ABS or HIPS?

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GetzJedi
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ABS or HIPS?

Post by GetzJedi » Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:51 pm

Anybody know the pros and cons of having a helmet or costume part made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and one made of HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene)?
Desmond 'Vampire 2' Soh
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recon
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Post by recon » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:23 am

some info, dunnoe whether it does help you

ABS has a little more rubber blended into the mix, and is significantly more difficult to pull than HIPS. The good thing about the rubber content is that allows the plastic to be more flexible and resilient before cracking from fatigue. HIPS is a little more brittle, and will suffer stress fractures much sooner than ABS.

When heated, ABS gives off a really strong odor compared to HIPS. Definitely have good ventilation no matter what kind of plastic you are pulling.

ABS requires a high vacuum source in order to pull tight details. Because of the rubber blended in, after the pull, the details will continue to soften as the plastic is cooling. HIPS usually retains the detail after being pulled.

HIPS is significantly more forgiving when it comes to heating the plastic. You can over heat the HIPS (to an extent) and get a decent pull. ABS will develop an orange peel finish, and stretch too thin, resulting in a wasted piece of plastic.

The original Stormtrooper armor was pulled in styrene, and it survived the filming of three movies (not in pristine shape, but long enough for the actors to tumble around in it as they were running and being blown up).

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Post by GetzJedi » Sat Mar 06, 2010 2:01 am

The info is definitely beneficial, recon. Thanks! I'm actually considering between an ABS helmet and a HIPS helmet.
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Post by HyBRiD » Sat Mar 06, 2010 4:45 am

i would pick abs in my opinion =D
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Post by recon » Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:09 am

Some additional info:

Polystyrene (PS) is a clear, colorless polymer used extensively for low-cost applications. It is available commercially in both pellet and sheet form. The most serious deficiencies are low impact strength, poor weatherability and poor chemical resistance. Numerous modified grades which seek to correct these shortcomings are commercially available.

ABS possesses outstanding impact strength and high mechanical strength, which makes it so suitable for tough consumer products. Additionally, ABS has good dimensional stability and electrical insulating properties.

HIPS while great to work with and becomes pliable at a much lower tempurature, scratches and dents very easily. It also does not have the same tensil strength of ABS.

ABS requires higher heat to become pliable and it is harder with a higher tensil strength.

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Post by Frodo,Naruto,Weirdo » Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:39 am

recon wrote:Some additional info:

Polystyrene (PS) is a clear, colorless polymer used extensively for low-cost applications. It is available commercially in both pellet and sheet form. The most serious deficiencies are low impact strength, poor weatherability and poor chemical resistance. Numerous modified grades which seek to correct these shortcomings are commercially available.

ABS possesses outstanding impact strength and high mechanical strength, which makes it so suitable for tough consumer products. Additionally, ABS has good dimensional stability and electrical insulating properties.

HIPS while great to work with and becomes pliable at a much lower tempurature, scratches and dents very easily. It also does not have the same tensil strength of ABS.

ABS requires higher heat to become pliable and it is harder with a higher tensil strength.
sounds like a professor in some Uni. explained in detail and yet understandable to layman. ;o)
I'm a clean scout, so dun dirty my armour on purpose.

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Post by recon » Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:48 am

Frodo,Naruto,Weirdo wrote:
recon wrote:Some additional info:

Polystyrene (PS) is a clear, colorless polymer used extensively for low-cost applications. It is available commercially in both pellet and sheet form. The most serious deficiencies are low impact strength, poor weatherability and poor chemical resistance. Numerous modified grades which seek to correct these shortcomings are commercially available.

ABS possesses outstanding impact strength and high mechanical strength, which makes it so suitable for tough consumer products. Additionally, ABS has good dimensional stability and electrical insulating properties.

HIPS while great to work with and becomes pliable at a much lower tempurature, scratches and dents very easily. It also does not have the same tensil strength of ABS.

ABS requires higher heat to become pliable and it is harder with a higher tensil strength.
sounds like a professor in some Uni. explained in detail and yet understandable to layman. ;o)
Erm gotten the info from some discussion in CT...about casting armors...HIPS or ABS :)

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Post by GetzJedi » Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:17 am

Got some similar replies from the legion forum...
tk0580 wrote:Both ABS and HIPS (styrene) are great. ABS has better impact resistance, but Styrene gets better detail.

In general, if you were to make something with .060 ABS, than .090 Styrene will be just as strong, but get a bit better detail. Styrene however, does not have as much "bounce back" or tear strength, so be sure not to get *too* crazy while in Styrene armour.

Break dancing or Pro Wrestling in Styrene is just plain out. Waling about a convention is fine.

Any white plastic is not as UV resistant as black. Both black styrene and black ABS is UV resistant. White will yellow..... after YEARS and years and years of direct sunlight exposure. So you know, when you are sixty, you should change out your armour ;)

In short they are both fine.
tk0580 wrote:No problem! Also Styrene is less expensive. But then there is the trade off of getting styrene in .090 if you would normally get ABS in .060. So the price evens out. *shrug*

For your first time vac-forming, get Styrene. Styrene is WONDERFUL to work with. It heats evenly, where ABS heats in patches before dispersing the heat evenly. Start at low heat and work to hotter as you feel comfortable.

DO NOT EVER leave plastic on a heating box unattended. Even if the heating box is off. anything can happen. Styrene and ABS is a PETROLEUM product. Oil man, black gold, Texas tea. Once that stuff hits a heating element, yell FIRE and get the fire extinguisher. We're talking flames 4' high or more and black rolling smoke that is extremely toxic.

Err... not that Im speaking from experience or anything :oops: *cough cough* But yeah, make absolute sure you have a new fire extinguisher no more than 3 feet away from your heating box.

Safety first.

and read up on the data sheets. Find the optimal forming temperature for each. Thinner stuff takes less temperature, thicker takes more. But not *that* much variation.

And ask anytime you have a question. Im the low guy on the totem pole, there are fellas here who are plastic gods in comparison to my limited knowledge. Better to have all the info before you start playing, as it can be extremely hazardous.

Try to get with someone nearby who does it already and get a feel for it under tutelage. Better to drive 4 hours and learn from someone knowledgeable than have a bad time and ruined stuff trying to wing it on your own.
Desmond 'Vampire 2' Soh
TI/ID/TX 5850
JRS Cadet Mentor
Singapore Garrison
501st Legion

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