ABS — Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

Use it for

• Parts that get hot, up to 90 °C
• Thermoforming moulds: up to 105 °C after annealing
• Parts to be sanded back or bonded

What it will not do

• Yellows and turns brittle in sunlight: choose ASA outdoors
• Significant shrinkage across large flat areas
• Needs a heated chamber, so slightly more machine time

Specifications

What we have learned using it

It has to be dried at 80 °C before printing. Dried at 45 °C — the PLA preset on many machines — it bubbles and lifts off the bed. That is the most common mistake with this material.

Consider instead

• ASA — same thing, plus UV resistance
• PC — beyond 90 °C