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Which Plastic Materials Are UV Stable – Stablized

Which Plastic Materials Are UV Stable – Stablized

Plastic Materials That Are UV Stable

Some of our most popular questions are “Is this material UV stable”, or “How long will this last in direct sunlight”, or something similar. These are great questions. Just look at the ‘cheap’ backyard furniture you bought last year, yep, it is faded and cracking. Why is that?

The quick answer is the material had either no UV (Ultra Violet Light) stabilizer or very little. Most plastic materials are not UV stable to start with, other than Acrylic which is invisible to UV. All other materials need a little something to give it the protection it may need from the sun. Many plastic materials, if given the proper additives, can be used in direct sunlight for 10 – 15 years giving excellent performance. UV Stable Playground HDPE Sheet for Outdoor Use

The first factor in picking such a material is the intended use. Not all materials are good candidates for all applications. While some materials will perform very well, others under the same conditions will fail. Please contact us for details on a material to meet your needs.
HDPE sheet is one of the best materials for long term outdoor use, if given the proper additives. Next time you drive by a children’s playground in your local city, look at the brightly colored panels used to make the play equipment. This is a HDPE sheet with heavy UV additives, and this makes an excellent application. Available in a rainbow of colors and able to be fabricated easily, this material is excellent for many outdoor applications.
If your application is more mechanical, other materials that might be used would be: Polycarbonate, UHMW, ABS (especially with Korad cover), Acetal, Noryl and many more. Our standard Covestro Makrolon Polycarbonate is a UV stable material in sheet, and is frequently used in replacement glazing applications. The remaining materials on the list are available in Black (a carbon black pigment) which extends outdoor usage. While still not recommended for direct sunlight, they can be used with a good possibility of success – depending on design. Plastics can become brittle or lose properties over time if material does not have UV stabilization, with the proper material and the proper additives, you can get years of trouble free service.

I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material…

I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material…

I thought Plastic was a Cheap Material?

We do hear this question regularly. And, maybe, in years gone by Plastic was that Cheap material.

Back in the 50′s and 60′s, plastics were very inexpensive, and were very limited in types and availability.

What cause this to change?

Plastics are primarily produced from Oil and several Oil by-products. As oil pricing has skyrocketed from the 50′s, so did the low end plastic material pricing.

In addition, a new generation of high tech, mechanical and engineering grades of plastic we developed. These plastics replace metals and other substrates in manufacturing. They out live, out perform most materials at a fraction of the cost of the material it replaces. broke chair - I Thought Plastic Was A Cheap Material...

Isn’t Cheap better?

All materials are not designed to the same standard. This is true with plastics as well. Choosing the wrong plastic for a project can be a costly mistake. All engineering perimeters should be considered: strength, impact, sunlight, water absorption, electrical resistance, temperature range, etc. We’ve all witnessed the ‘cheap’ plastic kids toy that lasts but a couple of days, the clip or cover in your car breaks off, the inexpensive outdoor furniture and so on. These are examples of under designed or choosing a material for its resin cost, not its physical properties. Thus, no, cheaper is not better. Cost should be just one of your decision criteria.

What Should You Do?

The answer is really quite easy. Ask.

Talk to one of our experienced ‘Plasticologists’ and tell them your requirements. You’re input, and a little time to answer some questions could save you enormous time and expense in your finished parts. All plastics are not created equal, and neither are all plastic suppliers. Give us a try, and take the guess-work out of choosing the right material for your job.

Some of our lower cost materials: HDPE, PVC, Styrene – less expensive, not cheap. Each with very specific strong points, and yes weak areas as well.

Cheap plastic is most likely not the best plastic.

Acetal Copolymer Compared With Homopolymer Acetal

Acetal Copolymer Compared With Homopolymer Acetal

Are Acetal Copolymer and Homopolymer Acetal the same?

This is one of our most common questions, and it is a bit involved of an answer.

There are two main versions of Acetal Resin

Homopolymer Acetal and Copolymer Acetal

The most popular name for a Homopolymer Acetal is the Dupont Delrin, which is a premium Homopolymer Acetal.

The second Acetal is a Copolymer acetal, and there are many suppliers of this resin. 

