POM

POM, also known as acetal, polyacetal and polyformaldehyde; is an engineering thermoplastic used in sensitive parts requiring high hardness, low friction and excellent dimensional stability. It is used in gears, housings, window guides, speaker grills, zippers, lighters, aerosol valves, safety belts and furniture components because it is a rugged, solvent and flame resistant plastic. The POM can be divided into two groups : • Homopolymer POM • Copolymer POM Starting from methanol, formaldehyde is formed if it is directly polymerized, and a POM homopolymer (e.g., Delrin) is formed. The POM copolymers are converted to formaldehyde trioxane, which is polymerized with a co-monomer to a POM copolymer (e.g. Hostaform). The POM homopolymer has a higher crystallinity than the POM copolymer. On the other hand, the chemical resistance of the copolymer is higher. This leads to a higher hardness for the homopolymer during production and a lower thermal degradation for the POM copolymer. Properties • High rigidity • Low wear • Good flexibility • Low water absorption The most common forming processes for polyacetal are injection molding and extrusion (sheets and rods) but also blow molding and rotational molding. POM is mainly used in technical parts where the specified mechanical properties offer an advantage over other plastics. Usage areas • Gears • Springs • Chains • Screws • Handles • Zippers • Clips • Fuelpumps • BreathingDevices • FurnitureslidesStyrene