ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is a petroleum-based engineering thermoplastic valued in 3D printing for heat resistance near 100 °C and for acetone vapor smoothing, and largely displaced by 📝ASA and 📝PETG for hobby work.
The material combines three monomers, each contributing a distinct property: acrylonitrile for chemical resistance, butadiene rubber for impact toughness, and styrene for rigidity and finish. It is among the most widely manufactured plastics outside of printing, used in LEGO bricks, automotive interior trim, and appliance housings. 📝Bambu Lab publishes a heat deflection temperature of 87 °C at 0.45 MPa for its ABS, placing it well above 📝PLA and PETG but below the filled engineering materials.
Printing conditions are demanding relative to the low-temperature materials. ABS runs at 230–260 °C with a 90–110 °C bed and effectively requires an enclosure, because it warps and delaminates without a stable ambient temperature around the part. It also emits styrene during printing, which makes ventilation a requirement rather than a preference.
The butadiene phase that supplies impact toughness is also the material's ultraviolet liability: it breaks down under sunlight, producing yellowing, chalking, and surface cracking after a few hundred hours of exposure. ASA was developed specifically to solve that failure, and PETG covers most indoor functional work at far lower difficulty. What ABS retains is a price advantage and acetone vapor smoothing, still the cheapest route to a genuinely layer-line-free surface. Full comparative context lives in 📝3D Printing Filament Types.