THE ADVANTAGES OF ACETAL HOMOPOLYMER OVER

ACETAL COPOLYMER
Polyxoymethylene (POM), also called acetal is one of the workhorses of the
engineering plastics family. Since its commercialization in the early 1960’s it has
been used in a wide variety of applications because of its balance of strength,
toughness, and lubricity.

There are two general types of acetal in the market: homopolymer and
copolymer. Acetal homopolymer (POM-H) is produced through a condensation
polymerization of formaldehyde. Acetal copolymer (POM-C) is manufactured
using a different process through the polymerization of formaldehyde and a co
monomer. The type of co monomer and the amount used vary from one
manufacturer to another. The differences in copolymer chemistries will yield
differences in a number of properties.

Since this class of polymers has been used extensively for close 50 years and
both the homopolymer and copolymer have similar properties, the trend has
been to treat POM-H and POM-C as interchangeable materials. In many cases
this can be done with no issues especially since copolymer does not exhibit low
density centerlines. Despite the similarities between the two polymers there are
design scenarios where the acetal homopolymer has better performance than the
copolymer.

Acetal homopolymers have higher level of crystalline structure than their acetal
copolymer counterparts. Typically the crystallinity of acetal homopolymer
(POM-H) is from 55 to 60% whereas, acetal copolymer (POM-C) ranges from 45
to 50 %. Acetal homopolymer (POM-H) resins are superior to acetal copolymer
(POM-C) in the following areas:

 Higher Temperature
 Mechanical Strength
 Mechanical Stiffness
 Toughness
 Creep Resistance
 Fatigue Resistance

We believe this information is the best currently available on the subject. It is subject to revision as additional
knowledge and experience is gained. The Ensinger Company makes no guarantee of results and assumes no obligation
of liability whatsoever in connection with this information. Anyone intending to use recommendations contained in
this publication should first satisfy himself that the recommendations are suitable for his use and meet all appropriate
safety and health standards. This publication is not a license to operate under, or intended to suggest infringement of
any existing patents. References to products not of Ensinger manufacture do not indicate endorsement of named
products or unsuitability of other similar products.
Acetal technical article 2009
POM-H has a higher melting point Tm = 352 °F vs. Tm ≈ 330 °F for POM-C.

The mechanical test program was conducted on extruded plate stock produced
using general purpose acetal homopolymer and acetal copolymer resins unless
otherwise noted. See Table 1 for a comparison

POM-H as higher tensile strength at yield:

Tensile Strength Tensile Modulus

POM-H vs POM-C POM-H vs POM-C
800
12000
700
10000
600 POM-H
8000
500
(psi)

6000

(ksi)
POM-H
400 POM-C
4000 POM-C
300
2000
200
0
100
Yield Strength Break
Strength 0

The higher level of crystallinity in homopolymer provides over a 20% higher

tensile strength at yield and at break. In addition the acetal homopolymer
(POM-H) was significantly stiffer than copolymer (POM-C) which translates to
lower deflection for a given load.

Flexural Strength Flexural Modulus (Tangent)

POM-H vs POM-C POM-H vs POM-C

14500 460
14000
440
13500
13000 420
(psi)

(ksi)

12500 400
12000
380
11500
11000 360
10500 340

Data from Ensinger Extruded Delrintm 150 vs Tecaform™ Extruded Copolymer Data from Ensinger Extruded Delrintm 150 vs Tecaform™ Extruded Copolymer

We believe this information is the best currently available on the subject. It is subject to revision as additional
knowledge and experience is gained. The Ensinger Company makes no guarantee of results and assumes no obligation
of liability whatsoever in connection with this information. Anyone intending to use recommendations contained in
this publication should first satisfy himself that the recommendations are suitable for his use and meet all appropriate
safety and health standards. This publication is not a license to operate under, or intended to suggest infringement of
any existing patents. References to products not of Ensinger manufacture do not indicate endorsement of named
products or unsuitability of other similar products.
Acetal technical article 2009
 Similarly POM-H displays significantly higher flexural strength and modulus in a
three point bending test conducted at room temperature:

Another measure of the utility of a material is toughness or the ability of a

material to resist cracking and breaking in an impact situation. Acetal
homopolymer also provides superior performance over a general purpose acetal
copolymer.

