POM material, also called acetal plastic, is a semi crystalline thermoplastic with high mechanical strength and rigidity. POM material has very good sliding properties, excellent wear resistance and low moisture absorption. The material's dimensional stability, particularly good fatigue strength and excellent machinability make plastic POM a very versatile engineering material, especially for complex components.
The engineering plastic POM can be divided into acetal homopolymer (POM-H) and acetal copolymer (POM-C) due to their slightly different chemical structures which results in higher crystallinity for POM-H. It is known under the brand name Delrin® from DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and has a slightly higher density, hardness and strength compared to copolymer. However, the excellent mechanical properties of Delrin® material are not the only advantage; it also offers slightly better heat resistance due to its higher melting point. POM-C material, on the other hand, is characterised by better chemical resistance. Because both POM polymers exhibit food-safe properties, either one can be used in the food processing environment, unless strong chlorinated cleaning fluids are expected. Under this condition, POM-C should be the preferred material of choice.
Delrin® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
Ensinger is a supplier of standard POM rods and POM plates for acetal machining such as
POM thermoplastic offers: