ASA will replace ABS material for swimming pool heat pump

What is ASA?

• ASA is a kind of engineering plastics. It is a graft copolymer of acrylate, acrylonitrile and styrene. It is divided into a copolymer core and a graft part. ASA has good mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, processability, impact resistance and weather resistance, and is widely used in the field of engineering plastics.

What is ABS?

• ABS material (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, ABS is the abbreviation of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is one of the common plastic materials. It is a thermoplastic polymer material with high strength, high toughness and easy processing.
• After molding, its glass transition temperature is approximately 105°C (221°F). ABS is amorphous, so it has no true melting point. 
• ABS plastic has three components in common. A enables it to have chemical resistance, heat resistance and certain surface hardness, B enables it to have high elasticity and toughness, and S enables it to have the processing and molding properties of thermoplastics and improve electrical properties. Performance.
• Therefore, ABS plastic is a kind of "hard, hard and hard" material with easily available raw materials, good comprehensive performance, low price and wide application.

 

ASA and ABS

• ASA is very similar in structure to ABS material. Technically speaking, ASA maintains the main properties of ABS material and combines the advantages and weather resistance of PMMA.
• The difference between acrylic rubber and cis-butadiene rubber is that there is no double bond, which makes the material's weather resistance and UV radiation resistance about ten times that of ABS, and it has higher long-term heat resistance and better heat resistance.

 

Chemical

• ASA is more resistant to environmental stress cracking than ABS material, especially alcohol and many cleaning agents. The glass transition temperature of ASA is lower than that of ABS, 100°C and 105°C, respectively, which provides the material with better low temperature performance.
• ASA has high outdoor weatherability; it retains gloss, color and mechanical properties when exposed to the outdoors. Has good chemical and heat resistance, high gloss, good antistatic properties, toughness and rigidity.
• It is used in applications requiring weatherability such as commercial siding, vehicle exterior parts or outdoor furniture.

 

Advantages and disadvantages of ASA&ABS

 

1.ABS Advantage:

• ABS has excellent comprehensive properties, excellent impact strength, good low temperature performance, and the strength does not decrease much at low temperature.
• Abrasion resistance: The abrasion resistance of ABS is very good. Although it cannot be used as a self-lubricating material, it can be used as a medium load bearing due to its good dimensional stability.
• Creep Resistance: Varies by variety. Ultra-high impact ABS products can withstand a load of 7Mpa without changing size.

ABS Shortcoming:

• The heat distortion temperature is low, but the heat-resistant grade ABS can reach 115 °C, and the embrittlement temperature is -7 °C.
• Combustible, the combustion grade of general-grade ABS is only HB; but it is flame retardant after modification.
• Weather resistance is poor, but can be improved by modification or replacement of butadiene in the component.

 

2. ASA performance advantages

• ASA resins are graft copolymers of acrylate rubber bodies with acrylonitrile and styrene. Compared with ABS, the weather resistance is fundamentally changed due to the introduction of double bond-free acrylate rubber instead of cis-butadiene rubber. It is about 10 times higher than ABS; other mechanical properties, processing properties, electrical insulation and chemical resistance are similar to ABS.
• Products processed with ASA resin do not require surface protection such as painting and electroplating, and can be directly used outdoors. After 9 to 15 months of sun exposure, there is little decrease in impact strength and elongation, and little change in color.
• Due to the special structure and composition of ASA resin, ASA has better impact resistance, weather resistance and high temperature resistance than ABS. Wide range of applications. Using Anqing Petrochemical's styrene and acrylonitrile resources to develop ASA resin has a broader development prospect.

 

 3.ASA is different from ABS

 

1. Different fire resistance

• Compared with ABS, due to the introduction of acrylic rubber without double bonds instead of cis-butadiene rubber, the fire resistance of ASA has changed greatly, which is about 10 times higher than that of ABS; the fire rating is B1, which meets the basic residential requirements.

2. Different sunlight exposure

• ASA resin tile is exposed to sunlight for 9 to 15 months, and the impact strength and elongation rate do not decrease, and the color does not change.

3. Different effects

• Due to the special structure and composition of ASA resin, ASA has better impact resistance, weather resistance and high temperature resistance than ABS. Be sure to choose a resin tile with ASA as the surface coating, so as to ensure the service life of the resin tile and the overall beauty.
• The main difference between ABS and ASA is weather resistance and UV resistance. The weather resistance of ASA is more than 10 times that of ABS. In layman's terms, the products produced by ASA can be used outdoors and in various complex environments for a long time without discoloration and deformation. , and ABS will quickly turn yellow and brittle under the same conditions, resulting in scrap.

 

 

So with the rise of ASA, it will gradually replace the material of ABS:

 

• Assuming that it is used for outdoor units, the service life of the casing is greatly improved, and the fire resistance is extremely high. It will also be an evolution of the original ABS swimming pool enclosure. Let's wait for the arrival of ASA together!
• ABS has been the "go-to" material for our plastic models for decades - and it still is for many of our tried and trusted models.

 

• But ASA has a big advantage…
• First off, the ASA's UV stability is a big plus - although none of the new enclosures mentioned above will be able to use them outdoors for their full lifespan. None will be bolted to the side of a building or clamped to a pole or mast.
• But that's no reason to skimp on UV resistance. You only have to look at how sunlight can fade furniture or pictures to see how much sunlight is entering a room and how much damage it can cause.