Overview

Strong and robust. Heat and chemical resilient. An Inexpensive choice for engineering-grade prints.

ABS has solid mechanical properties in the form of heat and impact resistance. Its high durability makes it perfect for printing moving and weight-bearing parts. ABS is shatter resistant; when pushed to its limit parts will bend or warp instead of snapping or shattering. ABS has decent chemical sustainability, making it resilient to sunlight, moisture, acids, and oils. Long exposure to sunlight may cause prints to degrade, making ASA a better choice for outdoor prints.

ABS is quite a common material making it relatively inexpensive whilst also being built to last in tough environments. The main detriment is that it can be quite difficult to print with, and can require printer tuning to get the perfect print.
Printed parts can be polished with acetone, giving them a smooth and glossy finish and hiding layer lines. When printing with this material, it is possible that toxic fumes are produced. This can be circumvented by printing In a well-ventilated area or using an extractor.

Used for: Injection molding, LEGO, electronic casings, automotive parts.