Acetal/Delrin

There are two different types of Acetal: Homopolymer and Copolymer. Homopolymer goes by the trade name Delrin, and Copolymer has a variety of trade names including but not limited to Tecaform, Acetron, and Sustarin. The main difference between Homopolymers and Copolymers is that Homopolymers are produced with a single type of monomer, whereas copolymers are formed using two different types of monomers.

Acetal Properties

Chemically known as Polyoxymethylene (POM), Acetal is a semi-crystalline engineered thermoplastic. Acetal is one of the most commonly machined plastics throughout the world for a variety of applications. It is often a great material choice because of its machinability, rigidity, dimensional stability, low coefficient of friction, and creep resistance.

Features and Benefits of Acetal

Acetal is a highly crystalline rigid plastic that has a low coefficient of friction against metals, acetals, and other plastics. Acetals do not absorb a large amount of moisture and are resistant to a wide range of solvents. It is also creep-resistant, making it ideal for parts where dimensional stability is important.

Due to its FDA, NSF, and 3A Dairy compliance, Acetal is found in a variety of food, beverage, and packaging applications. Acetal is also used in several other industries, including agriculture, construction, automotive, conveyor technology, and process engineering.

Delrin Properties

Delrin, a trade name for Acetal, is a high-performance acetal resin that is used across diverse applications due to its unique material properties. These properties include the following:

• Superior Tensile Strength and Stiffness. Delrin’s combination of high tensile strength, stiffness, and impact resistance makes it ideal for many applications.
• Reduced Friction. Delrin is low friction, which makes it compatible with many applications where parts must slide over each other.
• Dimensional Stability. Delrin offers excellent dimensional stability when used for high-precision molding. It does a great job of maintaining its size and shape under physical stress or varying levels of humidity and temperature.
• Low Moisture Absorption. Part of Delrin’s dimensional stability comes from its low moisture absorption.
• Varying Operating Temperatures. Delrin can perform optimally in a wide temperature range from -40 °C to 120 °C.

Features and Benefits of Delrin

Key features and benefits of Delrin include:

• Versatility. This material’s impressive material properties make it great for producing highly precise parts for many applications.
• Durability. making it a suitable material choice for high-load mechanical applications.
• Ease of Fabrication. Delrin is easy to work with and machine using either 3- or 5-axis machining equipment.
• Cost-Effectiveness. Delrin’s high resistance to wear, low coefficient of friction, high tensile strength, and warping resistance make it a more cost-effective choice over metal.
• Insulating Properties. Delrin’s insulating characteristics make it suitable for electrical applications.

Acetal/Delrin from National Plastics and Seals

Acetal Copolymer and Delrin offer many beneficial properties that make them ideal for various applications, including food conveyor and packaging parts, impellers, bushings/bearings, and many more. As a leading fabricator and distributor of quality plastic components, National Plastics and Seals can provide you with the Acetal or Delrin materials you need. With a range of in-house fabrication capabilities, we can deliver a solution that aligns with your specifications.

For more information about how Acetal and Delrin can benefit your plastic application, contact the experts at National Plastics and Seals today.