ABS Plastic Essentials: Understanding the Basics and Beyond

Unlock the secrets of ABS plastic in a brief guide – from its
composition to applications, explore the essentials with clarity and ease.

ABS plastic is a popular construction material with a $23 billion market share in the 2023-2024 financial year. Its desirability is so great that experts predict its market value will reach $57 billion within 2030 with a CAGR above 4.9%. The reasons behind such a boom are the ABS’s recyclability, superior hardness, excellent durability, etc.

Considering the rapidly increasing use of this plastic, every engineer, product designer, manufacturer, and other industrial professional must understand what ABS plastic is. To assist professionals in understanding, we list ABS plastic’s production process, applications, advantages, disadvantages, grades, and many more. Let’s start.

Basics of ABS Plastic

The complete form of ABS is Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Following this full name, it contains a composition of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. Considering its origination, ABS has been in use since the starting period of the 1930s. At that time, it was considered an effective replacement for Zinc and used in the die-casting of minor parts.

Until advanced research took place on this plastic in the 1940s, ABS was not that good quality: it was brittle and had a very low melting point. However, in the mid-1940s, scientists improved its quality, making it less brittle and having good thermal properties.

Then, manufacturers started using it in the packing industry and various consumer products. Finally, it was patented in 1948, and its official journey began in 1954 by Brog-Warner Corporation.

It is to be noted that the per-ton price of ABS plastic is approximately $3,350.

How ABS Plastic is Produced

Here, we detail the step-by-step process of ABS production.

Step 1: We extract acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene monomers from various forms of petroleum;
Step 2: We use a suspension or emulsion polymerization process depending on the required ABS properties. First, the polymerization of acrylonitrile and styrene takes place to form a short-chain copolymer. Second, butadiene comes into action in the polymerization process and comprises long-chain copolymers of ABS plastic;
Step 3: Termination takes place to stop the polymerization. We start the stabilizing and solidifying process of the plastic. In this step, we also add additives per the requirements, including colorants, plasticizers, impact modifiers, etc;
Step 4: We remove any impurities inhibited in the plastic substance. We also go pounding the produced ABC by mixing, heating, and blending;
Step 5: In this step, we shape the plastic using methods like moulding, extrusion, thermoforming, etc. The ABS receive a designated shaping;
Step 6: Cooling and finishing processes take place. The produced ABS plastic goes through cutting, machining, surface finishing, etc.

The proportion of monomers used here depends on the desired properties of ABS. As per the core, we use 40%- 60% styrene, 15%- 35% acrylonitrile, and 5%- 30% butadiene.

Advantages and Disadvantages of ABS Plastic

The table below highlights this plastic material’s most essential benefits and issues.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Smooth surface	Decolorization under UV exposure
Easy to mould, fold, and shape	Explosive under high heat
Electrical insulation and chemical resistance	Higher coefficient of thermal expansion
Incorporates versatility
Tough and stiff

Machine Grade ABS Sheets with nature color

Must-Know Properties of ABS Material

Here, we elaborate on the must-know properties of ABS plastic to make professionals understand its applicability.

Mechanical Properties

The following are the most important mechanical properties of ABS.

Impact Resistance

The ABS plastic material’s Izod impact unnotched and notched values are 3.25 – 5.07 J/cm and 0.220 – 5.88 J/cm, respectively. These superior energy dissipation and absorption characteristics make this plastic suitable for gaining excellent durability and higher toughness in the final product.

Hardness

According to the Rockwell R scale, this plastic’s hardness is 102-103. This can trigger scratch resistance characteristics in the end item.

Tensile Strength

ABS plastic’s ultimate tensile strength is 24-134 MPa, and its yield tensile strength is 22.1-93.1 MPa. These values indicate that this construction material is a good selection for products that experience higher levels of mechanical stress.

Physical Properties

The must-know physical properties of ABS are listed below:

Density

The density of this construction material is 1.00 – 3.50 g/cc. According to our practical observations, this density complements ABS’s other properties, such as impact resistance, thermal properties, and chemical resistance.

Water Absorption

The water absorption value of this construction material is 0.100 – 3.50 %. This value of water absorption makes ABS plastic suitable for use in applications that operate in wet environments.

Thermal Properties

The most crucial thermal properties of ABS plastic are listed below:

Thermal Conductivity

The thermal conductivity output of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is 0.150 – 0.180 W/m-K. This low thermal conductivity value makes this polymer a good insulator.

Flammability

The flammability value of this polymer is HB – 5VA as per the UL94 classification system. This value symbolizes that this plastic polymer is resistant to horizontal flame and can withstand moderate heat. But under very high temperatures, it can burst.

Most Important Application of ABS Polymer

Here, we list a table containing the critical application of this thermoplastic.

Industry	Applications
Consumer electronics	Phone cases, computer mouse, keyboards, remote controls, etc.
Household items	Toys, vacuum cleaner, blender, coffee machine, etc.
Medical	Equipment casings, laboratory equipment, disposable syringes, and medical device components.
Automotive	Dashboards, instrument panels, door panels, trim, grilles,
Sports	Skateboards, protective gear, etc.

Grades of ABS Thermoplastic

The following are the most common grades of this thermoplastic used for commercial purposes.

The weatherable grade for restricting UV impact.
Transparent ABS grade for facilitating visuals through a partition component.
Medical grade for meeting the health sector’s standard.
Food grade for use in food containers, packaging, etc.
Recycled ABS is for environmental sustainability.
High-temperature ABS grade to withstand the increased heating environment.

Final Thought

We expect that the detailed description of ABS plastic will help professionals enormously in their material selection process. It is an excellent choice for incorporating durability, corrosive resistance, cost-effectiveness, manufacturing simplicity, etc.

Considering the ongoing environmental sustainability issues, the higher recyclable characteristic makes this plastic polymer a top-notch construction material.