Acetal

Acetal plastic also known as Polyoxymethylene (POM) is a tough thermoplastic with resistance to many chemicals and will not change dimensionally. It has excellent mechanical properties and is commonly used for gears, bearings, rollers and wear strips. Acme Plastics offers a variety of Acetal pieces in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

What is ESD? - ESD stands for Electrostatic dissipation which can harm electronic components & magnetic media as well as cause sparks. Acetal ESD plastics are designed to reduce static electricity, protecting ESD sensitive devices.

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What is Acetal Plastic?

Acetal plastic also known as Polyoxymethylene (POM) is an opaque thermoplastic that has high strength, hardness, and rigidity mechanical properties. It is a thermoplastic with high stiffness, low friction, abrasion resistance, and excellent dimensional stability making it ideal for mechanical gears, bearings, rollers, and wear strips. There are 2 general types of acetal thermoplastic; Copolymer acetal (POM-C), and homopolymer acetal (POM-H or Delrin).

Is Delrin and Acetal the same?

There are 2 general types of acetal thermoplastic; copolymer acetal (POM-C), and homopolymer acetal (POM-H). Delrin is a common name for homopolymer acetal (POM-H) and is a registered trademark of Dupont.

POM-C or copolymer acetal is free of centerline porosity which results in a lower coefficient of friction and better impact and wear properties in wet applications. Acetal is food compatible and resistant to common cleaning agents used in food industries while POM-H or Delrin is not. Delrin offers greater stiffness, slightly better tensile and impact strength as well as a lower coefficient of friction. However, Delrin inherently has centerline porosity which are internal voids in the material formed during the manufacturing process. Centerline porosity can allow liquid and gas leakages, as well as bacterial growth in certain conditions which is not ideal for medical or food processing applications.

What is Acetal plastic used for?

Acetal's mechanical properties include low friction, high stiffness, and excellent dimension stability and are commonly used in gears, bearings, rollers, wheels and wear strips. Common consumer uses include zippers, eyeglass frames, electrical connectors and musical instrument accessories such as guitar picks and drumstick tips.