Acetal is a plastic material that is used where great stiffness and durability is required. Many precision machine gears and cogs are made from Acetal as they can handle the wear and tear, and are also not susceptible to corrosion. Other applications such as bearings, insulators, wear plates, bushes, rollers, electrical components and handles of all types are among the industrial engineering plastic and general consumption products made from Acetal.
Acetal Plastic Properties
- High hardness and stiffness
- Low coefficient of friction
- Excellent creep resistance and dimensional stability
- Very high mechanical properties
- Excellent dielectric properties
- Low water absorption
- Sheet
- Rod
- Machine components
Acetal Plastic Products
- ACETAL (C) + (H) (Homopolymer and Copolymer)
The variety of applications of acetal plastic spans from automotive and aviation to medical and consumer goods. Some of the common applications of Acetal plastic include:
- Automotive Industry: Acetal plastic is broadly used in the automobile sector for diversified applications like fuel system components, door handles, seat belt buckles, and gears.
- Aerospace Industry: The use of Acetal plastic in the aerospace industry is due to its good strength and high chemical resistance properties. It is applied in applications such as bushings, gears and fuel system parts.
- Medical Industry: The application of acetal plastic in medical sector includes surgical instruments, orthopedic implants and drug delivery systems mainly due to its biocompatibility and resistance to sterilization methods.
- Consumer Goods: Acetal plastic finds wide application in consumer products like zips, fasteners, handles and other kitchenware, on account of its durability and resistance to wear.
- Electrical and Electronics Industry: The great dimensional stability and insulating performance of Acetal plastic make it applicable in electric and electronic components, such as connectors, switches and insulators.
What is more, benefits of Acetal plastic overpowered its characteristics and application fields. Some of the key benefits of this material include:
- Lightweight: Acetal plastic is taken to be a lightweight material hence it is used for the manufacture industries which require low weight components such as cars and space technologies.
- Easy to machine: The acetal plastic is easy to machine it can therefore be molded or machined into various shapes and sizes. thereby, it becomes preferred option by many manufacturers.
- Cost-effective: Acetal plastic is one of the viable materials as it is readily available, it has good mechanical properties. Its durability feature makes it long lasting hence no frequent replacement.
- Excellent corrosion resistance: Acetal plastic shows outstanding corrosion resistance; hence, it can be readily used for operations in the presence of corrosive chemicals as well as environments.
Acetal plastic is available in two main types: homopolymer and copolymer They share the same properties but their bonding schemes are different.
- Homopolymer: Homopolymer Acetal plastic is composed of a single polymer chain and because of that it is more resistant to chemical and wear than copolymer. It is also a bit stiffer and has a higher melting point than copolymer as well.
- Copolymer: Copolymer Acetal plastic consists of two different monomers and hence is slightly different from the homopolymer. It has a lower melting temperature and is simpler to process; therefore, this liquefied gas is appropriate for areas where complex items are needed.
