PET and PBT – Polyester Sheet and Rods
(Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Machinable and Superior wear resistant material
Thermoplastic Polyester Sheet – PET and PBT
PET and PBT are rigid thermoplastic, and have exceptional physical properties
PET and PBT materials are used frequently in a self lubricating bearing surface or slide type applications. Resistant to most common chemicals.
Polyester Sheet commonly replaces aluminum, Acetal/Delrin® and Nylon. Used frequently in Food and Dairy processing, material handling and automotive.
Other brand or trade names for Polyester Sheet are: Tecapet®, Tecadur®, Ertalyte®, Ensitep®, Hydex®, Sustadur®, Celanx®, Duranex®, Urtaldur®, Valox®, Rynite®, and Hostadur®.
A new PBT (Polyester Sheet) material is available from Ensinger, called 4101 UD Blue. This material is one of the first “ultra detectable” plastic materials. This material is visually detectable by standard equipment, metal detectable and X-Ray detectable by standard equipment in food processing plants. Detectable plastics can help eliminate the massive recalls we have seen from food processing plants.
Why you should use Polyester Sheet or Rod:
- Very stiff material- High strength
- Superior wear resistance
- 230 degrees F continuous use temperature
- Very low moisture absorption
- Improved UV resistance compared to, ABS, Acetal/Delrin® or Nylon
- Easily machined and fabricated
- PET is ITAR compliant, and PET is RoHS compliant
Polyester PET-specific notes
Three-way comparison properties: PET-P vs Acetal, PET-P vs Nylon, and Ertalyte vs Ertalyte TX — PET-P is one of the most underspecified engineering plastics despite being superior to both Nylon and Acetal in moisture-sensitive applications. Engineers who don’t already know Ertalyte typically discover it while searching “Nylon alternative low moisture” or “Acetal dimensional stability humid.” Answering all three comparisons directly captures that discovery traffic and converts a buyer who might otherwise default to a familiar material.
0.06% moisture absorption called out explicitly with comparison — Moisture absorption is the defining reason to choose PET-P over Nylon in precision applications. Stating the specific value (0.06% vs Nylon’s 1.5–3.0%) in additionalProperty and on-page copy speaks directly to the engineer doing material selection by property — a high-intent buyer who is ready to purchase once they confirm the spec.
EU 10/2011 food contact standard — European food contact compliance is increasingly required by multinational food equipment manufacturers operating in Southern California. It’s a distinct certification from FDA and is rarely surfaced by domestic distributors, making it a meaningful differentiator for IPS’s export-facing and multinational OEM customers.
Ertalyte and Ertalyte TX both in alternateName and keywords — Ertalyte is the dominant trade name for PET-P and is specified by name in engineering drawings across the food processing, pharmaceutical, and precision mechanical industries. Buyers searching “Ertalyte sheet” or “Ertalyte TX rod” are highly qualified and ready to purchase — capturing both trade names is essential.
PETG in isRelatedTo — PETG and PET-P share the same base polymer family but serve completely different applications — PETG for clear display and thermoforming, PET-P for precision machined components. Cross-linking them helps buyers who arrive on the wrong page find the right one, while signaling to Google that IPS has depth across the entire PET polymer family.
Polyester Sheet- PET Applications – Frequently used in:
- Food Equipment and Dairy Processing
- Wear and slide machined parts
- Electronics Manufacturing and Fixtures
- Pistons, Manifolds, Timing Screws, Scraper Blades
- Food Processing forming dies
Materials Available in:
Sheet: .375″ (3/8″) – 4.0″ in Natural (White) and Black in 24″ X 48″ Rod: .375″ – 6.0″ diameter in Natural (White) and Black up to 120″ lengths
These 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.