Engineering

ABS: full cost overview

ABS is the engineering plastic of Lego bricks and automotive trim. Tough, heat-resistant to ~95 °C, machinable and solvent-weldable. Demands an enclosed chamber to avoid warping, ventilates VOCs while printing and shouldn't run in a closed bedroom. Worth the trouble when you need real mechanical durability.

Specs

Typical price: ~$22.00/kg
Print temperature: 230–260 °C
Bed temperature: 100–110 °C
Enclosed chamber: Recommended
Food-safe: No
Difficulty: ★★★★☆

When to use

• Functional parts under mechanical stress
• Parts that go in cars or near heat sources
• Items you'll acetone-vapor smooth
• Lego-like snap-fit prototypes

When NOT to use

• Open-frame printer without enclosure
• Closed bedroom without ventilation
• Food contact applications
• Parts exposed to sunlight (use ASA)

Sample calculation

For a 50 g part on a Bambu Lab A1, 6 h print time and 8% failure rate. Currency follows your selection at the top.

Filament$1.10
Energy$0.14
Amortization$0.15
Failures (8%)$0.11
Unit Cost$1.50
Final Consumer Price (3× / 6% / 2%)$6.53

Best printers for ABS

These models in our catalog handle ABS reliably out of the box — picked by enclosure, hotend temperature and drive system, not marketing.

ABS head-to-heads

ASA

~$30.00/kg · 240–260 °C

Nylon

~$45.00/kg · 240–270 °C

~$45.00/kg · 260–300 °C