ABS Plastics Testing Services

Click here to see ABS Properties

Polyhedron Laboratories performs ABS plastics testing on raw material and products. Our lab can test any of the properties of ABS materials including mechanical stress tests to ensure the material will meet end product specification. In addition, Polyhedron tests can:

  • Perform quality assurance
  • Determine environmental aging and chemical resistance
  • Run failure analysis to determine why a product or material did not meet requirements.

All of Polyhedron's tests meet ASTM testing standards for the materials and products being tested.

ABS Plastics Testing Information

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a terpolymer consisting of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. The usual ratio of materials is 50% styrene and 25% each of acrylonitrile and butadiene. The resulting polymer is comprised of a long chain of polybutadiene crossed with short chains of polystyrene-co-acrylonitrile. The short chains containing the nitrile monomers bond together, making it stronger than polystyrene. Styrene gives the plastic a hard, shiny surface and butadiene, which is a rubber, makes it resilient.

As a result, ABS is a lightweight, tough, rigid thermoplastic that has high impact and high mechanical strength. By varying the proportions of the monomers, it can be manufactured in different grades, with slightly different characteristics. Certain compounds are ideal for extrusion and some for injection molding. Overall, it is ideal for molding, machining, turning, drilling, milling, sawing and die cutting. It also exhibits electrical insulating properties and is abrasion and moisture resistant. It has high chemical resistance to inorganic salts, alkalis and acids.

ABS is ideal for tough and high-use products and is used widely for industrial products such as piping, storage bins and trays, industrial enclosures and machine parts and housings. Consumer products as diverse as automotive parts, golf club heads and plastic toys, such as Legos, are manufactured with it. Count on Polyhedron for all of your ABS plastics testing needs. We are here to help. Polyhedron also provides polypropylene testing and nylon 6/6 testing among others.

The following table shows the typical properties of ABS, but the properties can vary depending on the formulation.

Contact Polyhedron today for more information!

ABS Properties

 

PROPERTIESASTM TEST METHODCOMMON VALUES AND RANGES
Melt flow (g/10 min)

D1238

1-18
Melting temperature, °C

 

100-120
Processing temperature range, °C - Injection

 

246
Molding pressure range, 103 psi

 

10-20
Tensile strength at break, psi

D638

3660-6607
Elongation at break, %

D638

5-75
Tensile yield strength, psi

D638

4000-7000
Compressive strength (rupture or yield) psi

D695

2000-8000
Flexural strength (rupture or yield) psi

D790

10,000
Tensile modulus, 103 psi

D638

250-450
Compressive modulus, 103 psi

D695

300
Flexural modulus, 103psi (23°C)

 

D790

293-381
Izod Impact, ft·lb/in of notch

D256A

0.93-7.49
Rockwell Hardness

 

D785

100-110
Coefficient of linear thermal expansion, 10-6 in/in/°C

D696

90
Deflection temperature °C (66 psi )

D648

104°
Specific gravity (g/cm3)

D792

1.04
Water Absorption, % ( 24 hrs.)

 

D570

0.2-0.35
Dielectric strength short time, v/mil

D149

450

Request Testing Quote today from Polyhedron Laboratories
or call us at 281.879.8600