Engineering plastic

Examples of engineering plastics include polyamides (PA, nylons), used for skis and ski boots; polycarbonates (PC), used in motorcycle helmets and optical discs; and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, major brand names acrylic glass and plexiglass), used e.g. for taillights and protective shields.

The currently most-consumed engineering plastic is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), used for e.g. car bumpers, dashboard trim and Lego bricks.

Besides equalling or surpassing them in strength, weight, and other properties, engineering plastics are much easier to manufacture, especially in complicated shapes.

[2] Each engineering plastic usually has a unique combination of properties that may make it the material of choice for some application.

Other properties exhibited by various grades of engineering plastics include heat resistance, mechanical strength, rigidity, chemical stability, self lubrication (specially used in manufacturing of gears and skids) and fire safety.

An ABS 3D bell manufactured with a 3D printer
A comparison of standard plastics, engineering plastics, and high-performance plastics