High-speed bottling plants and food packaging facilities across Africa depend on polymer drive sprockets and guide stars to transport containers smoothly without scratching glass or crushing cans. Choosing the right engineering plastic determines whether a line runs quietly for three years or stalls from stripped teeth in three months.
Material Comparison: Acetal (Delrin POM-C) vs UHMW-PE
Both materials are FDA food contact compliant, but their mechanical properties serve different conveyor duties:
- Delrin (Polyoxymethylene / Acetal): High tensile strength (~68 MPa), high flexural modulus, and exceptional dimensional stability. Delrin holds tight bore tolerances (±0.02 mm) and keyway corners with zero creep, making it the premier choice for drive sprockets and timing gears.
- UHMW-PE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene): Exceptionally low dynamic friction coefficient (0.12) and unmatched abrasive wear resistance. However, it exhibits lower rigidity and is prone to thermal expansion, making it best suited for passive curved guide tracks and chain wear strips.
Machining Guidelines for Food-Contact Plastics
Polymer machining requires specialized cutting parameters to prevent melting and stress warping:
- Sharp, High-Rake Tooling: Use polished single-flute or two-flute carbide end mills designed specifically for plastics to shear material cleanly without friction heating.
- Dry Machining or Compressed Air Cooling: Avoid standard water-soluble cutting oils that could contaminate food-grade plastic pores. Use clean, chilled vortex compressed air guns to clear chips.
Order Custom Conveyor Components
FamilyMake CNC machines custom star wheels, bottle timing screws, and drive sprockets from virgin certified engineering plastics with fast fulfillment across the region.