Acetal is the generic, and not all Acetal is Delrin® Hompolymer, nor is it Acetal Copolymer. A distinction is required to determine which is best for your application. There are several manufacturers that produce Acetal Copolymer resin, including: Celanese®, BASF®, Ticona®, SABIC® and many more.

Acetal Copolymer compared to Delrin® Homopolymer Acetal

Delrin® is a premium homopolymer Acetal produced by Dupont. Many of the physical properties of the homopolymer exceed that of the copolymer Acetal. Dupont™ Delrin® is a popular acetal homopolymer brand name and the most commonly used acetal homopolymer.Comparing structure of Homopolymer and Copolymer Acetal

The generic term ‘Acetal’ covers both the homopolymer from Dupont and the copolymer grades of resin. Both materials meet the ASTM-D-4181, ASTM-D-6100 or ASTM-D-6778 specification (an old call out is L-P-392). Homopolymer Acetal is POM111, and Copolymer Acetal is POM211.

Both are very tough and machinable, and have some similar properties.

An additional difference is the inherit problem of center-line porosity in some of the homopolymer grades. This is caused by out gassing during manufacturing, and can be found at the center or on the surface of all homo-polymer extrusions. This porosity can cause some problems with machining or moisture permeation through the material. The copolymer resin has little to no porosity issue.

Some of the other differences are in the physical properties of the resin. Review the chart for some of the most popular properties people ask for when looking at Acetal Copolymer or Homopolymer Acetal.

See Homopolymer and Copolymer Acetal properties chart below.

PropertiesHomopolymer Acetal Copolymer Acetal
Tensile Modulus of Elasticity450,000400,000
Flexural Modulus of Elasticity470,000366,000
Heat Deflection Temp @ 264 psi – degrees F257220
Melting Point – degrees F347335
Coef. of Linear Thermal Expansion6.8 x 10-55.4 x 10-5
Water Absorption @ Saturation0.900.80

Material is available as both Acetal Copolymer or Acetal Homopolymer in Rod, Block, Sheet and Slabs.

Acetal is one of the most widely available plastics, especially on the West Coast (for some reason the East Coast seems to like the Nylon – Polyamide material more). Most commonly available in Natural (White) or Black, but can be produced in a wide range of colors with minimum orders. This enables material matching your product color or for easy identification of parts.

While these properties are similar, depending on your application, one material may be better suited than the other. Review our Delrin® Homopolymer and Acetal Copolymer page for additional information on the product availability and data sheets. We get calls for the premium Delrin® Homopolymer product, but some people may call it Delron, Delran, Delrun, Derlin and many other names, but it is still premium Delrin® Homopolymer Acetal to us.

Looking for other colors of Acetal Copolymer or Acetal Homopolymer Rod?

Contact us today for more information on Acetal Copolymer or premium Delrin® Homopolymer Acetal or any other plastic material.

Call us at 866-832-9315 or Email Us for more additional details

**Note:  Delrin® is a registered Trademark of Dupont

Plastic Mentor – Blogging for iplasticsupply.com

Plastic Mentor – Blogging for iplasticsupply.com

Plastic Mentor – The Blog

Large Inventory of Performance Plastic Sheet and Rod, in stock here in Anaheim, CA

Industrial Plastic Supply of Anaheim California

This is the blogging platform for the website: www.iplasticsupply.com – Industrial Plastic Supply in Anaheim, CA.

Industrial Plastic Supply has been serving the mechanical, industrial, medical, food processing and many other industries since 1975. We supply a huge range of plastic sheets, strip, slab, blocks, rods and tubes. With over 80 plastics in stock, we can assist with the materials you need.

As a method to bring a more informative and direct link to you, we created Plastic Mentor.

The focus of the Plastic Mentor Blog is to share information, educate, and answer your plastic material questions.

Please feel free to ask your tough question. One of our certified and experienced ‘Plasticologists’ will be happy to get back with you. Click Here to contact us. Also, we welcome you to call us with questions, problems, material inquiries, etc. Call us at 866-832-9315

Don’t be a stranger, send us an e-mail, call us or stop by our Anaheim, CA warehouse (2240 S. Dupont Drive, Anaheim, CA  92806). We would love to start a plastic relationship.