ABS

Overview

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is the same plastic used in LEGO bricks and automotive dashboards. It’s a proven engineering thermoplastic that offers excellent impact resistance, good heat tolerance, and easy post-processing with acetone vapour smoothing.

Key Properties

ABS delivers a tensile strength of around 40 MPa, heat deflection temperature of 98°C, and good impact resistance. Parts can be sanded, painted, glued, and acetone-smoothed for a near injection-moulded finish.

Advantages

• Excellent impact resistance and toughness
• Good heat resistance (up to ~98°C)
• Can be acetone vapour smoothed for a glossy finish
• Easy to sand, drill, glue, and paint
• Well-proven material with decades of industrial use

Limitations

• Prone to warping during printing — requires heated bed and enclosure
• Produces fumes during printing (styrene)
• Not UV stable — degrades outdoors
• Lower detail resolution than PLA or SLA resins

Common Applications

Functional prototypes, electronic enclosures, automotive components, consumer product housings, tooling and fixtures, and any application where impact resistance and heat tolerance are needed.