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Comment by rorrr | Hacker News Reader

ABS is not even close to steel, especially good steel.

                               | ABS   | Steel
    ---------------------------+-------+------------------
    Compressive strength (PSI) | 6,750 | 16,000 - 70,000
    Tensile Strength (PSI)     | 6,500 | 36,000 - 115,000 (for stress-proof steel)

http://www.machinist-materials.com/comparison_table_for_plas...

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I believe that there are UV-resistant (sunlight) treatments for ABS. Many polymers (plastics) are vulnerable to UV light, but are still used in outdoor environments without major ill effects.

And yes, my earlier implication was that it is less strong than steel. A strength-strength comparison is probably not fair here as ABS would be considerably lighter. Even still, steel would be approximately 10X the strength, with about 7-8X the density. A further issue is that 3D printed ABS would not be as strong as bulk-material ABS, although I am told this is improving.

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