Which Form of Acetal Is Suitable for Making Handling Baskets?

Are you planning to make customised handling baskets for your industrial plant? Read on and discover the key differences between two common forms of an engineering plastic called acetal. Use this information to make an informed decision about the most appropriate form of acetal (homopolymers or coplymers) for your application.

Hardness

The hardness of the engineering plastic that you select will have a bearing on how durable those handling baskets will be. Harder plastics are less prone to suffering damage due to abrasion or impacts. Ask the manufacturer of your custom handling baskets to use the copolymer version of acetal because it is harder than the homopolymer version of acetal. In this way, those baskets will not be damaged by constant contact with the components that will be carried in the baskets to the washing section of your factory.

Chemical Resistance

What kind of fluids or chemicals will the handling baskets be exposed to? Pick the copolymer form of acetal in case the baskets will be exposed to caustic liquids, such as base chemicals. This is because the copolymer form of acetal has a higher resistance to those chemicals when compared to the homopolymer form of acetal.

Temperature Tolerance

It is usually advisable to avoid using any form of plastic in situations where it will be exposed to extremely high operating temperatures. This is because those plastics may easily melt when they are exposed to high temperatures for an extended duration. However, the homopolymer form of acetal has a slight edge over the copolymer form when they are compared based on their heat resistance. Thus, the homopolymer version of acetal may offer better protection to your baskets in case the temperature is higher than normal when the manufactured products leave the production line in order to be taken for cleaning.

Tensile Strength

The copolymer of acetal is superior to the homopolymer form when they are compared based on their tensile strength. This means that the copolymer will be better at resisting breaking when stretched. The homopolymer will succumb to tensile forces more readily.

As you can see from the discussion above, each form of acetal has its own strengths and drawbacks. Some of their differences are so technical that it is advisable for you to talk to an engineering plastics expert so that you can be guided about the best type of acetal for your industrial application. Only then will you get handling baskets that will perform reliably for long.