ABS vs. Polypropylene : Deciding Between Two Popular Plastics
ABS is one of the most affordable thermoplastics and has excellent mechanical properties such as durability and rigidity, and has a high heat-deflection capability. Easy and fast to machine and fabricate, ABS has excellent “machinability.”
Benefits and Applications of ABS
For machining, it is not only fast and easy to machine, but also has impact resistance, strength, and stiffness over a wide temperature range. ABS is a reliable and familiar choice for 3D printing with its heat and creep resistance, and minimal oozing and stringing. It is also a popular choice for injection molding where an inexpensive, strong, and stiff plastic is needed.
Additional benefits of ABS include:
- A low-cost plastic.
- Mostly unaffected by temperature, humidity, and frequency.
- A solid electrical insulator—has exceptional dielectric properties.
- Resistant to most types of fluids, unaffected by water, alkali alcohols, inorganic salts, hydrocarbon solvents, and many acids.
- A strong material that holds up well to external impact because of its high tensile strength and impact resistance.
- Used for its aesthetic qualities thanks to its natural opaque and ivory tones, making it modifiable into vibrant, colorful parts with variable gloss levels from matte to high gloss.
Polypropylene (PP) is a widely used thermoplastic polymer known for its versatility, durability, and cost-effectiveness. It is part of the polyolefin family and is commonly used in injection molding, extrusion, and other manufacturing processes. The benefits of PP listed here span all three manufacturing processes we’ve discussed: molding, machining, and 3D printing.
Accordingly, for producing plastic parts with any of those methods, you’ll find PP to be:
- An inexpensive plastic, in fact cheaper than ABS
- Durable and tough
- Low in weight compared to other plastics
- Capable of floating on water, given it has a density of less than 1 g/ml
- Flexible—offering a high degree of flexural strength
- Able to sustain varied temperatures: It has a high melting point and cold temperature impact resistance
- Resistant to moisture absorption
- Chemical resistant; better chemical resistance than ABS because PP is semi-crystalline while ABS is amorphous
- Highly resistant to electricity—solid electrical insulation
Comparison with Other Plastics
| Property | PP | ABS |
| Density | Low | Moderate |
| Chemical Resistance | Excellent | Good |
| Impact Strength | Good | Excellent |
| Heat Resistance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Cost | Low | Moderate |
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Shenzhen Sanlixin Technology Co., Ltd. and Dongguan Sanlixin Plastic Technology Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer integrating precision plastic mold design, mold opening, single (double) color injection molding, IML injection molding processing, producing various single (double) color, IML process high-end appearance decorative structural parts, two-color buttons, USB dust plugs, panels and other plastic products, providing customers with fast, excellent, Midea all-round service, the company has 15 years of experience in precision plastic mold design, processing and production, with a variety of advanced machine injection molding equipment with excellent quality and fast service to win the trust and strong support of our customers.
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