12 Facts About ABS plastic

ABS plastic is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point.

ABS plastic is a terpolymer made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene.

ABS plastic provides favorable mechanical properties such as impact resistance, toughness, and rigidity when compared with other common polymers.

ABS plastic polymers are resistant to aqueous acids, alkalis, concentrated hydrochloric and phosphoric acids and animal, vegetable and mineral oils, but they are swollen by glacial acetic acid, carbon tetrachloride and aromatic hydrocarbons and are attacked by concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids.

ABS plastic is flammable when it is exposed to high temperatures, such as those of a wood fire.

Since pure ABS plastic contains no halogens, its combustion does not typically produce any persistent organic pollutants, and the most toxic products of its combustion or pyrolysis are carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.

ABS plastic can be recycled, although it is not accepted by all recycling facilities.

Machine Grade ABS plastic is easily machined via standard machining techniques including; turning, drilling, milling, and sawing.

ABS plastic was patented in 1948 and introduced to commercial markets by the Borg-Warner Corporation in 1954.

When extruded into a filament, ABS plastic is a common material used in 3D printers, as it is cheap, strong, has high stability and can be post-processed in various ways .

When being used in a 3D printer, ABS plastic is known to warp due to shrinkage that occurs while cooling during the printing process.

ABS plastic is stable to decomposition under normal use and polymer processing conditions with exposure to carcinogens well below workplace exposure limits.