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3D printing in ABS

ABS is industry's plastic: it holds heat up to about 95 °C, takes impacts and paints well. Poor in the sun, where ASA replaces it. Price per gram and an example priced by our quote engine.

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ABS is the plastic of car parts, appliance housings and construction toys: it holds heat far better than PETG, takes impacts, and sands, glues and paints without trouble. It ages badly in the sun, where ASA does the same job without yellowing. We print it in a heated enclosure, which avoids the warping that makes it difficult on an open printer.

The prices, colours and ratings quoted on this page are read from our catalog and quote engine when the page loads: they are what an order pays today.

What gets printed in ABS

  • Spare parts for appliances whose original was ABS: housings, covers, knobs, cabin parts.
  • Enclosures for electronics that get hot: power supplies, drives, parts near an electric motor.
  • Parts to paint or glue: ABS takes primer and acetone glue, for a presentation part or an assembly.
  • Indoor mechanical parts that take impacts: simple gears, handles, guards.

Its properties

Rigid, tough and a little less dense than PETG, ABS scratches little and keeps its shape in a hot environment. Its surface is matte and smooths with acetone.

The catalog's ratings, out of 10
PropertyRating
Mechanical strength8/10
Flexibility5/10
Heat resistance7/10
  • Heat: keeps its shape up to about 95 °C, enough for a cabin in the sun or a power-supply enclosure; not for direct contact with a combustion engine.
  • UV and outdoors: yellows and turns brittle within months in the sun. For outdoors, ASA.
  • Chemicals: resists oils and bases; acetone and solvents dissolve it, which is used to smooth and glue it.
  • Automotive: yes, inside and under covers; it is the original material of many cabin parts.

What an ABS part costs

  • 0.26 MAD per gram deposited, density 1.05 g/cm³: at equal volume, it is the weight that changes from one material to the next.
  • In stock today: ABS Carbon Fibre – Black, ABS High Impact – Grey, ABS No Warping – White.
  • An electronics case of 46 g, 1 h 52 of printing, costs 183.40 MAD delivered in ABS, against 178.42 MAD in PLA (+3%).

These figures are read from the catalog and computed by our quote engine when this page loads; every order costs at least 105.00 MAD delivered. The exact price of your part shows on the online quote, and the guide How much does 3D printing cost in Morocco explains where the price comes from.

Designing for ABS

  • Walls of at least 0.8 mm; large flat surfaces are drawn with fillets at the corners to limit shrinkage.
  • Allow a tenth of a millimetre more clearance than in PLA on fits: ABS shrinks a little as it cools.
  • For a painted part, keep the visible faces free of supports: the support mark shows under the paint.

Help

Questions on this material

ABS or ASA?
The same mechanical and thermal properties; ASA holds up to sun and weather, ABS does not. Indoors, ABS costs a little less; outdoors or in a car in the sun, take ASA.
Does ABS hold up to a car's heat?
The cabin in the sun, yes; the engine bay near a combustion engine or an exhaust, no. For those parts, write to us before ordering.
Can an ABS part be painted?
Yes, and it is the material that paints best: a primer, then an acrylic or spray paint. It also smooths with acetone vapour, for a surface with no visible layers.
Does ABS smell when printed?
Yes, which is why we print it in a closed, filtered enclosure. The delivered part has no smell.

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