Polytetrafluoroethylene or as it’s better known ‘PTFE’ is a popular choice in hydraulics systems and components, being a non-stick surface and a highly durable material. However, since PTFE is made up of some of the strongest bonds in organic chemistry, this type of plastic has many different uses across a variety of industries.
Hydraulic Components and Sealing
The most common use for PTFE is for parts used in seals, gaskets and steam valves that are used to handle caustic fluids. The durability of this plastic has made it popular for a variety of hydraulic fittings like these as well, especially seals used in steam and high temperature applications. The rating for continuous temperature is 500 degrees F, while maintaining physical properties. Virgin PTFE sheets and rods are also excellent materials for wear and slide machined parts found in pumps and manifolds, having a non-stick surface that won’t experience nearly as much wear and tear as other materials.
Thermal Stability for Vehicle Engines
One of the major benefits of PTFE is its high thermal stability, which has made it popular for use in fuel hose linings, gaskets, seals, and other engine components. Its exceptionally long lifespan, high heat resistance and excellent water resistance makes PTFE an excellent choice for making parts such as wiper blades and other exterior components for vehicles.
High Resistance for Chemical Production and Processing
Virgin PTFE sheet in wide range of thickness
PTFE is a highly durable and corrosion resistant material, and so it has become a popular choice of material for a variety of chemical processing applications. It does not melt or erode under the extreme conditions often found in chemical plants, and can is often used to make components that transport corrosive chemicals and other materials.
Excellent Protection for Electronics
Another industry that often takes advantage of PTFE’s benefits is in the electronics manufacturing. PTFE is commonly used for insulation, semiconductor components, and circuit boards. It offers high quality insulation properties even under harsh conditions, and its electrical conductivity can be increased using fillers such as copper. PTFE has been successfully used in a wide range of different electronics components for many applications, from automobiles to aircraft, where the more delicate electronics components need to be able to survive high temperatures or highly corrosive environments.
Looking for a supplier of high quality PTFE?
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc. has been a trusted, worldwide supplier of quality performance plastics, including PTFE, since 1975, and we have one of the largest inventories of American made plastic materials in the world. Check out our website to view our full product directory or to contact us with any questions you may have.
Keeping food safe is a major concern at busy restaurants. One key is to keep the kitchen and all surfaces clean and sanitized. This includes all employees washing hands regularly, cleaning all surfaces and having food safe cutting stations. At the hub of all the food preparation is the cutting surfaces used to cut food. NSF and FDA have guidelines for keeping food preparation areas clean, and one main component is the cutting board. At home, most people cut some food for dinner and then scrub the cutting board they used before putting it away. In busy restaurants the cutting boards are used constantly throughout the day. During the slow times, kitchen staff takes time to clean. Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc. is proud to supply the premium certified HDPE materials designed for restaurant cutting surfaces.
Choose The Proper Cutting Board Material
It is critical to keep hot food safe, and to maintain a clean kitchen. We provide a wide range of sizes, shapes and can include a waste cutout to match your needs. Our most popular cutting board materials are .500 (1/2″) and 1.00″ thick certified HDPE sheet material. We stock this in smooth and textured 2 sided. We also stock the colored cutting board that some restaurants prefer; these include: Yellow (used for chicken), Red (for red meat), Green (for produce) and Tan (for cooked meats). For busy kitchens we offer a auto-replacement program, so you can receive the cutting board replacements on your schedule.
American Made – Quality Food Grade Materials
Our team of suppliers produce high quality performance plastics in a wide range of materials. The HDPE is produced under the trade names: Polystone® Natural by Rochling; King CuttingBoard® by King Plastics; Densetec® HDPE by Polymer Industries; and others.
We have been supporting SoCal restaurants with top quality food grade cutting boards for almost 50 years. Contact us today with your requirements, and we will be happy to help you to keep your kitchen cutting board in great shape.
In a previous post, we explored the advantages of Sabic Ultem™, the trademarked name for a special type of high-performance plastic that is often the go-to choice for any industry in need of exceptional physical properties in a thermoplastic. With Ultem™ polyetherimide resins, this type of plastic can retain its mechanical properties even at extremely high temperatures, which is especially important in applications that require good structural integrity under harsh conditions–aerospace and automotive applications for example.
Why is ULTEM™ so popular?
This material is known for its excellent mechanical properties, dimensional stability, as well as chemical and temperature resistance. Because of these properties, Ultem™ has been used widely and with success in many different industries, such as aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, medical equipment, electronics, and industrial equipment. There are, however, a few disadvantages to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to use Ultem™ for your manufacturing project.
