What is MABS (Transparent ABS)? What are its advantages?
2025-12-05
1. What is MABS?
MABS is a transparent resin material formed by copolymerizing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins.Also known as "MABS" material. It combines the high transparency of acrylic with the flexibility and excellent processability of ABS. It is commonly used in the production of transparent cosmetic bottles, transparent appliance housings, transparent toys, medical device casings, stationery, and similar applications.
As shown in the figure above, the left side displays natural ABS pellets, which appear milky white with a good luster but low transparency, being nearly opaque. The right side shows transparent ABS material, featuring high transparency along with a good gloss level.
2. Why choose MABS?
Summary: Transparent ABS addresses the drawback of poor optical properties in standard ABS materials while offering a significant cost advantage over engineering plastics like polycarbonate and polymethyl methacrylate. It is commonly used as a substitute for transparent plastic materials.
⭐ Advantages of Transparent ABS
- High transparency allows for clear viewing of product interiors and delivers strong light transmission.
- Impact resistant, withstands drops and bumps during daily use without damage.
- Easy to process, simple to injection mold
- Easy to color, with superior coloring properties compared to conventional transparent plastics.
- Inexpensive, cheaper than PC resin, while offering superior performance compared to PMMA.
⭐Comparative Advantages Over Other Transparent Plastics
| Material | Impact resistant | Heat resistant | Transparent | Price | Processability |
| Transparent ABS | 4 | 3 | 4 | Low | 4 |
| PC | 5 | 5 | 4 | Very High | 3 |
| PMMA | 2 | 2 | 5 | Low | 2 |
| PETG | 3 | 2 | 4 | High | 4 |
| PET | 2 | 1 | 4 | Low | 4 |
- Polycarbonate (PC plastic)offers exceptional impact resistance and high-temperature tolerance, making it a common choice for automotive lamp housings and appliance casings. However, its relatively high cost and processing challenges limit its use primarily to high-end product manufacturing.
- Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA resin) is another excellent transparent engineering plastic. Its relatively low cost makes it common in routine applications. However, this material has poor impact resistance and is prone to scratching from friction, limiting its use in applications demanding high aesthetic performance, such as lampshades, cosmetic bottles, and appliance housings.
- PETG and PCTG materials are modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) compounds. Compared to standard PET, they offer greater flexibility and lower melting temperatures, making them suitable for 3D printing filaments. Additionally, these materials are BPA-free and do not release toxic substances when exposed to high temperatures, making them ideal for manufacturing high-temperature water bottles and premium cosmetic packaging.
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), also known as PET material, is the most common transparent plastic in daily life. It is frequently used to produce drinking water bottles, oil containers, and carbonated beverage bottles. However, it has poor weather resistance, tends to degrade in high and low temperature environments, is prone to material breakage, and is difficult to process in thick-walled product manufacturing.
3. Common Transparent ABS Manufacturers
⚠️Luoyang Baiyou offers 1,000+ types of plastic raw materials. We recommend our high-performance, cost-effective transparent ABS material. For inquiries, please contact us.➡️ +86 15837933829
The transparent ABS material produced by Toray Chemical Industries, Inc. of Japan, model Toyolac 920 555 U, manufactured at Toray Chemical Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., is a plastic material with superior and stable performance. Due to its excellent processability, it is widely chosen by manufacturers.
These two transparent ABS materials are produced in South Korea by Lotte Chemical and LG Chem, respectively, which are also the primary suppliers of transparent ABS materials. Among them, LG TR558A MABS has greater market inventory and is more readily available. If customers previously used Toray's transparent ABS, this material can serve as a direct replacement with virtually no difference in performance.
Lotte Straex TX-0520IM is a transparent ABS material produced by Lotte Chemical, though it is less commonly used by manufacturers.
Terlux HD 2802 MABS material, manufactured by INEOS Styrolution in the UK, offers good light transmission and easy processing properties. It is less commonly used in the Asian market, but manufacturers in Eastern European countries frequently utilize this material.
Additionally, we can supply transparent ABS material PA758 MABS manufactured by Taiwan's Chi Mei Industrial Co., Ltd., as well as MABS CT-2010 from Guangxi Changke New Materials—one of only two transparent ABS producers in China.
⚠️Please note that transparent ABS production technology is nearly monopolized, resulting in limited available manufacturers. We can provide commonly available transparent ABS materials on the market. If required, please contact us to confirm inventory quantities.
⚠️Please note that transparent ABS production technology is nearly monopolized, resulting in limited available manufacturers. We can provide commonly available transparent ABS materials on the market. If required, please contact us to confirm inventory quantities.
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