ABS

The three compounds that make up ABS are acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. ABS’s performance is characterized by its toughness, stiffness, machinability, and impact strength even at low temperatures.

• ABS resins are terpolymers of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. These medium-priced, amorphous thermoplastics are hard, rigid, and tough – even at low temperatures. Various grades offer different levels of impact strength.

   

• Most natural ABS resins are translucent to opaque, but they are also produced in transparent grades and they can be pigmented to almost any color.

   

• ABS plastics offer a good balance of tensile strength, impact and abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, surface hardness, rigidity, heat resistance, low-temperature properties, chemical resistance, and electrical characteristics.

   

• ABS parts have enough spring to accommodate shallow, snap-fit assembly requirements.

   

• The impact properties of ABS are exceptionally good at room temperature. General-purpose ABS grades may be adequate for some outdoor applications – depending on design and performance requirements – but prolonged exposure to sunlight causes a colour change and can reduce surface gloss, impact strength, hardness, and elastic modulus.