Nowadays, ABS doesn’t have the best reputation among hobbyists due to its relative printing difficulty. While it’s definitely much harder to print than materials like PLA, ABS still has many cool properties. Its durability as well as its ability to be vapor smoothed prove to be useful in many applications.
ABS doesn’t have to be a pain to print, though. There are a few easy steps you can take to facilitate the printing process. Enclosing your printer, using a heated bed and adhesive, and fine-tuning your cooling will help you achieve the best results.
To give you an idea of the type of designs that could benefit from ABS, we’ve compiled a list of cool models that would be a good fit for this material’s characteristics. And if you want to take advantage of ABS’ properties but don’t want to deal with printing it, give Craftcloud by All3DP a try. Upload your model, pick ABS and your desired finish, then let a professional printing service handle the rest!
Around the House
Soap Dish
A soap dish is an easy way to level up your shower experience. Why not try a durable and stylish model, printed bespoke for your bar of soap? It’s designed to easily clip onto the riser rail in the shower, providing a stable platform. To scale it to your shower, measure your rail in mm and divide by 21.9 to get the right scale factor.
The designer of this model recommends using ABS filament to print this model instead of PLA since it offers better strength and durability. When they printed it in PLA, it broke in a matter of months.
- Who designed it? savagerodent
- How printable/popular is it? This practical model has around 100 downloads and 1 posted make so far.
- Where to find it? Cults
Easter Cats
These Easter cats are a fun way to store items. They look awesome in every color and will look even cooler after vapor smoothing. When printing large, circular models, you might run into inconsistencies in the layer lines, which vapor smoothing will iron out for a better finish.
Vapor smoothing is possible with ABS, which is highly reactive to acetone. It’s a great post-processing technique that yields awesome results. If you want to give it a try on these cats, you’ll want to play with the timing to make sure you don’t lose the fine detail of their facial expressions.
- Who designed it? TomoDesigns
- How printable/popular is it? These cats have 169 makes and over 4,100 downloads!
- Where to find it? Printables
Door Catch
If you’re tired of doors slamming shut and causing damage, this model is here to save the day. This door catch, crafted from durable ABS, offers the perfect solution. With its lightweight yet robust construction, it effectively prevents doors from slamming shut and protects frames from potential wear and tear.
The design comprises two parts: one with a ball-shaped head that attaches to the door and the other with a catcher-like head that attaches to the wall. While the author used ABS to print this door catch, many versions have been printed with different filaments.
- Who designed it? Worlds6440
- How printable/popular is it? With 22 posted makes, 18 remixes, and more than 21,000 downloads, you can print your own, too!
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Vase
This model comes from the amazing Devin Montes over at the Make Anything YouTube channel. The vase has two colors, creating the awesome effect that you see. If you don’t have a dual extrusion machine, it’ll still look great in just one color.
Many makers have chosen to print the vase in a wide array of colors and materials, but this model is another great candidate for ABS. Vapor smoothing this model would help to eliminate layer lines and achieve a smooth finish.
- Who designed it? MakeAnything
- How printable/popular is it? This vase has several community prints and over 187,000 views!
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Direwolf
3D printing hobbyists aren’t immune to Game Of Thrones fever, so there are a lot of awesome GoT models circulating around the internet like this direwolf. Printing this paraphernalia on its own is great, and with a little post-processing, it’ll be even better.
Whether you want to vapor smooth or paint it, ABS is a great option. If you want to paint the model, remember that sanding is a better option than vapor smoothing, as the paint won’t easily stick to a smooth surface. Plus, ABS is easier to sand than PLA.
- Who designed it? wilibald
- How printable/popular is it? This model has 22 makes and 6 remixes, plus some positive user comments.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Planter Pot
Who doesn’t love 3D printing a new home for their plants? Planters are another good candidate for ABS’ post-processing advantages. Vapor smoothing the prints will give you a smooth and glossy surface on your plants’ new homes.
Just watch out for the timing. You don’t want to lose the detail on the stairs. The designer of this model says the planter can be printed without any supports.
- Who designed it? Qrome
- How printable/popular is it? This planter has 41 makes and over 1,000 downloads.
- Where to find it? Printables
Functional Solutions
Warp Test
ABS is notorious for its difficulty to print, so an easy way to tune your printer is by using a test such as this one. This test will give you a great idea of how your machine handles ABS, specifically how it handles warping – a characteristic trait of the material. With a bit of adjustment, though, you’ll be printing ABS like a pro!
As with any test print, feel free to play around with any settings you deem necessary for the success of your ABS endeavors.
