ABS plastic pre-treatment: ABS resins in dry form tend to absorb moisture. Thus, it is essential that they are dried prior to processing. It is recommended that ABS resins are treated between 80 to 90°C for at least 2 hours. This pretreatment restricts the moisture content of the resin to less than 0.1%. The moisture absorption rate of ABS plastic is between 0.2% – 0.8%.

In case of ABS plastic resins, high injection pressure is necessary due to its viscosity but your manufacturer needs to ensure that even though the injection pressure is high, it’s not excessively high as it can increase friction and cause sticking of the molded parts. These molded parts can be separated but separating the molded parts causes the production cost to increase. It is also essential to ensure that the injection pressure isn’t low as low pressure leads to an increase in mold shrinkage, which results in inferior quality parts.

ABS Plastic cannot only resist impacts, but it is also resistant to chemicals. It does get easily attacked by polar solvents but apart from that, it is strong and durable.

It’s established that ABS Plastic is a popular material choice for injection molding techniques but we must note that it has both advantages as well as disadvantages.

At Sterling Healthcare Manufacturing, we specialize in full-service, turnkey plastic component injection molding solutions. Our comprehensive part manufacturing capabilities allow customers to maintain oversight over the production of their parts, resulting in greater transparency and accountability. Additionally, we maintain ISO 9001:2015, our new ISO 13485 cleanroom certification and employ the use of FDA/medical-grade materials to ensure our injection molded components fully meet the strict specifications and standards of the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

At The Sterling Healthcare Manufacturing, we understand the importance of quality in component manufacturing. By leveraging our extensive knowledge of the medical and pharmaceutical industries, we provide full-service, turnkey plastic injection molding solutions that fully comply with industry specifications and standards. For additional information about our plastic injection molding capabilities and how we serve the medical and pharmaceutical industries, contact us today.

Thus, ABS plastic does not undergo degradation. They instead become liquid, so they can be easily injection molded. This property also allows it to be recycled. Thermoplastic liquefies when it reaches a certain temperature level. In the case of ABS plastic, this temperature is 105°C /  221°F. ABS plastic thus, remains rigid and tough even at low temperatures.

The next factor that your manufacturer should ensure is the injection molding speed. If the injection molding speed is high, it can cause burning or thermal decomposition of the plastic material. It can also cause poor glossiness, discoloration and weld lines in the plastic material.

Back Pressure: A high back pressure is able to ensure uniform mixing but to avoid wear, back pressure should be as minimum as possible. The expected back pressure is usually 5 bar.

As we have discussed above, ABS plastic is impact and chemical resistant which makes it ideal for a wide array of applications. It is also a popular choice in injection molding techniques because of its low melting point and low cost. It has been thus implemented in various industrial and commercial industries. Let’s take a look at some of the sectors ABS Plastic can be applied to:

It’s essential to pay attention to the radius size as it is inversely proportional to the stress and strain on ABS plastic. The more the radius, the less the stress.

It is imperative to ensure that ABS resins are dried before proceeding for processing and manufacturing. This is because dry ABS resins tend to absorb water which can result in various issues. They can lead to increased operating costs and cycles. You must also note that the presence of water often leads to cloudy molded parts.

ABS plastic in its pellet form is melted into a moldable state which is then injected into the cavity of the mold where it forms a part. The molten plastic solidifies as soon as the mold is filled which then cools to take the shape of the mold. Once it has fully cooled, the mold sides open to eject the part. The mold parts are then reset to begin the process again.

As mentioned above, there are many types of plastics available for medical injection molding operations. Each plastic possesses distinct qualities that influence how it performs in specific applications. Some of the key factors to consider when choosing between the material options include:

VEM Tooling has the expertise and the team that is required for your ABS plastic injection molding techniques. At VEM Tooling, we offer quick quotes, fast, and dependable service.

The wall thickness also determines the radius size, thus, it should be ensured by the manufacturer that the ratio of the radius to the wall thickness is not less than 0.3. You should also avoid using an excessively large radius as shrinkage of the resin can occur when the radius is too big.

On the other hand, if the injection molding speed is too slow, insufficient mold filling will occur which can result in other types of defects in the injection molded part.

ABS Plastic can be processed on almost every standard machinery. It can be injection-molded or blow-molded and since it has a low melting temperature (approximately 200°C or 392°F), it’s suitable for processing by 3D printing on an FDM machine. Thus, ABS plastic can be used in a wide array of applications.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the role of ABS in injection molding. This article encompasses What is ABS plastic? Its properties, its applications and when you should consider ABS plastic for your projects.

Standardization and quality are part of our companies core values. We deliver the best possible experience and product to our customers, every single time consistent. Take a look at our certificates!

To see an example of our work in the medical industry, check out this case study documenting how we optimized the mold design for a polystyrene diagnostic kit. You’ll also learn about how our custom capabilities — such as machine vision inspection — guarantee quality, cost efficiency, and 100% reliability for every order we complete.

