Consumer Electronics
Electronic Housings & Handheld Devices
Flame-retardant housings and covers for handheld devices and peripherals.
Fused Deposition Modeling FR-PC-ABS For Flame-Retardant Housings and Enclosures
Build Volume
406 × 355 × 406 mm
FDM material
FR-PC-ABS overview
FR-PC-ABS is a flame-retardant, self-extinguishing blend of polycarbonate and ABS, 3D printed by FDM and made with a UL 94 V-0 rated base resin. It keeps the toughness, heat resistance and paintable surface of PC-ABS and is tougher than flame-retardant ABS, so housings around electronics, wiring and controls stay durable in service. Teams use it for electronics housings, control panel housings, equipment covers and interior trim.
How FR-PC-ABS is manufactured
FR-PC-ABS is manufactured using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), building parts layer by layer on our industrial Stratasys Fortus 450 with a heated build chamber. Its amorphous structure shrinks little and evenly, so housings hold their size and mating features line up. Parts need no tooling, so a one-off prototype housing and a short run of enclosures print from the same files.
- Build volume
- 406 × 355 × 406 mm
- Layer height
- 0.127-0.330 mm
- Colour
- Black
Forge Labs Steam
Know before you manufacture in FR-PC-ABS.
Upload CAD files to Forge Labs Steam for FR-PC-ABS pricing and a manufacturability review, and fix issues before production.
Upload CAD files to Forge Labs Steam for FR-PC-ABS pricing and a manufacturability review, and fix issues before production.
Industry applications
Industry applications for FR-PC-ABS
FR-PC-ABS brings flame retardancy to the PC-ABS blend, for parts that sit around electronics, wiring and controls. It combines the impact resistance and heat deflection of polycarbonate with the surface quality and processability of ABS, and its flame-retardant base resin self-extinguishes once the flame source is removed.
Printed by FDM, a flame-retardant housing goes from CAD to a finished part with no mould, and repeat lots print from the same files, so covers arrive for each assembly batch.
The blend is an electrical insulator and takes paint well, so enclosures can be finished to match a product while keeping insulating walls between boards, terminals and the user. Bosses, ribs, snap features and mounting points print in one part, cutting fasteners and assembly steps.
Industrial Equipment
Control Housings & Equipment Enclosures
Flame-retardant control housings and enclosures, reordered from the same files.
Automotive
Vehicle Interior Trim & Covers
Console trim, bezels and covers in a flame-retardant PC/ABS blend.
Consumer Electronics
Electronic Housings & Handheld Devices
Product teams use FR-PC-ABS for handheld device housings, peripheral enclosures and covers around circuit boards, where the enclosure material has to be flame-retardant. Housings print with their bosses, ribs and mounting features in one part, and the blend stays tough when a device is dropped.
- Handheld device housings
- Peripheral enclosures
- Circuit board covers
Industrial Equipment
Control Housings & Equipment Enclosures
Equipment builders use FR-PC-ABS for control panel housings and bezels, machine interface components and equipment covers, and clean tech teams use it for enclosures and covers on power and energy equipment. Released drawings can specify the material, layer height, fill and build direction, and repeat lots print from the same files without a mould.
- Control panel housings and bezels
- Machine interface components
- Equipment enclosures and covers
Automotive
Vehicle Interior Trim & Covers
Automotive teams use FR-PC-ABS for console trim, bezels and interior covers where the part calls for a flame-retardant plastic. The blend handles cabin heat, stands up to short-term contact with cleaners and engine coolant, and prints in black.
- Console trim and bezels
- Interior covers
- Interior module prototypes
Performance data
Technical performance for FR-PC-ABS
Typical values for FR-PC-ABS parts printed flat (XY) on the Fortus 450. Compare with PC-ABS or another material side by side.
Mechanical performance
Mechanical properties
FR-PC-ABS keeps the strength and stiffness of the PC-ABS blend, so flame-retardant housings take screws, snap fits and drops in service.
The flame-retardant package makes the blend slightly stiffer and less ductile than standard PC-ABS. Like all FDM parts it is strongest along the layers, so orient features under tension, bending or impact so stress runs along them.
PropertyValue
- Tensile Strength at Break (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 35–40 MPa
- Tensile Modulus (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 1850–2100 MPa
- Elongation at Break (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 3–5 %
- Flexural Strength (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 60–67 MPa
- Flexural Modulus (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 1900–2100 MPa
Material makeup
Physical properties
The flame-retardant package makes FR-PC-ABS slightly denser than standard PC-ABS, and parts stay lightweight. Its amorphous structure shrinks little and evenly, so housings hold their size and mating features line up.
PropertyValue
- DensityForge Labs typical range
- 1.18–1.24 g/cm³
Heat performance
Thermal properties
FR-PC-ABS is amorphous, so it has no melting point; the glass transition temperature marks where it begins to soften. Heat deflection sits a little below standard PC-ABS and well above ABS, for housings around warm electronics and in vehicle cabins.
PropertyValue
- Glass Transition TemperatureForge Labs typical range
- 115–125 °C
- HDT @ 0.45 MPa / 66 psi (XY)Forge Labs typical range
- 95–110 °C
Functional performance
Electrical properties
FR-PC-ABS is an electrical insulator, for housings, covers and insulating walls around circuit boards, terminals and wiring.
PropertyValue
- Surface ResistanceForge Labs typical range
- > 10¹³ Ω/sq
Compatibility data
Chemical properties
FR-PC-ABS is rated by chemical class at room temperature, as a PC/ABS blend. It is excellent against weak acids and deionized water and good for short-term contact with alcohols, windshield washer fluid, engine coolant, petroleum greases and bases. Fuels, motor oil, transmission and brake fluid and strong acids are rated limited, while ketones, esters, phenols, halogenated solvents and silicone oils attack it.
