Acetal can be used to make a variety of things including guitar picks, cigarette lighters (BIC group), structural glass, power switches in vehicles, and parts of telephones and televisions. This diverse use thermoplastic is distributed by Polymershapes. Enjoy same day delivery in some areas, order Acetal semi-crystalline engineering thermoplastic material.
Polyoxymethylene is an industrial thermoplastic that is commonly known as acetal, polyacetal, and polyformaldehyde. Used for the creation of products that require a hardy stiffness, where strength needs to be maximized, and amazing strength when exposed to temperatures. Used in the manufacturing of high performance parts and engineering components, Polyoxymethylene is used to create gears, eyeglass frames, ball bearings, fasteners, guns, knife handles and countless applications.
The 1953 recipient of the Nobel prize in Chemistry, Hermann Staudinger, studied the polymerization and appearance of Polyoxymethylene in the 1920s during his research in macromolecules, which he called polymers. It was not commercialized at the time, however around 1952, Dupont first synthesized polyoxymethylene and subsequently filed for a patent of its homopolymer in 1956. The Dupont company recognized R.N. MacDonald as the inventor of high molecular weight polyoxymethylene and the creation process. These products, much like the polyoxymethylene first seen by Staudinger, had issues with thermal stability. The inventor of heat stable Polyoxymethylene, homopolymer was Stephen Dal Nogare. We can thank him for this amazing thermoplastic. He discovered that a reaction from the hemiacetal ends with acetic anhydride converts the DE polymerizable hemiacetal into a thermo stable, processable thermoplastic.
POM, polyoxymethylene can be cut cleanly and precisely using infrared laser making small components easy to machine. It is tougher than ABS, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
We carry Acetal brands like Acetron®, Ertacetal®, Tecaform®, and UNITAL®.
In addition to Acetal and other thermoplastics, Polymershapes also carries, polycarbonate sheet, Polyurethane (PU), Phenolics/Thermosets and so much more.