![]() ABS for 3D Printing and Prototype Development:Ĭreative Mechanisms uses the Fused Deposition Modeling 3D printing process over other “printing” technologies (such as SLA, SLS, SLM) because ABS parts are readily available. Among the most widely identifiable are keys on a computer keyboard, power-tool housing, the plastic face-guard on wall sockets (often a PC/ABS blend), and LEGO toys. There are countless applications for ABS. These characteristics lead to ABS being used in a large number of applications across a wide range of industries. ![]() ABS plastic is not typically used in high heat situations due to its low melting point. ABS is also relatively inexpensive (prices, currently around $1.50 per pound, typically fall somewhere between those of Polypropylene ("PP") and Polycarbonate (“PC”). It is very easy to machine and has a low melting temperature making it particularly simple to use in injection molding manufacturing processes or 3D printing on an FDM machine. Read more about recyclable plastics such as polypropylene plastic properties in our previous blog.ĪBS has a strong resistance to corrosive chemicals and/or physical impacts. This means that a common way of producing ABS plastic is from other ABS plastic (i.e. It is important to note that because ABS is a thermoplastic material, it can be easily recycled, as mentioned above. Globally, the most common methodology to create ABS is the emulsion process. ABS is also created, albeit less commonly, by a patented process known as continuous mass polymerization. A well-known example of an emulsified product is milk. Lean on veteran guidance to help take your product from initial idea to profitable product.ĪBS is most commonly polymerized through the process of emulsion (the mixture of multiple products that don’t typically combine into a single product). ABS is also an amorphous material meaning that it does not exhibit the ordered characteristics of crystalline solids.Ĭheck out the industry's best online course for new inventors. This characteristic makes thermoset materials poor candidates for recycling. If you tried to heat a thermoset plastic to a high temperature a second time, it would simply burn. The first heating causes thermoset materials to set (similar to a 2-part epoxy), resulting in a chemical change that cannot be reversed. Instead of burning, thermoplastics like ABS liquefy, which allows them to be easily injection molded and then subsequently recycled.īy contrast, thermoset plastics can only be heated once (typically during the injection molding process). ![]() They can be heated to their melting point, cooled, and re-heated again without significant degradation. have a “glass transition”) at a certain temperature (221 degrees Fahrenheit in the case of ABS plastic). “Thermoplastic” (as opposed to “thermoset”) refers to the way the material responds to heat. Image courtesy What is ABS Plastic?Īcrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is an opaque thermoplastic and amorphous polymer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |