Hardcore upgrade! eSUN’s brand new ABS+ achieves a dual leap in molding stability and mechanical properties.

eSUN In-Depth Dialogue | eSUN Product Engineer

Regarding ABS+: What have we done to make it easier to use?

In the 3D printing circle, when talking about materials that make people “love and hate”, ABS is definitely on the list.

Is ABS easy to use? Of course. It is one of the earliest used 3D printing materials and is currently also a highly cost-effective entry-level engineering 3D printing material.

The problems of ABS that are widely criticized by users are warping deformation and relatively poor strength. It has certain requirements for the printing environment and operations.

In order to make ABS compatible with both “easy printing” and “high performance”, eSUN restructured the formula of the ABS+ filament in 2025 — the brand-new generation of “Zero-Warping ABS+” officially debuts.

In this issue, we have invited Engineer Hu, the core R&D engineer of this material, to comprehensively analyze the ABS material for us.

Now that PLA and PETG are so popular, why do we still need ABS?

Engineer Hu: PLA and PETG are indeed very practical. Printing ornaments and small toys with them is great, and the threshold is low. But if you need to print models that require temperature resistance or mechanical structural parts that are subject to long-term stress, you still need to use more professional materials.

The background of ABS is a general engineering plastic. Its temperature resistance is better than both PLA and PETG, and it has higher strength and toughness, making it more durable. Secondly, ABS also has a unique advantage — a higher upper limit for post-processing. It allows for fine sanding and “acetone vapor smoothing” to improve the surface texture of the model.

What is the principle behind the warping and cracking of ABS? What impact does it have on practical applications?

Engineer Hu: Simply put, it is caused by the physical characteristic of “thermal expansion and contraction”. ABS has a relatively high shrinkage rate. After being melted and extruded at high temperatures (260-270°C), it cools rapidly when it encounters room temperature. Under the pulling force of cooling and shrinkage, the bottom edge of the model forcibly detaches from the heated bed and curls upward; this is warping. Once warping occurs, the entire model is deformed and scrapped.

When printing large-sized models, due to the long printing time, the cooling speed of different parts of the model varies. The “internal stress” generated by the inconsistent temperatures at the top and bottom of the model may directly tear and crack the layers of the model. This is also the reason why an enclosure is necessary when printing ABS.

Model warping or cracking not only causes material loss; for users engaged in small-batch production, poor printing stability will affect production efficiency.

What is the design concept of our ABS+? How are the actual test results?

Engineer Hu: Our principle has always been to make materials easier to use without sacrificing their original performance advantages. In this ABS+ material performance optimization project, we restructured the product formula from the bottom layer of the polymer mixture system. We not only achieved an extremely low warping rate, but the comprehensive performance of the material was also improved.

In terms of printing performance, this ABS+ can basically achieve “zero” warping during enclosed printing, does not require the application of glue, has little stringing, and exhibits highly outstanding printability.

In terms of other performances, after multi-party comparison tests, the interlayer bonding strength of the new ABS+ has been significantly improved at present, and the Z-axis tensile strength can reach 33MPa, which is at a leading level among ABS materials on the market. In addition, the heat deflection temperature of the new ABS+ can reach 89°C, which is also a certain improvement compared to ordinary ABS materials (around 75°C).

What do you think this product upgrade means to the 3D printing circle?

Engineer Hu: For ordinary users, material loss will be reduced, the printing success rate will be higher, and it will be easier for novices to get started.

For practical application scenarios, this product upgrade also helps to improve the stability, reliability, and overall production efficiency of small-batch production. When printing large models, the overall experience will have a significant enhancement and improvement.

Utilizing material innovation to better implement production or creativity.

eSUN’s brand new ABS+ is now fully available on the market!