Chemical ratings are screening guidance; confirm them with application-specific testing before production release.
ChemicalRating
- Weak acids (pH 3–6)
- Excellent
- Deionized water
- Excellent
- Alcohol / ethanol
- Good
- Windshield washer fluid
- Good
- Antifreeze / engine coolant
- Good
- Petroleum greases
- Good
- Weak bases (pH 8–10)
- Good
- Strong bases (pH > 10)
- Good
- Aliphatic hydrocarbons (propane, butane)
- Limited
- Aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene)
- Limited
- Petroleum fuels
- Limited
- Motor oil
- Limited
- Transmission fluid
- Limited
- Brake fluid
- Limited
- Strong acids (pH < 3)
- Limited
- Ketones (MEK, acetone)
- Poor
- Esters
- Poor
- Phenols
- Poor
- Halogenated hydrocarbons (CFCs, methylene chloride)
- Poor
- Silicone greases / oils
- Poor
Compliance
Compliance profile
FR-PC-ABS is flame-retardant and self-extinguishing, made with a UL 94 V-0 rated base resin.
The V-0 rating belongs to the base resin; 3DXTECH publishes no rating for printed parts or UL file for the grade, so products with a UL 94 requirement are assessed on the finished part. It carries no FST, FAR 25.853, food-contact or biocompatibility data; ULTEM 9085 is the FDM material with FAA flame, smoke and toxicity data.
StandardStatus
- UL 94 flammabilityMade using UL 94 V-0 rated base resin (3DXTECH Triton3D product page); no printed-part rating, thickness or UL file published
- V-0 (base resin)
Related materials
Compare FR-PC-ABS with similar materials
Resources
Datasheets and design resources
Datasheets, design guidance and supplier documentation for FR-PC-ABS.
Download center
Access the most recent datasheet and supporting documentation maintained by our engineering team.
FR-PC-ABS datasheetDesign guidelines
Explore printable geometry recommendations, wall thickness tips, and finishing playbooks for FDM.
View FDM design guide
Advanced Manufacturing
Built with Precision FDM Technology
FR-PC-ABS runs on the Stratasys Fortus 450, an industrial FDM system with a heated build chamber, using the Fortus PC/ABS print settings for consistent layer adhesion and mechanical integrity.
- Tolerance
- ±0.25 mm or ±0.3%, whichever is greater
- Production capacity
- Multiple parts or assemblies in each build
- Quality control
- In-process monitoring and batch traceability for consistent part quality and material properties
- Colours & finishes
- Black; support removal, sanding, drilling, tapping and painting
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about FR-PC-ABS
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our customer support team.
- FR-PC-ABS, also written FR PC/ABS, is a flame-retardant, self-extinguishing blend of polycarbonate and ABS, 3D printed by FDM. Forge Labs prints it in Triton FR-PC/ABS from 3DXTECH on a Stratasys Fortus 450, for housings, enclosures, covers and interior trim.
- Printed flat, FR-PC-ABS typically reaches 35-40 MPa tensile strength and 60-67 MPa flexural strength, with heat deflection of 95-110 °C at 0.45 MPa and a density of 1.18-1.24 g/cm³. It is an electrical insulator, shrinks little and evenly, and is made with a UL 94 V-0 rated base resin.
- FR-PC-ABS is the flame-retardant version of the PC-ABS blend; standard PC-ABS is rated UL 94 HB and is not flame retardant. The flame-retardant package makes FR-PC-ABS slightly denser and stiffer, with less elongation and slightly lower heat deflection. PC-ABS is printed in black or white; FR-PC-ABS is printed in black.
- The base resin is. Triton FR-PC/ABS is made using a UL 94 V-0 rated base resin and self-extinguishes. 3DXTECH publishes no UL 94 rating for printed parts, no test thickness and no UL file for the grade, so products with a UL 94 requirement are assessed on the finished part.
- FR-PC-ABS is used for electronic device housings, peripheral enclosures and circuit board covers, control panel housings and bezels, equipment enclosures and covers, and vehicle interior trim, wherever a tough PC/ABS part has to be flame-retardant.
- FR-PC-ABS is flame-retardant and self-extinguishing, tougher than flame-retardant ABS, an electrical insulator and dimensionally stable, with low, even shrinkage. Parts are easily sanded, drilled, tapped and painted, and need no tooling.
- As a PC/ABS blend, FR-PC-ABS is rated excellent against weak acids and water and good for short-term contact with alcohols, windshield washer fluid, engine coolant, petroleum greases and bases. Fuels, oils, brake fluid and strong acids are rated limited, and ketones, esters, phenols and halogenated solvents attack it.
- Ketones, esters, phenols and halogenated solvents attack FR-PC-ABS. It has slightly lower heat deflection and elongation than standard PC-ABS and prints in black only. Like all FDM parts it is weaker across the layers, so load-bearing features should be oriented along them.
- Forge Labs prints FR-PC-ABS in black. Parts can be sanded, primed and painted to match a product finish.
- Upload your CAD files to Forge Labs Steam and our team prepares the quote for FR-PC-ABS parts. Parts up to 406 × 355 × 406 mm print in one piece on the Stratasys Fortus 450.
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STEP, STL, OBJ, 3MF and IGES supported
- Manufacturing technologies
- 6
- Engineering materials
- 50+
- Part quantities
- 1-500+