What kinds of ABS plastic sheets MDE offers?
MDE plastics Company supplies high quality ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic sheets of various types. These ABS sheets are widely used plastic material in worldwide market. ABS plastic sheets feature high impact resistance and excellent performance for heavy duty application. They are quite suitable for vacuum forming and mechanical fabrication.
We can offer ABS plastic sheets with gloss surface, textured surface, in a variety of colors.
ABS/PMMA sheets are specialized ABS plastic sheet co-extruded with acrylic sheets, which are superior to UV attack and scratch resistance. ABS/ASA has better UV resistance as well. ABS/TPU has better scratches-resistance.
We wholesale bulk sheets with normal big size, and we also provide cut-to-size service. Besides, we can lase cut, bend, print, polish, assembly and bond processing.
Featured ABS Plastic Sheets Products
Smooth and textured ABS sheets
Type: ABS Plastic Sheet
Thickness range: 1-10mm Size: 1.22×2.44m
Color Available: White, Black, Red, Blue, Yellow and others
Texture Available: Yes
Custom Fabrication: Cut-to-Size, CNC Routing, UV Printing, Screen Printing, Laser Cutting, Edge Polishing, Assembly, Bonding and etc.
Acrylic Capped ABS Sheet
Type: ABS/PMMA Plastic Sheet
Thickness range: 1-10mm Size: 1.22×2.44m
Color Available: White, Black, Red, Blue, Yellow and others
Texture Available: No
Custom Fabrication: Cut-to-Size, CNC Routing, UV Printing, Screen Printing, Laser Cutting, Edge Polishing, Assembly, Bonding and etc.
What is ABS plastic sheet?
Definition of ABS Thermoform Plastic Sheets
ABS plastic sheet is one of the most popular used engineering or industrial plastic material, with density of 1.07 g/cm3, HS code 390330. Plastic ABS sheeting is extruded with thermoplastic polymer, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin. There are several types of ABS resin, injection grade and extrusions grade. The latter one is manufactured into ABS plastic board. ABS is amorphous, and ABS plastic sheet does not have a fixed actual melting point.
Features of ABS plastic sheets
- Water-proof, moisture-free
- Dimensional-stable
- Electrical-insulation
- High-impact, scratches-resistant
- Toughness, and stiffness
- Heat resistance
ABS plastic sheets, extruded with different ABS base resin and additives, demonstrate different physical and chemical features. Some has high impact strength, suitable for making luggage covers. Some has high rigidity, making it a a good plating material for refrigerator.
With flame retardant additives, ABS plastic sheeting has fire-retardant properties, ranging from V-2 to V-0. ABS sheet can also be UV resistant to a certain degree, which can prevent it from aging outdoor.
ABS plastic sheet material data / technical data sheet
ABS plastic sheet properties are usually tested by ASTM standards, in terms of tensile strength, tensile elongation, flexural strength, flexural modulus, Izod impact strength, hardness, vicat softening temperature, Heat deflection temperature, flammability ratings and so on.
ABS Physical Properties
Item | Specific Description |
---|---|
Appearance | Opaque, ivory-colored granular or bead-like |
Density | Approximately 1.03 – 1.06 g/cm³ |
Hardness | Shore D hardness is about 100, having relatively high hardness and rigidity, with good surface hardness |
Glossiness | High surface finish, having good gloss |
Dimensional Stability | Has good dimensional stability within a certain temperature range and can be cut to meet special requirements |
Heat Deflection Temperature | Approximately 85℃ – 118℃, and the product can be further improved by about 10℃ after annealing treatment |
Cold Resistance | Still shows certain toughness at -40℃ and can be normally used within the temperature range of -40℃ to 100℃ |
Wear Resistance | Excellent, having good wear resistance |
Insulation | Has good electrical insulation performance, hardly affected by temperature, humidity, and frequency, and shows good shielding performance against high-frequency electromagnetic waves |
Water Absorption | Low water absorption rate |
ABS Chemical Properties
Item | Specific Description |
---|---|
Corrosion Resistance | Resistant to water, inorganic salts, alkalis, and acids, has a certain tolerance to diluted acids and alkalis, but stress cracking may occur under the erosion of glacial acetic acid; has reasonable resistance to aliphatic hydrocarbons, and poor resistance to alcohols, halogenated hydrocarbons, and aromatic hydrocarbons |
Chemical Resistance | Has good chemical resistance and is not easily corroded by common chemicals |
Solubility | Insoluble in most alcohols and hydrocarbons solvents, but easily soluble in aldehydes, ketones, esters, and some chlorinated hydrocarbons and other organic solvents |
Stability | Chemically stable at room temperature, but prone to aging, degradation, and other reactions under high temperature or long-term ultraviolet irradiation |
Flammability | Flammable, with an oxygen index of 18 – 20, burning slowly, with a yellow flame and black smoke, the plastic softens, burns, and emits a special cinnamon smell after burning, but there is no molten dripping phenomenon |
ABS Plastic Sheet Excellent Performance Characteristics
Excellent mechanical properties:
High impact strength, even at low temperatures can maintain good toughness, not easy to rupture, to meet the needs of a variety of scenarios; at the same time with high mechanical strength and stiffness, can withstand a certain degree of external force, not easy to deform.
