ABS
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is an amorphous thermoplastic material, with a continuous use temperature range of -4° F (-20° C) to 176° F (80° C). It is categorized as a standard material, and offers a balanced combination of mechanical toughness, impact resistance, and ease of fabrication and thermoforming.
Description
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, also known as ABS, is an amorphous thermoplastic material, with a continuous use temperature range of -4° F (-20° C) to 176° F (80° C). It is categorized as a standard material, and offers a balanced combination of mechanical toughness, impact resistance, and ease of fabrication and thermoforming. General purpose ABS has good impact strength and thermoforms well. Flame retardant and weather resistant grades are also available.
ABS is among the industry’s most versatile materials, is easily fabricated and can be painted, glued and sanded. It is most commonly used for mechanical purposes, but also has electrical properties that remain fairly constant in the acceptable operating range of temperatures, regardless of the operating environment’s ambient temperature or humidity levels. The light weight of ABS sheet makes it useful in manufacturing products such as drain-waste-vent (DWV) pipe systems, musical instruments (recorders, plastic clarinets, and piano movements), automotive trim and bumper bars, medical devices for blood access, enclosures for electrical and electronic assemblies,power tool housings, protective headgear, small kitchen appliances, computer keyboards, toys and more. It can also be recycled, which enables you to reduce the expense of disposal. In filament form, ABS is one of the most widely used materials in Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing. If you’re looking for a material that gives you a good balance of cost and performance within a reasonable temperature range, ABS will often be a good choice.
Polymershapes stocks ABS in sheet and rod form, in black, white and natural colors, in a wide range of sizes. Custom colors are also available. Did you know that Polymershapes offers fabrication services? We can custom cut to size and we offer CNC routing services for a wide range of part sizes to save you time and money.
Contact your local Polymershapes branch today for more information!
Features & Benefits
- Outstanding Impact Strength
- High Melt Strength for Easy Thermoforming
- Excellent for Deep Draw Thermoforming
- Very Good Chemical Resistance
Applications
- Automotive
- Bus and Rail
- Chemical Processing
- Enclosures
- Food and Beverage Preparation and Processing
- Packaging and Conveying Equipment
- Recreational Vehicles
- Semiconductor and Electronics
- Sporting Goods
- Thermoforming
- Tooling
Physical Properties
| UNITS | ASTM Test | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength @ break @ 73°F | psi | D638 | 3,830 – 7,260 |
| Flexural modulus @ 73°F | psi | D790 | 223,000 – 417,000 |
| Izod impact (notched) | ft-lbs/in of notch | D256 | 1.7 – 7.7 |
| Deflection Temperature Under Load @ 264 psi Unannealed | °F | D648 | 166 – 213 |
| Continuous Use Temperature | °F | D794 | 140 – 167 |
| Water absorption @ 73°F – 24 hours | % | D570 | 0.20 – 0.31 |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) | (in/in°F) | D696 | 4.4E-5 to 5.0E-5 |
*Technical Data is provided courtesy of UL Prospector (www.ulprospector.com) and IAPD (www.IAPD.org).
Data is to be considered representative and is provided for guidance only. All product performance must be verified by the user under actual application conditions.
Standard Sizes
| Sheet | Dimensions: 48″ x 96″ Thickness: 0.040″ – 4″ |
| Rod | Diameter: 0.25″ – 6″ Length: 5′ – 10′ |
*The sizes above are standard stocking sizes. Other custom sizes are available upon request. Please contact your local branch for information and a quote.
Suppliers / Brands
| Supplier | Brands |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Spartech |