temperature is 94 °C. In practice, this means that ABS can tolerate many normal use environments better than low-temperature materials, but for continuous exposure to heat, a more suitable technical material should be selected.
ABS typically has a fairly smooth and slightly slippery surface. This sets it apart from many materials with a rougher or drier feel. The surface feel can be an advantage in handles, protective covers, enclosures and other parts that are handled often.
The material has good chemical resistance under normal use conditions. ABS is insoluble in water and resistant to acids and alkalis, but it is not resistant to all organic solvents, oils or greases. For chemically demanding applications, material suitability should be evaluated separately.
ABS is a standard plastic for many applications
One of the advantages of ABS is that it does not feel like an experimental material. It has been used for a long time in finished products such as electronics housings, household appliance parts, automotive interior components, suitcases, toys and various everyday items.
The material consists of three components: acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. This combination gives ABS its typical properties: moderate stiffness, good impact resistance, reasonable heat resistance and a familiar plastic-like feel.
For this reason, ABS is well suited for parts that should resemble conventional industrially manufactured plastic components in both feel and performance. It is not the stiffest, lightest or most heat-resistant material, but in many applications it is durable enough, practical and cost-effective.
Applications
ABS is well suited for functional plastic parts where practical durability, toughness and a good user feel are important. It is a good option when the part needs to withstand normal use, but the application does not require the highest performance of specialized engineering materials.
Typical applications include:
- functional prototypes
- electronics and device enclosures
- protective covers and shells
- handles, buttons and user interface parts
- brackets and holders
- tools, jigs and fixtures
- robotics components
- consumer product parts
- automotive interior parts and protective structures
In electronics and device enclosures, ABS is often a good choice because it is lightweight, sufficiently strong and impact resistant. In user-facing parts, the smooth surface and slight slipperiness can improve the handling feel. In prototypes, ABS gives the part a feel that is closer to a finished plastic product than many simpler materials.
When should you choose ABS?
ABS is worth choosing when the part needs good impact resistance, moderate heat resistance and a practical plastic product feel. It works well for technical parts that are handled frequently or need to withstand normal use without requiring extreme stiffness or high-temperature performance.
ABS is not the best choice if the part requires very high heat resistance, excellent chemical resistance or maximum rigidity. In those cases, other technical materials should be considered.
When the goal is a durable, lightweight and practical basic plastic part, ABS remains a very useful option.
Mechanical Properties
3D Printing technology:: FDM
Build chamber/max size: 300mm x 300 mm x 300 mm
Layer thickness: 200 um
Dimensional accuracy: ± 0,2mm + ± 0,1mm/100mm
Mittatarkkuus riippuu osittain kappaleen geometriasta, mutta tyypillinen tarkkuus on n. +-0.2 mm