- Who designed it? ctrlV
- How printable/popular is it? This popular test print has 300 makes and around 175,000 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Bike Repair Stand
Bikes can really be a pain to fix! It pays to have a solid stand to prop your bike up onto, and luckily, you can 3D print one. With this design, you can pop your bike’s handlebars into the slots on the stand and flip it upside down for easy access to the important stuff.
ABS is more durable than a material like PLA, so printing this model in ABS will reduce the chance of the stand fracturing and breaking. The designer says ABS works well and that they used 15% honeycomb infill without the top and bottom layers.
- Who designed it? DusanMerta
- How printable/popular is it? This bike repair stand has 16 makes as well as around 800 downloads.
- Where to find it? Printables
Hook
Hooks are some of the most useful objects the universe has given us. Whether to hang up your coat, hat, or pots and pans in the kitchen, there’s nothing better than the simplicity of a hook. If you’re planning to use bulkier loads with this hook, printing in ABS is a great idea. As we’ve mentioned before, ABS’ durability makes it ideal for such applications.
The designer doesn’t have too many recommendations on printing the hook, but we (and many of the makers) recommend printing the hook sideways, which should drastically improve the strength.
- Who designed it? Erikjuh
- How printable/popular is it? This hook design has 90 makes, 20 remixes, and over 50,000 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Drone Visor
Is the sun getting in the way of your dramatic drone shots? Fear no more because this sun visor has you covered! It clips right onto your Parrot Bebop drone and will help prevent lens flares.
You’ll definitely have some advantages if you print it with ABS. If you crash, at least your visor will have a decent chance of surviving. The model’s walls are pretty thin, so some extra strength couldn’t hurt.
Just be cautious about keeping the visor in the sun for too long, as ABS doesn’t handle UV rays well over time.
- Who designed it? em.bash
- How printable/popular is it? The sun visor has over 900 downloads and more than 12,000 views.
- Where to find it? MyMiniFactory
Grips & Holders
Motorcycle Phone Holder
Here’s a phone holder specifically designed for motorcycles. Inspired by the popular Quadlock system, it’s designed to securely lock onto motorcycles with 22 mm and 25 mm thick handlebars.
Since it’s meant to be used outdoors, the creator recommends printing it with ABS for extra durability with 50% infill, 3 perimeters, and supports activated.
To assemble the holder, you will need the following additional materials: two XMH 5.8 20-mm screws with washers and lock nuts, along with a 4×25-mm screw with a washer and lock nut. For optimal installation, it’s recommended to use high-quality double-sided tape.
- Who designed it? 3dprintmovieking1984
- How printable/popular is it? This model has 15 downloads and 1 posted make so far.
- Where to find it? Cults
ABS Spring Clip
In a world where spring clips have become a go-to tool for securing and organizing objects, you’re certain to find a good use for this ABS clip. Combining the reliability of traditional spring mechanisms with the strength of ABS, this design will withstand whatever you throw its way.
The clip is a remix of another design, specifically intended for ABS filament. The result is a robust spring clip that’s not too strong to squeeze. Some of the posted makes are in PLA and PETG, so you can also use another material if you wish.
- Who designed it? jouda (remixed from pleppik)
- How printable/popular is it? Over 3,000 downloads, 4 makes, and 2 remixes prove this model is worth printing.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
Vise
A vise is something you don’t see 3D printed often, but when you do, it’s really awesome. The model comes in a few parts and can be assembled without any external hardware.
You’ll benefit from printing this in ABS, as the material has good flexural strength, which will help your vise last a long time. The designer recommends printing the model with three shells and 35% infill.
- Who designed it? TheGoofy (Christoph Laimer)
- How printable/popular is it? This vise has an impressive 847 makes and 51 remixes.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
PCB Holder
This PCB Holder works on the basis of an elastic potential loading mechanism. It has two grabbers that use a spring mechanism to hold the PCB board for you. It doesn’t need any supports, so you can easily print it in one go in a horizontal orientation.
To watch the designer describe how the project works in more detail, you can check out the YouTube video. With this grip, you can easily work on your PCB board while keeping it secure and stable.
Origami Carabiner
Carabiners are useful for a lot of things, and they’re an extremely practical and useful 3D print – especially when they’re printed in ABS. PLA has a tendency to be brittle and isn’t the best choice for a carabiner.
While there are several other stronger and more robust materials, ABS is one of the most cost-efficient. It’s also much more durable than other options, so it’ll handle day-to-day life much better than a material such as PLA. The designer recommends printing the carabiners with more than 50% infill to yield the best results.
- Who designed it? Charlie1982, EnerDesign
- How printable/popular is it? This carabiner has 620 makes and over 400,000 downloads.
- Where to find it? Thingiverse
License: The text of "The 15 Most Useful Things to 3D Print in ABS" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.