Nylon Material for Food Industry

I've seen several types rated as complying to various FDA, USDA, and other food service standards. The McMaster-Carr online catalog allows you to select products based on which standard you require. (Their prices are a little higher than direct from a plastics distributer.)

McMaster-carr is a good choice. I've had an account with them for years. I also recommend Delrin; It's food grade, readily available in lots of stock shapes, sizes and colors, Free machining, and very durable.

Delrin or more commonly know as Acetal , do not know what you are using it for but good machining properties

Also ertalyte has good machining properties plus more chemical resistant on harsh chemical wash down, slightly better than delrin

UHMW is ok but machinablity has alot to be desired

Gentlemen,

Thanks that is exactly what I was looking for.

You might also want to consider the coefficient of friction properties and temperature ratings. Most plastic catalogs (available online if you don't have them) will give you this information. Delrin and UHMW are good, but Teflon has the lowest coefficient of friction and possibly (but not sure) the highest temperature rating. Does something slide over this plastic piece or is it just a spacer? If sliding is involved, then Delrin or Teflon are probably your best choice.

Johnny C, you said in your original post that the parts were made from nylon.

Whilst the answer above are really good and well-intended, Acetal is a different sort of plastic and has different engineering characteristics, some of which may be essential for the correct working of the part(s).

Did you assume "nylon" and really mean "plastic"?

terminalogy, would polymers be a better choice?

Phoenix,

If we're nit-picking (by the way, what's terminalogy?) .......From Wikipedia:-

Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid^[1] materials used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass.

You pays your money, you take your choice, as they say.

nit-picking was the point.

What I have experience, there are at times where people get locked onto just one type or way of doing things. Acetal, or ertylyte was just other options. Considering that there was not much to go on with the exception of Nylon and the industry.

I didn't see any issues with the suggestion.

No issues, buddy, just explaining that I thought my original choice of the word "plastic" to be correct enough.

However, in hindsight I can see where you're coming from.

Sometimes the written word appears to be brutal when it's not meant to be.

Peace, fellow engineer.

I saw my response also, no problem