ABS Plastic — Strength, Rigidity, and Gloss for Molded Parts

The housing of your vacuum cleaner, LEGO bricks, car interior panels — there's a good chance they're all ABS. A material that combines strength, rigidity, and an attractive appearance in one package.

ABS is the number one choice when you need impact strength combined with a good glossy surface and the ability to paint or chrome-plate afterward. That's why it's so popular for appliance housings, toys, and automotive components.

Processing notes:

• Hygroscopic — pellets must be dried before molding (2–4 hours at ~80°C / 176°F), otherwise streaks, silver streaking, and bubbles appear on the surface
• Decomposes and releases styrene when overheated, so good ventilation of the work area is essential
• Shrinkage is small and stable (0.4–0.7%), which makes the geometry of finished parts highly predictable
• Sensitive to wall thickness variation — transitions can develop sink marks and zones of increased internal stress that eventually show up as cracks

Want to learn more? Read the book "Injection Molding Process Troubleshooting for Plastic Parts"