Rebling Plastics has over 20 years experience
in plastic injection molding both the homopolymer
acetal (DELRIN®) and copolymer acetal (CELCON®).
This highly versatile material is noted for excellent
abrasion resistance and low frictional coefficient
which lends itself to applications such as gears,
pulleys, bushings and pumps. Additional features
of acetal include excellent creep resistance,
high surface hardness, low moisture absorption
and dynamic fatigue resistance. The resistance
of acetal to a broad range of solvents including
aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols,
esters, glycols, ketones, detergents, gasoline
and motor oils has resulted in it being the plastic
injection molding material of choice for many
automotive and plumbing applications. Acetal
should not be used if exposure to phenol, aniline,
sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid
is anticipated. The copolymer of acetal
(CELCON®) offers improved resistance to very
strong bases when compared to the homopolymer
version. Acetal is also very notch sensitive so
sharp corners and notches should be avoided when
designing for plastic injection molding.
Properties of Acetal
Acetal is a crystalline thermoplastic that maintains a considerable portion of its strength and stiffness at temperatures approaching 200 °F. Rebling Plastics has plastic injection molded acetal in a variety of high gloss colors. As with most other thermoplastics, we mold numerous grades of acetal including various concentrations of glass-filled compounds for improved strength and stiffness, impact modified grades, wear resistant grades, ultraviolet resistant grades, and antistatic and electrically conductive grades.
Rebling Plastics has provided acetal plastic injection molding components that required post molding operations such as ultrasonic welding, secondary machining operations (including drilling and threading), and cold staking. Rebling Plastics routinely molds acetal with machined metal components embedded in the plastic, commonly referred to as insert molding.
Acetal plastic injection
molding design
Due to the high degree of crystallinity in acetal, the shrinkage is not uniform in all material flow directions. This anisotropic shrinkage of acetal makes close tolerance plastic injection molding difficult. Consequently, round parts and features can incur some ovality if not gated correctly, and warpage of flat, thin-walled parts can be troublesome. Rebling Plastics has employed various gate configurations to minimize these problems. As with all thermoplastic materials, part design is crucial in obtaining a functional, aesthetic and optimum plastic part. The use of ribs, gussets, bosses and other coring techniques should be incorporated into the design so as to maintain a uniform wall thickness. Corner radii should be generous in order to eliminate stress concentration factors. Rebling Plastics engineering staff can be contacted regarding design and material specification issues for any plastic injection molded acetal product.
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