ABS filament in Batumi

What ABS is

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is the plastic appliance housings and LEGO bricks are made from. It is strong, impact-resistant, heat-resistant and takes post-processing well. The price is shrinkage and a temperamental print.

How to print it

• Nozzle: 230-260 °C
• Bed: 100-110 °C
• Cooling: minimal or off entirely
• Enclosure: required for anything bigger than a palm
• Ventilation: needed - printing releases styrene vapour

The main problem: shrinkage

As it cools ABS contracts by roughly 0.6-0.8 %. The part lifts at the corners, pulls off the bed and splits down the middle. Only a stable temperature fixes it: an enclosure, no draught, a brim around the perimeter and no part cooling at all.

The larger the part, the stricter the rule. Something under 5 cm will print on an open machine; a 20 cm enclosure without a chamber is almost certainly scrap.

Post-processing nothing else offers

ABS dissolves in acetone. Half an hour in acetone vapour smooths the layers into a gloss like a moulded part. It glues the same way: a drop of acetone welds two pieces permanently. It also sands, primes and paints well.

What to print

Instrument housings, loaded parts, anything living at 80-100 °C: holders near a motor, components under a bonnet, car mounts, parts that need finishing with a file.

Storage

ABS is less hygroscopic than PETG, but damp filament bubbles and prints matt. Drying: 4-6 hours at 65-70 °C.