Use of Mechanical Agglomeration Technology for Rubber Particle Size Control in Emulsion ABS Production

Poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) or ABS is an engineering thermoplastic used in a wide range of applications from automobile parts, office supplies, household appliances, toys, etc. Rubber particle size (PS) and particle size distribution (PSD) in emulsion ABS plays a key role in determining the final performance of the ABS material. Typically there are 3 ways to control the PS and PSD: 1 Direct growth, 2 Chemical agglomeration, and 3 Mechanical agglomeration. This article briefly compares the pros and cons of each method showing that the mechanical agglomeration is superior in many aspects by reducing the reactor cycle time and increasing overall line productivity and product quality.