How is ABS Plastic Made & Why is it Popular Across Various Industries?

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a popular type of plastic that is extremely durable and resilient, making it perfect for applications that require high impact resistance. In this blog, we discuss why ABS is a favored choice of plastic for various industrial applications and engineering projects.

Before we proceed ahead, let us understand how ABS is made.

How is ABS Made?

It is manufactured by a process known as emulsion where acrylonitrile and polymerizing styrene are mixed with polybutadiene. The polybutadiene provides an optimum level of durability and the styrene provides ABS with a shiny look.

Industries Where ABS is Preferred:

What makes ABS a popular polymer across industries is its reliable toughness and, cost-effectiveness. Following are some industries where ABS is extensively used.

• Aerospace
• Medicine & Pharmaceutical
• Oil & Gas
• Defense
• 3D Printing
• Material Conveying
• Food Handling

Why is ABS Plastic Popular in Many Industries?

ABS has multiple attributes, making it an excellent choice for various industrial applications. Let us go through the properties to understand why it’s so popular.

• The most vital property as mentioned earlier is the impact resistance and toughness and. However, what makes ABS more interesting is that the impact resistance can be easily modified through modifications. What’s more, we can improve its resistance to heat and toughness by increasing the proportions of polybutadiene in relation to styrene.
• ABS can be easily recycled since it is a thermoplastic material. This is a massive advantage because brand new products can be manufactured by recycling ABS plastics.
• ABS plastics are commonly used for mechanical applications. However, they also have electrical insulation properties. These properties are known to be constant over a wide range of frequencies. They also remain unaffected by extreme temperatures and atmospheric humidity.
• They are resistant to alkalis, concentrated phosphoric, oils, aqueous acids, alcohols, and hydrochloric acids.
• ABS is ideal for 3D printing and prototyping because it provides excellent design flexibility. Furthermore, ABS is dimensionally accurate. This ensures that 3D printed products can be created with immense precision and accuracy.

As you can see, ABS possesses a plethora of properties, making it one of the top choices for various industries. As technology advances, we can expect ABS to be used extensively for manufacturing innovative products.