ABS Filaments
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) was the dominant engineering filament before PETG and ASA became widely available. It is a tough, impact-resistant thermoplastic used extensively in injection-moulded consumer products and automotive components. Printed ABS is stronger and more heat-resistant than PLA, withstanding up to around 100 °C in service. The trade-off is printing difficulty: ABS shrinks significantly as it cools, causing warping and layer delamination unless the print environment is tightly controlled. A heated enclosure is effectively required for anything larger than a small part, and the fumes it produces contain styrene — ventilation or air filtration is mandatory.
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What is ABS used for?
- Durable mechanical parts subject to impact or stress
- Automotive interior components and brackets
- Parts requiring post-processing (sanding, acetone vapour smoothing)
- Housings and enclosures in moderate-heat environments
- Functional prototypes that will be handled roughly
How to print ABS
ABS prints at 230–250 °C nozzle temperature with a bed at 90–110 °C; Prusa's guide targets 255 °C nozzle and 100 °C bed for their PLA/ASA/ABS presets. A heated enclosure keeping the chamber at 40–60 °C is strongly recommended — it prevents the rapid cooling that causes the material to crack between layers or peel from the bed. Turn the part-cooling fan off entirely during printing; any cold draught will cause warping. First-layer adhesion is improved with a thin layer of ABS slurry, glue stick, or a dedicated adhesive on the build surface. Always print ABS in a well-ventilated space or with an air filter — styrene fumes are harmful with prolonged exposure.
Advantages
- High impact resistance and toughness
- Good heat resistance (up to ~100 °C)
- Can be smoothed with acetone vapour for a professional finish
- Machinable and bondable with solvent cement
- Widely available at moderate prices
Limitations
- Significant warping — enclosure is effectively required
- Emits styrene fumes — ventilation or filtration mandatory
- More difficult to dial in than PLA or PETG
- ASA is largely a better outdoor alternative for the same difficulty
Common variants
Standard ABS is increasingly supplemented by blends designed to reduce its worst quirks:
- ABS+ / ABS Pro
- Reduced warping and improved layer adhesion versus standard ABS; easier to print while retaining most mechanical properties.
- ABS-CF
- Carbon-fibre-filled for higher stiffness and less shrinkage; still requires an enclosure and a hardened nozzle.
- HIPS
- High-Impact Polystyrene — prints at similar temperatures, used as a dissolvable support material in dual-extrusion setups with ABS; dissolves in limonene.