Machined notched Izod specimens were tested at room temperature. Test

results show that POM-H has over two times the toughness than POM-C.
Likewise with injection molded test specimens Notched Charpy Impact testing
conducted at room temperature and -20 °F show that POM-H has improved
toughness than POM-C ft-lb/in2

Notched Izod Impact at 73 F Notched Charpy Impact

POM-H vs POM-C POM-H vs POM-C

2.5 POM-H 6 POM-H

5 POM-C POM-H
2
(ft-lb/in 2)
4 POM-C
(ft-lb/in)

1.5 POM-C 3
1 2
1
0.5 0
0 73 °F -20 °F

Data from Ensinger Extruded Delrintm 150 vs Tecaform™ Extruded Copolymer Adapted from DuPont Delrintm 111P and Gen Purpose POM-C injection molded samples

In room temperature creep resistance acetal homopolymer outperforms its

corresponding acetal copolymer in its ability to resist deformation under load for
long periods of time.

We believe this information is the best currently available on the subject. It is subject to revision as additional
knowledge and experience is gained. The Ensinger Company makes no guarantee of results and assumes no obligation
of liability whatsoever in connection with this information. Anyone intending to use recommendations contained in
this publication should first satisfy himself that the recommendations are suitable for his use and meet all appropriate
safety and health standards. This publication is not a license to operate under, or intended to suggest infringement of
any existing patents. References to products not of Ensinger manufacture do not indicate endorsement of named
products or unsuitability of other similar products.
Acetal technical article 2009
 Creep Resistance
POM-H vs POM-C

2.5

2 POM-H
Strain (%)

POM-C
1.5

0.5

0
0 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Time (hours)

Adapted from DuPont Delrintm 111P and Gen Purpose POM-C injection molded samples
One of the most significant areas where POM-H excels is in flexural fatigue. The
fatigue life of POM-H is orders of magnitude greater than POM-C. This is a major
issue in gear applications where gear teeth experience cycling of loads during
operation.

Flexural Fatigue behavior

POM-H vs POM-C

12000
kilocycles to failure

10000
8000
6000
4000
2000 POM-C
0

Adapted from DuPont Delrin™ 111P and Gen Purpose POM-C injection molded samples

We believe this information is the best currently available on the subject. It is subject to revision as additional
knowledge and experience is gained. The Ensinger Company makes no guarantee of results and assumes no obligation
of liability whatsoever in connection with this information. Anyone intending to use recommendations contained in
this publication should first satisfy himself that the recommendations are suitable for his use and meet all appropriate
safety and health standards. This publication is not a license to operate under, or intended to suggest infringement of
any existing patents. References to products not of Ensinger manufacture do not indicate endorsement of named
products or unsuitability of other similar products.
Acetal technical article 2009
 Table 1 Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Acetals
ASTM Acetal Acetal
Property Method Units Homopolymer Copolymer
Tensile Strength @ yield D 638 psi 11102 8775
Tensile Strength @ break D 638 psi 11077 7825
Tensile Modulus D 638 psi 541000 334000
Elongation @ break D 638 % 55.1 61.6
Flexural Strength D790 psi 14194 12063
Flexural Modulus - Tangent D790 psi 448000 380000
Flexural Modulus - @ 1% strain D790 psi 503000 422000
Notched Izod Impact D256 ft-lb/in 2.29 1.07

In summary acetal homopolymer resins have distinct advantages over acetal copolymers. POM-H resins
have markedly better mechanical strengths, stiffness, and toughness. In addition they exhibit higher
melting temperatures and have better creep resistance than POM-C. In addition in applications such as gear
trains or any situation where there is an oscillating load, acetal homopolymers have a very significant
advantage over copolymer in fatigue resistance.

Tecaform™ - Trademark of Ensinger Industries

Delrin™ - trademark of DuPont Engineering Polymers

We believe this information is the best currently available on the subject. It is subject to revision as additional
knowledge and experience is gained. The Ensinger Company makes no guarantee of results and assumes no obligation
of liability whatsoever in connection with this information. Anyone intending to use recommendations contained in
this publication should first satisfy himself that the recommendations are suitable for his use and meet all appropriate
safety and health standards. This publication is not a license to operate under, or intended to suggest infringement of
any existing patents. References to products not of Ensinger manufacture do not indicate endorsement of named
products or unsuitability of other similar products.
Acetal technical article 2009