Sabic Ultem 1000 and 2300 sheet and rod
A few disadvantages of using ULTEM™
Also, the polyetherimide thermoplastic can be vulnerable to stress cracking if exposed to polar chlorinated solvents. This can restrict its use in certain applications.
In addition, while Ultem™ is a very high performance thermoplastic, it does tend to be more expensive compared to similar materials and can be difficult to process due to its high melting point and viscosity. For optimal results, you may need to use specialized equipment or work with someone specialized in working with this thermoplastic, which could drive up production costs even more. If the material is not properly controlled during manufacturing, Ultem™ plastic parts can experience surface defects or cracks as well as dimensional instability. If large amounts of material are removed during machining, parts should be annealed after production to prevent warp and twist. Proper quality control needs to be in place to avoid these problems.
Looking for a supplier of high performance thermoplastics?
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc. has been supplying performance plastic sheet, rod, and tube since 1975, and specializes in wholesale Engineering Plastics, Mechanical Plastics, and High Performance Plastics for a wide range of industries. Check out our website to learn more!
HDPE or High-Density Polyethylene is part of a widely-used family of thermoplastics, HDPE ‘Polyolefin’, which is produced through polymerizing ethylene and propylene for properties that are excellent in applications such as food handling, food preparation equipment, wear resistance, consumer goods, and much more.
Why this thermoplastic is so popular
HDPE is known for its excellent strength-to-density ratio, as well as its strong intermolecular forces, high impact and tensile strength. These properties combine for a hard, durable plastic that is excellent for many applications from containers for consumer goods to chemical and structural tanks components. At the same time, HDPE is lightweight and highly resistant to stains, odor, moisture, chemicals, and abrasion. Most importantly, HDPE doesn’t contain harsh or toxic chemicals that could be harmful to users, making it excellent for a wide variety of consumer and commercial products. Specifically, HDPE does notcontain: BPA, Phthalates, Allergens, Heavy Metals or Harmful fumes.
HDPE has excellent wear and chemical resistance. HDPE is a commonly used material for rub strips, chute liners and bottling plant components. An example of wear resistance is the yellow plastic playground slides which are made of HDPE. This versatile plastic material is often the choice for use for chemical and toxic containers and bottles.
The HDPE material is the common material used to make the one gallon milk jugs. These are easily recycled, and 8 – 10 milk jugs is equal to about one pound of recycled HDPE material. On average, over 115 million milk jugs are recycled each year.
Some common uses of HDPE
HDPE is FDA, USDA, and NSF compliant, making it especially popular for making components such as cutting boards, food preparation surfaces and equipment components. HDPE is often used in a wide range of food processing equipment, food containers and bottles, as well as valve and pump components. However, the Food processing industry isn’t the only industry relying on HDPE. Its excellent impact strength makes this plastic popular for everything from impact parts to dasher boards in ice rinks, to personal protection gear.
In addition, HDPE has excellent properties that make it perfect for heat-formed or vacuum-formed parts, producing food trays and containers and much more. The plastic’s durability and impact resistance makes it an excellent choice for the linings of conventional freezers, bed liners for heavy trucks, and liners in silos. The marine industry is an active user of HDPE due to its toughness and very lightweight to size ratio.
As one of the most used plastics, HDPE has a density of just .941 – .965 per ASTM D792. While many think of Aluminum as a lightweight material, it actually is 2.8 times the weight of HDPE plastic material.
HDPE also has been successfully used in a variety of cement molds and various types of transfer and storage boards. This plastic can be found in crates and bottles for holding not just food products, but also detergents and cosmetics. Industrial pallet wrapping benefits from HDPE film durability, while petrol tanks benefit from this plastic’s inherent chemical resistance.
Looking for a supplier of polyethylene thermoplastics?
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc. is an expert in performance plastics, and has one of the largest material inventories in the World. To learn more, check out full line Performance Plastic materials on our website.
Acetal Copolymer vs Dupont Delrin® Homopolymer: Properties and Benefits of Each
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc. has been supplying a vast inventory of plastics to a wide customer base since 1975. Today, we put the spotlight on two products that are incredibly similar, but have key differences that result in each performing optimally in certain applications: the Acetal Copolymer and the Delrin® Homopolymer.
Both of these acetal materials are incredibly similar, with similar beneficial properties. They are both compliant with FDA, ITAR, and RoHS standards. Both are very stiff plastics with excellent dimensional stability in average environments. They are self-lubricating, easy to cut with standard tools, and abrasion and wear resistant. The major differences between them however are a result of their differing structures.
