PRODUCT PROFILE Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resins (ABS) are the largest-volume engineering thermoplastic resin. It is a copolymer made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene. ABS is a bridge between commodity plastics like polystyrene and higher-performance engineering thermoplastics like polycarbonate. ABS resins are composed mainly of styrene and varying amounts of butadiene and acrylonitrile. The styrene base provides rigidity and ease of processability, and acrylonitrile offers chemical resistance and heat stability. The butadiene portion of ABS supplies toughness and impact strength. The composition of ABS resins can vary widely, allowing the production of many different grades, which can thus be tailored for different end-use applications. The electronics industry is the growing outlet for ABS, where it is used for business machines, computers, radios, televisions and telephone handsets. Product characteristics Chemical name : Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resins Chemical formula : (C8H8)x• (C4H6)y•(C3H3N)z) . Melting point : 105 °C (221 °F) APPLICATIONS OF ABS Resin:- ABS resins are consumed mainly in the appliances and electrical/electronic industries. Large volume applications for ABS resins include appliance parts and automotive/transportation uses. Approximately 60% of the total world consumption of ABS resins was for these two markets. The next-largest end use is in the transportation sector (primarily automobiles). In these markets, ABS competes with specialty thermoplastics such as polycarbonates, as well as with commodity polymers such as polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene resins. ABS resins are frequently used in polymer blends for many differing applications. ABSs light weight and ability to be injection molded and extruded make it useful in manufacturing products such as drain-waste-vent (DWV) pipe systems, musical instruments (recorders, plastic clarinets, and piano movements), golf club heads (due to its good shock absorbance), automotive trim components, automotive bumper bars, enclosures for electrical and electronic assemblies, protective headgear, whitewater canoes, buffer edging for furniture and joinery panels, luggage and protective carrying cases, small kitchen appliances, and toys, including Lego bricks. ABS plastic ground down to an average diameter of less than 1 micrometer is used as the colorant in some tattoo inks. ABS is also commonly used in rapid prototyping extrusion-based 3D printers. Its glass transition temperature makes it a material of choice for rapid prototyping relatively high as to reduce unwanted deformation at slightly elevated temperatures but low enough to be safely attainable with standard extrusion setups. GLOBAL SCENARIO: World consumption of ABS is projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 4.0%, with rates of 5–5.5% in China, India and Oceania; 4.0–4.7% in the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa; and 3.2–3.9% in Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, and Central and South America. Indian demand of ABS resin in 2010-2011 is estimated around 120,000 tons per annum. Growth rate in demand through 2020 is estimated to be 9% per annum. Global capacity will increase 4% per year through 2012, to 9.8 million tons per annum. The market has diverged into a general purpose sector, where cost and productivity are the most important factors and engineering plastics sector is driving most of the industry's growth.