Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

ABS Applications

ABS’s light weight and ability to be extruded make it useful in manufacturing products such as drain pipe systems, musical instruments (recorders, plastic clarinets, and piano movements), golf club heads (because of its good shock absorbance), automotive trim components, automotive bumper bars, medical devices for blood access, enclosures for electrical and electronic assemblies, protective headgear, whitewater canoes, buffer edging for furniture and joinery panels, luggage and protective carrying cases, small kitchen appliances, and toys, including Building Bricks.

• Point of Sale Displays, Store Counters and Exhibition Stands
• Thermoformed Storage Boxes
• Product Containers
• Model Making and Prototype Building
• DIY Tool and Machine Housings
• Vehicle Dashboards and Instrument Panels
• Thermoformed Trays and Bins

Other Applications

Household and consumer goods are the major applications of ABS. Keyboard keycaps are commonly made out of ABS as it is easily machined. Common machining techniques include turning, drilling, milling, sawing, die-cutting and can be cut with standard shop tools and line bent with standard heat strips. Thermoformed ABS can be chemically affixed to itself and other like-plastics. ABS combines the strength and rigidity of acrylonitrile and styrene polymers with the toughness of polybutadiene rubber. While the cost of producing thermoformed ABS is roughly twice the cost of producing polystyrene, it is considered superior for its hardness, gloss, toughness, and electrical insulation properties. The most important mechanical properties of thermoformed ABS are impact resistance and toughness.