What is Acetal Plastic? (Polyoxymethylene)

Acetal (POM) is a commonly used engineering plastic that has very good strength and rigidity. Acetal offers very good thermal stability, low moisture absorption, and a hard surface that make it a great choice for tight tolerance machined parts. The material is FDA, USDA, and 3-A Dairy compliant, and has very good performance in wet environments.

Acetal is available in two basic formulations: Homopolymer and Copolymer. The Homopolymer formulation has slightly higher strength, rigidity, and hardness; the Copolymer version has better chemical and hot water resistance, and is porosity free. Both formulations can be produced utilizing Extrusion or Injection Molding methods. A variety of fillers can also be used to enhance the performance.

What are the Benefits of using Acetal?
  • Good Strength and Rigidity
  • Very good Dimensional Stability
  • Excellent machinability
  • Good wear resistance when wet
  • Moderate chemical resistance
  • FDA, USDA, 3-A Dairy Compliant
What are Typical Applications of Acetal?

Bushings Slide Pads

Back-Up Rings Valve Seats

Gears Sprockets

Guides Locators

Spacers Thrust Washers

Manifolds Nozzles

Insulators Fixtures

Pistons Rollers

Acetal Formulations:

 

Homopolymer Acetal (Delrin®) Unfilled – Higher strength and rigidity

Copolymer Acetal – Unfilled, better chemical resistance, no centerline porosity

Glass Filled – Homopolymer with 20% Glass Fiber reinforcement

Delrin® AF – Homopolymer with PTFE Fiber reinforcement

Delrin® AF DE588 – Homopolymer with PTFE Fiber reinforcement for Defense applications

Semitron® Esd 225 – Electrostatic Dissipative

Tecaform® AH ELS – Electro Conductive

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