Published December 1966
A unique family of plastics, commonly referred to as ABS resins, composed of three common monomers--acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene, has developed during the last 18 years. These resins are thermoplastic mixtures that are made up of two distinct phases: one phase is a rigid styrene acrylonitrile copolymer, and the other is a dispersed rubber phase consisting of a butadiene rubber onto which styrene-acrylonitrile monomers are grafted, As a result of their chemical composition and physical makeup, ABS resins have an unusually good combination of properties, which can be varied by the resin manufacturer to suit specific applications.
This report is concerned with comparing the cost and technology of the manufacture of ABS resins. Three processes for producing ABS graft resins are evaluated in detail. Included are two variations of the emulsion polymerization process, which is the most widely used commercial process. The other process is a more recent commercial development and uses a combination mass-suspension polymerization process.