Good processing performance:
Easy to cut, drill, bend, weld and other mechanical processing, can be made through a variety of processing methods of various shapes and sizes of products to meet different design and application requirements, processing costs are relatively low.
Thermal stability is good:
In a certain temperature range can maintain stable performance, heat distortion temperature is usually between 93 ℃ – 118 ℃, can be used in a wide range of temperatures, but it should be noted that there are still some limitations in the high temperature.
Strong chemical stability:
Good resistance to water, alkali, inorganic salts, etc., in a variety of chemical substances show good stability, but in the ketones, aldehydes and other organic solvents may be dissolved.
Good electrical insulation properties:
Excellent electrical insulation properties, can be used in the manufacture of electrical equipment shells, insulating parts, etc., to ensure the safe operation of electrical equipment.
Good appearance quality:
High surface hardness, not easy to be scratched, and can be dyed, printed, painted, etc. to obtain a variety of colors and appearance effects to meet different decorative needs.
ABS styrene plastic sheet production and customization
ABS plastic sheets extrusion
ABS sheet or rolls are manufactured through extrusion machine. Melting and softening ABS resin and additives are pressed through two rollers and cooled down afterwards. At the end of the extruder, ABS plastic sheet will be cut to size with the cutter equipped. There would be a small tolerance during this process of cutting. For minimum tolerance, CNC or laser cutting is required.
The space between two rollers decide the thickness of the sheets. And the width of the roller limit the width of the sheeting. The thickness can range from 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2; 1mm, 2mm, or customized. Large and thick ABS plastic sheet, or small thin ABS plastic stripes are all possible.
ABS styrene plastic flat sheet plate surface options
The surface effect of the rollers will determine the surface of the sheets. With different rollers, we can produce different surface effect, like gloss, smooth, matte, textured and so on.
High gloss surface ABS sheets has mirror effect smooth beautiful surface, which are often used to manufacture machine cover and housing. Gloss ABS sheet are often covered with PE film to protect its surface from scratches while in production, storage, transportation and usage. Some PE protective film is high-temperature resistant. This will also provide protection during thermoforming abs plastic sheets.
Matte finish or frosted finish abs styrene plastic flat sheet plate, which reduce light reflect, provides a nice touch-feeling and elegant appearance.
There are various types of textured finish ABS plastic panel sheet, which can meets people’s different demands. There are small scale texture, like doted texture, big scale texture, like hair-cell texture, or special texture, like leather-feel texture. To get custom texture, it is necessary to build custom rollers with desired textured surface. The roller is expensive and costly. Customized textures usually require high production order quantity.
To get more diversified texture or pattern surface, graphic-printed PC or PVC film is often laminated on the surface of ABS plastic sheeting, during extrusion. We can often see wood grain ABS plastic sheet. Wood grain graphic is printed on PVC or PC surface and co-extruded with ABS sheet. Through this way, we can get a plenty of beautiful design surface on ABS sheet at a relative low cost. Carbon fiber effect or carbon fiber simulated decorative ABS plastic sheets is a good example of this tech.
ABS plastic sheets color customization
The original color of ABS resin is translucent ivory and white. ABS plastic sheet color matching is realized through adding pigments. Black, white, or grey color is quite common. Other colors such as red, yellow, blue, can be matched in accordance with Pantone code card. Color matching is not 100% perfect, for plastic sheet extrusion. Minimum difference should be taken into consideration. Few factories produce transparent or clear ABS plastic sheet. If using clear plastic sheet, clients usually choose acrylic or PC sheet.
