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Just as some lucky human beings have good DNA that predisposes them to good health, high performance and great longevity, so it is with some engineering thermoplastics that are supplanting metals in many applications. 

One of the thermoplastic family favourites from an engineering point of view is polyethylene, represented in the Dotmar EPP family by the Polystone range of ultra high molecular weight polyethylenes (UHMW-PE).

These versatile thermoplastics feature unusually long molecular chains that serve to transfer load more effectively to the polymer’s backbone by strengthening intermolecular interactions. This results in one of the most durable thermoplastic polyethylenes on the market – and one that is odourless, non-toxic, tasteless and can offer considerable weight and cost savings compared with metal alternatives.

Applications of Polystone UHMWPE cover a diverse spectrum of applications, including:

Transport-related applications, including truck trays, bins and hoppers.

While every thermoplastic stands out with one or two key benefits, Polystone possesses several. Advantages include:

When compared with traditional polymers, Polystone is the only thermoplastic that has the highest resistance to abrasion and chemical erosion, while at the same time maintaining product integrity under higher impact/stress situation.

Additionally, the range’s self-lubricating character yields a non-stick surface comparable with PTFE. Put all these benefits together with low moisture absorption character and low coefficient of friction and you have the most durable plastic available anywhere - and ready to go into service just about anywhere.

However, it is important for the engineer and designer to appreciate that no single product in the Polystone UHMW-PE family exhibits all of the desirable characteristics that a customer looks for in a polymer. In selecting the perfect Polystone for particular applications, it pays to know the difference between the major categories. These include:

Polystone 7000 is the general purpose UHMWPE. It is suited to engineered applications where its unique properties of excellent impact strength, wear and abrasion resistance are required.  Like other members of the Polystone family to follow, its key features and benefits include:

Polystone Ultra is specifically formulated for improved sliding characteristics, enhancing its resistance to wear, abrasion, and environmental stress cracking.

This material is ideally suited to flow promotion and mechanical transmission support products. Sharing the key advantages of general purpose UHMWPE, this material is engineered to deliver top performance in applications such as:

Polystone Ultra not only reduces friction, wear, clogging and noise compared with metal, but also never needs lubrication.

Polystone 7000SR is specifically formulated to suit applications where reduced static is required in handling of bulk materials and other high speed sliding applications. These include lining of storage systems and change parts for the beverage industry. It is particularly suited to:

Polystone M Flametec is the first flame retardant and anti static UHMWPE that has the following specialties:

Applications for which it is designed include underground mining, scraper blades, hopper liners, liner beds, wear profiles, impact slider blades and chain guides.

Polystone Matrox is a specially formulated premium grade UHMWPE. Its unique combination of properties includes outstanding abrasion resistance, excellent non-stick properties and excellent corrosion resistance.

Polystone Matrox is ideally suited for the lining of hoppers, bins and earth moving equipment to promote flow, reduce hang-up and carry-back.

This new premium grade polymer alloy liner is specifically designed for lining hoppers, chutes, bins, dump truck bodies, dozer blades and many other applications requiring solutions to sliding, abrasion and release of sticky, hard-to-move materials. Polystone Matrox delivers best-case production flow rates at optimum wall angle

Its formulation achieves an extremely low co-efficient of friction. Strict measurement of results during its development ensure an extremely high quality product for use in many demanding bulk solids handling industries, including mining, minerals and concentrate handling, quarrying, chemical, filtration, packaging, timber and marine engineering.

Engineers should consult appropriate technical guidance for which engineering plastics suits particular applications. One advanced resource to determine particular products for particular properties is provided by the Dotmar website. The more detail known on how and where the material will be used, the better chance users have of precisely matching the grade to the application. 

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd.

For more information on this source, please visit Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd.

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd. (2020, June 10). Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene UHMWPE – Grades and Properties of Polystone UHMWPE. AZoM. Retrieved on December 30, 2021 from https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4237.

Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd. "Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene UHMWPE – Grades and Properties of Polystone UHMWPE". AZoM. 30 December 2021. <https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4237>.

Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd. "Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene UHMWPE – Grades and Properties of Polystone UHMWPE". AZoM. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4237. (accessed December 30, 2021).

Dotmar EPP Pty Ltd. 2020. Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene UHMWPE – Grades and Properties of Polystone UHMWPE. AZoM, viewed 30 December 2021, https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4237.

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