ACRYLONITRILE BUTADIENE STYRENE (ABS)
- ABS is a common thermoplastic with all-around good mechanical properties, excellent impact strength, good heat resistance and good machinability.
About ABS Material
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or ABS, is a widely used CNC plastic, which meets the needs of many industries because of its material properties and accessible cost. ABS is one of the best machinable plastics with a low raw material cost. Both of these factors have led to the use of the material for many prototyping applications, as well as certain end-use applications.
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Materials
Quick Overview
| Processes | Lead Time | Color | Tolerance | Price | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC Machining | As fast as 3 days | White & available in all major colors. | With drawing: as low as +/- 0.005 mm No drawing: ISO 2768 medium | Qty & Precision dependent | Impact-resistant applications, production-like parts (pre-injection molding) |
| 3D Printing | 2-4 Days based on size | White & available in all major colors. | FDM – 150 µm SLA – 40 µm |
Lowest in market | Strength & complex geometries |
| Injection Molding | 20-30 Days | White & available in all major colors. | As low as +/- 0.030 mm | Qty & Precision dependent | High strength, Good surface finish. |
Materials
Design Recommendations
| Services Name | Max Size | Min Size | Min Thickness | Undercuts | Radii Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For CNC Machining | Max Part Size: 600 mm | Min End Mill Size: 0.8 mm | Min Wall Thickness: 0.5 mm | Undercuts: Square profile, full radius, dovetail profiles | Radii: Depth: Depth must not exceed 12x drill bit diameter. For end mills, depth must not exceed 10x tool diameter. |
| For 3D Printing | Max Part Size: 500x500x500 mm | Min Hole size : 1 mm | Min Wall Thickness: 1 mm | Min Feature Size : 3 mm | Recommended fillet & Chamfer angles : > 45 Deg |
| For Molding | Max Part Size: 500x500x500 mm | Min Hole size : 0.5 mm | Min Wall Thickness: 0.5 mm | Ribs should be 40-60% the thickness of outer walls and should still maintain draft | Minimum draft angle of 0.5°, or up to 5°, for faces with medium textures |
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
ABS has a strong resistance to corrosive chemicals and/or physical impacts. 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. ABS is also relatively inexpensive (prices, currently around $1.50 per pound, typically fall somewhere between those of Polypropylene (“PP”) and Polycarbonate (“PC”). ABS plastic is not typically used in high heat situations due to its low melting point. These characteristics lead to ABS being used in a large number of applications across a wide range of industries.
What is the max continuous operating temperature range of ABS parts?
89 (°C)
When to choose vacuum casting over FDM printing for ABS parts ?
There are few factors when to choose VC or FDM.
- When quantity is greater than 150 units.
- When we need good strength & surface finish than FDM
What is the max shelf life of SLA printed ABS parts ?
Up to 6 months is recommended.
Which will be cheaper, CNC machining or FDM printing of ABS parts ?
For complex geometries FDM is cheaper.
For simple geometries like rods, sheCNC machining is cheaper.
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Clients
Think3D has been a great partner for us in supplying COVID-19 test cartridges on-time despite the pandemic challenges. When we came up with a new requirement needing a workforce of more than 25 people, think3D took up the challenge and arranged the workforce within 2 days. I highly recommend think3D for any manufacturing needs.
Sanket Srivatsav
Production In-Charge, Molbio
As a professor doing research on new materials, I needed a strong industry partner to assist us. think3D perfectly fit that bill. think3D team is highly knowledgeable on all manufacturing technologies and the team is very prompt in responding to all our requests. My research has been very successful, thanks to think3D team.
Dr. Karthik Chetan V
Asst. Professor, BITS Pilani
We found issue with one part at the time of assembly and needed a quick replacement. think3D team has quickly responded to our request, redesigned the part and printed it using metal 3D Printing and delivered in 3 days time. The part came out really well and the design was better than that of the actual one.
Rama Krishna
Senior Manager (IMM), BDL