ABS double color plastic sheets can be manufactured through co-extrusion. In this way, we can get one ABS plastic sheet, with two different colors on each surface of the sheet.
Recycled ABS plastic sheet
ABS plastics have a good recycling capacity. Although virgin grade plastic sheet has better mechanical properties, recycled ABS panel is better than many other types of plastics. This is both eco-friendly and cost-effective for some average standard applications.
ABS plastic sheet machining and molding
Most ABS plastic panel is machinable. It has great mechanical properties, suitable for forming, cutting, die cut, drilling, chroming, and welding. ABS plastic sheet fabrication is more easy and accurate compared with other materials, such as wood, metal or stone.
Thermoforming ABS plastic sheeting
Molding, bending or curving ABS plastic sheet is processed through heating the sheet at a operational temperature, and vacuum formed and shape based on a desired tooling mold. It is fast and low cost. Most manufacturers produce ABS thermoform plastic sheets. Vacuum forming ABS plastic sheet can be customized for sizes, colors and physical properties.
ABS sheet cutting
ABS sheet can be cut to desired size and shape, through laser cutting, sawing, CNC milling, routing and engraving. It would not be accurate cutting, if using knife. Besides, we can punch through a thin ABS plastic sheet with stamping machine, to get holes or desired outlines. Laser cutting will leave black edges, while CNC cutting will leave sharp edges. Secondary polishing sometimes is required.
ABS plastic sheet gluing and bonding
There is a special ABS glue, one-component solvent-based, with vinyl polymer as the base material. It is convenient to use, non-toxic, rapid to position. It has high bonding strength. After fully solidified, the bonding is waterproof, heat-resistant, cold-resistant, oil-resistant and corrosion-resistant.
Painting and printing on ABS plastic sheet
ABS plastic sheet has a good adhesion to paints. Screen printing or UV digital inkjet printing can be applied on ABS sheet surface. The paint is not easy to peel off.
Applications of ABS plastic sheets
ABS sheet has a plenty of applications in various industries, such as automobile, agriculture, marine, display, aerospace, refrigerator, electronics, food and beverage, construction and medical.
For automobile and vehicle:
ABS plastic sheet and board can be molded into ATV and UTV body kits, golf carts exterior covers, shuttle bus interiors, dashboard, after market engineer decorative cover, sweeping vehicle outer covers, and automotive trim, door panel.
Medical equipment:
A lot of large medical equipment housings, parts and covers, are constructed with ABS plastic sheets through vacuform, press forming and machining. ABS has excellent mechanical and aesthetic features. They are used for dental chair cover, MRI housing, hospital bed panel, trolley tray, , beauty machine cover, and so on.
For agriculture industry:
ABS plastic sheets are stain, bacteria and chemical resistant, making it suitable for agricultural operations. They are built as tractors interior and exterior parts, lawn machine components, and so on.
Q&A about ABS plastic sheet
There a type of plastic sheet bending machine, which can help bend abs plastic sheet easily and accurately. ABS sheet is thermoplastic. The part which is heated will become soft and easy to bend. ABS plastic ideal bending temperature for a thin sheet would be around 105℃. It can be easily formed to desired shape with heat.
The most suitable mold for abs sheets, is vacuum forming aluminum. It is durable and accurate. Design the shape with 3D drawing builder, and CNC the shape based on the 3D drawing file. Polish the surface which have contact with the abs plastic sheets, and drilling small holes in the mold for vacuuming the air between the mold and sheets. And at last, add a base to the mold on, which can easily be installed on the thermoforming machine.
It would be possible to cut a thin, such as 1mm, abs plastic sheet with knife. However, abs plastic sheet is rigid and tough, for thicker sheets, it is better to use saw, CNC machine, or laser.
ABS plastic sheet is often produced with thickness at around 1mm and above. It is rigid, not easy to roll. It is quite different from other thin sheet, with thickness below 1mm, in terms of rolling ability. ABS plastic sheet is not flexible to some extent.
You can join abs plastic sheets by gluing, welding, using screw.
The best way to mold abs sheets is by vacuum forming, press forming.
Yes, abs sheet has good resistance to gasoline.