What Is Polyoxymethylene
Polyoxymethylene (also known as POM for short) is an important and commonly used engineering plastic material. There are two distinct types of POM; the first is Homopolymer Acetal and is commonly called Dupont Delrin®. The other is Copolymer Acetal and is referred to by the trade names Celcon®, Sustarin® C, Tecaform®, Ultraform®, Kepital® and many others. Both versions of POM are very popular thermoplastic materials. They both are commonly used for parts that need to be stiff, dimensionally stable and have low surface friction.
Delrin® Homopolymer
The homopolymer possesses much more regularity in its structure, with a repeated, crystalline pattern throughout the plastic. As a result of its strong, crystalline makeup, the Delrin® Homopolymer has superior physical properties, such as better fatigue and creep resistance, and bearing properties. Also, it has better short-term heat resistance compared to the acetal copolymer, with a much higher melting point.
However, this homopolymer does experience minor and inherent center-line porosity. This is basically a band area of tiny porous holes along the center of a rod or sheet. Depending on the severity of the porosity, these holes could weaken a finished part or cause other problems with its performance.
Acetal Copolymer
We’ve found that our customers tend to gravitate towards the acetal copolymer when they require a wider processing window, lower costs, and better long-term resistance to heat and alkaline environments. The acetal copolymer is not as crystalline in its structure, which causes it to not only have a generally lower melting point, but when incorporated with other materials, also increases the tolerance for high melting temperatures.
The less crystalline structure of the copolymer means that this plastic isn’t quite as strong. However, its mixed molecular structure has several benefits. The acetal copolymer has improved resistance to oxidation, improved chemical resistance, and much better long-term resistance to heat. That difference in chemical resistance is much more pronounced with exposure to hot water, especially chlorinated water. The acetal copolymer survives much longer than the homopolymer in these conditions.
Final Thoughts
Both the Acetal Copolymer and the Delrin® Homopolymer have their benefits. Depending on your application and requirements, you can choose the best acetal based plastic for your needs. In need of a supplier of plastics and plastic materials? Check out the rest of Industrial Plastic Supply today!
UHMW Polyethylene material is used frequently in a self lubricating bearing surface or slide type application. In fact, many of our clients refer to UHMW as ‘machinable solid wax‘ sheet. The wear resistance of this awesome plastic will impress you, as it is the most wear resistant of any unfilled material available.UHMW Polyethylene Timing Roller
Resistant to most common chemicals. Commonly replaces aluminum, Acetals, and Nylons. Used frequently in Food and Dairy Processing, Material Handling, Fluid Handling, and Automotive. UHMW is great for wear strips, rub rails, guides, conveyor parts, feed screws, and many more applications.
UHMW Rod is machined to make pulleys, wheels, and washers. UHMW sheet is machined to produce FDA approved slip surfaces, food process fixtures, and scrapers. Some popular brand or trade names are Polystone® M, Lennite®, Tivar®, Duravar®, Gardur®, Solidur®, Polyslick®, UHMV®, Polyfend®, and Durasurf®.
We stock a very large inventory of UHMW performance plastic sheets and rods.
Superior wear resistanceVery low moisture Absorption
High chemical resistance
Very low cost vs. physical properties
This material is excellent wearing and very abrasion resistant – one of the best materials made for these properties. Promotes the flow of bulk material (sand, soy beans, coal, ect). Superior material for wear strip, conveyor rails, slide plate, wear pads.
Very low moisture absorption
FDA, USDA and 3-A dairy compliant
Superior wear resistance
Chemically resistant to chlorine and caustic/acidic cleaning agents
Offers excellent strength, rigidity and machinability
UHMW is ITAR compliant, and UHMW is RoHS compliant
Frequently used in:
Food, Dairy and Packaging equipment
Timing screws, wear and slide machined parts
Star wheels, idler sprockets and guide rails
FDA and 3-A approved material for Scraper blades
Hopper, chute lining, feeder lines and wear plates
Materials Available As
UHMW Sheet:
.125″ – 4″ in Natural (white) up to 48″ X 120″
Black available in many thicknesses
Some sheet available up to 8″ thick contact for details.
UHMW Rod:
.250″ – 8″ diameter in Natural (White) and in some diameter Black up to 120″ lengths
Larger diameter available in non-FDA grades, contact for details.
UHMW Film:
.005″ – .060″ in up to 48″ wide Natural with and without adhesive
Properties are for evaluation purposes only. This information is not to be construed as a warranty, guarantee or assurance that you may achieve the same results. Materials made from different resin types, manufacturing techniques and manufacturers will react differently. The information should be used to compare against other materials only, and each user should make his own tests to determine suitability. No warranty as to this materials suitability are either expressed nor implied.
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