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All About Acetal Plastics

Acetal plastic is a semi-crystalline synthetic polymer with properties that make it popular as a replacement for metal in many engineering applications and used in many applications ranging from food manufacturing equipment and consumer products to automotive and electronics.

Acetal plastic is also be known as polyoxymethylene (POM), Acetron GP, and Delrin®, the last of which is a registered trademark of affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Acetal Features

Like many semi-crystalline thermoplastics, Acetal plastic features superior chemical resistance, fatigue resistance, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and machinability. It also enjoys low material weight and frictional properties. When a manufacturer needs material for stiff, dimensionally stable components that need low surface friction, Acetal is often the best choice.

As a replacement for metal parts, Acetal offers excellent stiffness and strength combined with durability and lubricity without glass reinforcement. It also provides superior product fusion and a wide range of temperature performance levels.

Acetal plastic’s physical properties remain constant in every environment and feature a low moisture absorption rate. This makes Acetal an ideally suited and stable product for close tolerance mechanical parts and electrical insulators. In addition, it is resistant to damage from most chemicals and solvents, and when submerged or in an otherwise high-moisture environment, its bearings outperform nylon on a scale of at least four to one.

Acetal offers manufacturing solutions in thinner, lighter, and more flexible design options than other materials. It is highly customizable to meet consumers’ specific needs. It can be found in various applications such as consumer products, food packaging, automotive parts, medical devices, and other industrial products.

Acetal plastic can come in natural colors with options for customization to match any application. In addition, it can be manufactured as rods and plates at standard or customer-specified dimensions.

Summary of Benefits

Acetal plastic is an excellent material for many manufacturing applications. To summarize the strengths of Acetal plastic:

  • High dimensional stability and tensile strength
  • High chemical resistance
  • High fatigue and wear resistance
  • High heat resistance
  • Easily machinable
  • Low water absorption
  • Low surface friction
  • Low weight
  • Highly customizable
  • Suitable replacement for metal parts
  • Outperforms nylon 4-to-1

Popular Uses For Acetal Plastic

Acetal is used for various industry components and products such as machining and parts creation, plastic and metal fabrication, semiconductors, medical equipment and instruments, and food processing and handling.

Some individual examples of applications include:

Is Acetal Toxic?

Safety is essential both for manufacturers and consumers, so it’s a good idea to know if Acetal is toxic in any way.

Fortunately, while in solid form, Acetal plastic is perfectly harmless and can be used in food processing equipment and manufacturing applications. However, when in vapor or liquid form, Acetal can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed into the skin or through the eyes.

When handling Acetal, or any molten polymer for that matter, appropriate care and caution should always be used.

Acetal Plastic At Piedmont Plastics

Piedmont Plastics offers Acetal plastic in both sheet and rod form.

  • Standard-cut sheets come in thicknesses ranging from 1/16 of an inch up to two inches. Standard widths are 12 and 24 inches with lengths of 12, 24, and 48 inches. Colors: black and white.
  • Acetal plastic rods typically come in diameters ranging from one and one-quarter0 inches to four inches with lengths of 1 or 4 inches. Colors: black and white.

By arrangement, you can customize your sizes, lengths, and colors to fit your particular manufacturing needs.

Contact us, and we’ll put you in touch with our plastics experts, who can help you determine the best materials solutions for your project. We can find what you need from our network of over 50 branch locations.