What is ABS Plastic?

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS plastic, is a common thermoplastic polymer that has no true melting point.  ABS plastic has the strength and firmness of acrylonitrile and styrene polymers as well as the toughness of polybutadiene rubber.  It is expensive to produce ABS, about twice the amount of polystyrene, but it is far superior due to its hardness, gloss, toughness and electrical insulation properties.

Properties

ABS plastic is impact resistant and very tough.  Modifications can be made to the properties to improve impact resistance, toughness and heat resistance.  Therefore, there are different grades of ABS, but there are two major categories:

·         ABS for Extrusion

·         ABS for Injection Molding

Possible Products

Since ABS is light weight and has the ability to be injection molded and extruded, it becomes very useful in the creation of:

·         Drain-Waste-Vent (DWV) Pipe Systems

·         Musical Instruments (reorders, plastic clarinets and piano movements)

·         Golf Club Heads (great shock absorbency)

·         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

·         Toys Such as Legos

·         Keyboard Keycaps

·         Colorant in Some Tattoo Inks (when ground down)