Round Rod in ABS 3000 mm gray

Round rod in ABS is a rewarding starting material when you are going to turn a part that has to take knocks without cracking. The material is built on acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene, where the butadiene phase gives the toughness that separates ABS from more brittle plastics. You get stiffness and impact resistance in the same rod. Tensile strength is around 32 MPa and ball indentation hardness around 74 N/mm². With a density of 1.05 g/cm³ the rod is light in relation to its stiffness, which you notice both when handling it in the machine and in the finished part. It is a material that is kind to work with and forgiving of both tools and mistakes.

ABS works best indoors and in the workshop. The long-term temperature is around 75 degrees, for short periods the material handles up toward 100 degrees, and in the cold it works down to about minus 20. Within that range the rod keeps its properties. Water uptake is low, around 0.2 percent, so the part moves little in dimension even when the humidity shifts, something that is worth a lot in fits and tolerance-sensitive parts. The flame rating is HB. Without UV protection the material belongs indoors, since direct sun over time makes it brittle and discolored. For parts that are going to sit outdoors you should choose a stabilized grade instead.

In the lathe, ABS behaves nicely. It cuts clean, gives a fine surface and does not chip when parting off or cutting threads. Drilling and milling go just as well, and the chips clear nicely so it is easy to keep things tidy around the machine. You can bond parts with solvent-based adhesives that melt the surfaces together into a strong joint, and you can weld. The material takes color and can be polished to an even, smooth surface. Since it is softer than metal the machining goes fast and the tools last a long time, which brings down both time and cost per part. Threads hold well as long as you do not overload them.

Common parts made from round rod are spacers, bushings in lighter constructions, turn knobs, dials, handles and turned prototype shafts. When you are building a functional model and want to test fit and movement before moving on to metal or a more expensive engineering plastic, ABS is a cheap and fast choice. The material also turns up in fixtures, jigs and simpler machine parts that are not exposed to high loads or heat. There it is a matter of parts that have to sit firmly, look neat and take being dropped on the floor without breaking. Knobs, plugs and guide pins in lighter mechanics belong here too.

Choose the diameter with a little margin over the finished size so you have material to turn away down to a clean and dimensionally correct surface. Remember too that thicker rods give more stability to parts that have to take bending loads, while thinner ones are enough for spacers and lighter parts. Store the rods dry and straight, preferably lying down with support, so they do not bend over time. We cut the rod to the lengths you need, so you do not pay for waste. If you are unsure whether ABS handles the load, or whether the part needs better wear strength or heat resistance, get in touch and we will reason through the right material choice together.

Compared to a metal shaft, an ABS part is quiet, light and never rusts, but it does not take the same loads and heat. That makes the round rod a good choice for lighter mechanics, models and parts where weight and price matter more than maximum strength. If the part has to handle high wear or work hot, there are tougher and more heat-resistant plastics to move on to.

Remember too that ABS moves somewhat with temperature, so leave a little play in fits that have to sit across a wide temperature range. For threaded parts you keep the force down when tightening so the thread does not strip. If you want to compare against a more wear-resistant engineering plastic for a bearing bushing or a sliding surface there are better options, but for simpler turned parts ABS is cheap, fast and easy to work with.

In gray and 3000 mm the rod gives long blanks to cut bushings and rollers from.