ABS Plastic is one of the most popular material choices in injection molding. It is an amorphous thermoplastic widely used in manufacturing through injection molding techniques.

ABS plastic is a low-cost thermoplastic polymer whose properties enable it to be applied to various product designs. Let’s take a look at some of its properties:

Overheating ABS resins can lead to thermal decomposition which is why it is essential to ensure optimum injection molding temperature controls. If manufacturers apply excessive heat to the plastic, the chemical bonds will break which often results in brown granules on the injected molded part. This is generally unavoidable if your manufacturer uses old equipment with poor temperature control.

Further, let’s understand how ABS plastic reacts to heat and its melting temperature: ABS plastic is a thermoplastic. As opposed to the thermoset plastic materials which allow only one-time heating during the injection molding process, thermoplastics do not burn. They do not undergo degradation through the process of heating to their melting point, cooling and reheating.

Given the broad selection of suitable material options available, the first step in choosing a material for a project is narrowing down the list to the material family that fulfills the most part requirements (e.g., tensile strength, temperature load rate, etc.). From there, it is much easier to select the grade that best suits the project. Online databases—such as UL Prospector, MAT Web, and The British Plastics Federation—can provide information about materials that can further facilitate the selection process.

Medical and pharmaceutical products play a vital role in the health and safety of patients. As such, ensuring the quality of each product and its individual components throughout the manufacturing process—from design to final inspection—is essential. For this reason, it is vital to partner with an experienced medical/pharmaceutical component manufacturer that emphasizes quality and offers complete part traceability from start to finish.

If the thickness of the wall isn’t uniform, then the ABS plastic may be under stress which is why the wall of the plastic parts design must be uniformly thick. Your manufacturer can also implement extra ribs or radii to enhance the strength of the mold.

ABS Plastic can be applied to a wide array of products but it is particularly used when the project details require rigidity and durability from a product while ensuring that it is lightweight as well. Some of its popular applications include home appliances, musical instruments, computer parts and more.

The recommended temperature range is between  200 – 238°C / 392°F – 460.4°F. You must also ensure that if the temperature is higher, the resins should not be exposed for a longer time. This will prevent degradation of the ABS resins.

As indicated above, injection molding is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of manufacturing parts that meet the strict specifications and standards of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. For example, the process is often used to manufacture the small, high-precision components found in diagnostic testing kits, such as the lateral flow in-vitro diagnostic test cartridge produced in large quantities by our team.

As noted above in the properties, ABS plastic material has excellent resistance to stress, chemicals, heat and impact. It also offers a great balance of dimensional stability, tensile strength, and electrical characteristics. All these characteristics make it a strong and durable plastic material.

The injection molding process accommodates a wide range of plastic materials, making it well-suited to produce medical and pharmaceutical parts from whatever medical-grade plastic is required for the project. There are numerous plastics suitable for medical injection molding operations, each of which offers unique properties and performance characteristics. Common plastic material options for medical injection molding include:

VEM Tooling team encompasses experts that can provide you with ABS injection molding guidance. We ensure that you have a great experience and a seamless manufacturing process from prototype to production. You can contact us to further understand how ABS Injection Molding can be implemented for your project and solve your manufacturing needs.

Gate & Vent Design: The gate and vent design needs to be optimally designed according to the plastic. In the case of ABS plastic, following parameters should be paid attention to:

Each of these three monomers has distinct properties and they combine their specific properties into the polymer to create a robust polymer that can resist impacts. Let’s understand more about each of the 3 monomers that combine to form the ABS plastic:

ABS plastic has various grades and is available in fire-retardant, heat-resistant and palatable grades. It is thus considered not only durable but also safe.

Plastic injection molding is an efficient and cost-effective method of producing medical and pharmaceutical parts to high levels of precision, accuracy, and quality. It is used to create components from medical devices and equipment to laboratory tools and testing instruments. The following page provides an overview of the plastic injection molding process and its essential role in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

The molding temperature needs to be high when the injected molded ABS parts contain high gloss and ensure not to damage the material in the process. Thus, the temperature for ABS plastic is higher than other injection molding materials.

ABS Plastic is available in the form of resins, rods and sheets. We have listed some of the leading suppliers for ABS Plastic:

Advancements in material manufacturing techniques and technologies have led to the widespread use of plastics in modern manufacturing operations. In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, plastics are often used alongside the injection molding process to produce prototypes and full-production units of medical device and equipment components. As newer plastic materials and component designs are developed, injection molded plastics have increasingly contributed to lower infectious disease rates, better pain management, and lower medical costs.

Compared to other plastic manufacturing processes, plastic injection molding offers a number of clear advantages, especially when working with a knowledgeable and skilled injection molding partner. These benefits encompass the following: