What is Delrin®?
Delrin® is the brand name for polyoxymethylene (POM), also commonly referred to as acetal, and is a popular material for injection molding and machining. It’s a semi-crystalline engineering-grade thermoplastic that offers superior dimensional stability, high strength, wide operating temperature range, and low friction. Delrin’s many valuable properties make it a perfect material for creating highly durable and precision-based components.
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Characteristics and Benefits of Delrin®
Delrin serves as an excellent alternative for metal due to its high wear resistance, high-tensile strength, low friction, and superior resistance to warping. It also offers overall durability and toughness, perfect for demanding use.
In addition to its benefits as a replacement for metal, Delrin’s material properties include superior density, low moisture absorption, and chemical resistance to hydrocarbons, solvents, and neutral chemicals. Here is a breakdown of Delrin's various properties.
Properties of Delrin Plastic
Mechanical
Like most materials, Delrin will elongate, and strength will decrease as the temperature rises. However, Delrin® has a tensile strength of 10,000 psi at room temperature with no actual yield point and a stiff flexural modulus of 410,000 psi. In addition, it has exceptional fatigue resistance and can withstand cyclic compressive and tensile stressing of 5,000 psi almost indefinitely.
Delrin boasts an excellent impact toughness and will not permanently deform or retain dents. This toughness increases with higher molecular weight resin formulations.
For friction, Delrin®-steel’s coefficient is extremely low (0.1-0.3), with friction values remaining practically unchanged over a wide range of temperatures, loads, and relative surface speeds.
Chemical
Delrin is exceptionally resistant to organic solvents. Notably, there are nearly no common solvents for Delrin® at temperatures under 160° F. That said, Delrin® would not be ideal for environments involving strong acids, bases, or oxidizing agents.
Because Delrin is not subject to damage from fungi, insects, or other pests, it is an excellent choice for many underground uses. It also features superior staining and discoloration resistance at temperatures below 160° F.
Thermal
Because Delrin does not use plasticizing to attain its toughness, it does not suffer from brittleness at low temperatures. Its impact resistance at temperatures as low as -40° F is only 20% less than its resistance at room temperature.
For elevated temperatures, Delrin retains excellent strength at temperatures as high as 200° F with a tensile strength of 2,000 psi and flexural modulus at 180,000. Delrin’s upper service temperatures are 180° F in open air and 150° F in water and can withstand brief temperature peaks of 250° F.
Electrical
Delrin makes an excellent dielectric choice for materials as it has notably low dissipation factors and dielectric constants over a broad range of temperatures and frequencies. In addition, it maintains favorable dielectric properties in high-humidity environments while completely submerged in water.
Uses For Delrin® Plastic
The above-listed properties of Delrin make it an excellent choice for a variety of applications in industrial, mechanical, automotive, aerospace, energy, food services, healthcare, and consumer industries. Overall, it’s a highly flexible material that can meet a surprising number of needs.
Because Delrin-made parts work well in moist or wet environments, it’s an excellent choice for products such as pump and valve components. In addition, it can be used for water management controls, faucets, and many kitchen appliances for similar reasons.
For automotive, mechanical, and industrial purposes, Delrin can be used to make bearings, bushings, gears, fittings, sliding and guiding parts, rollers, conveyor systems, scraper blades, and various electrical insulator parts. Its high impact resistance is suitable for many aerospace-related pieces, including safety restraint components, door systems, and zip fasteners.
In medically-related fields, Delrin is a superbly suitable choice for valves, pumps, inhalers, syringes, pen injectors, diagnostics equipment, wound care, medically-related gas and fluid handling, medical instruments, prosthetics, and implants.
Delrin’s various properties make it an excellent material for various consumer goods that require strength and durability, such as sports equipment, eyeglasses appliances, and food containers.
Common Applications for Delrin®
- Bearings and Bushings
- Conveyor Systems
- Valves and Fittings
- Medical Equipment
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Gears and Screws
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Rollers
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Pump Components
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And more!
Delrin® Available at Piedmont Plastics
Piedmont Plastics offers Delrin plastic in both rod and sheet form:
Delrin plastic rods come in diameters ranging from one and one-quarter inches to four inches—with lengths of 1 or 4 inches. Standard-cut Delrin 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.
Buy Delrin® From Piedmont Plastics Today!
We can customize your order to accommodate the sizes and lengths that fit your manufacturing needs. Contact us, and we’ll put you in touch with our plastics experts, who can help you locate high-quality project materials like Delrin from our North American network of Piedmont Plastics branches.
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