Are they the same?
I believe polymer is a generic term that includes many forms of plastic, including delrin, which is a very specific formula, (perhaps patented by DuPont?).
A polymer is many monomers - a long chain molecule(a polymer) is made from many links (monomers). So Delrin is a polymer but not all polymers are delrin. Does that make sense?
I believe Delrin is DuPont’s brand name for acetal plastic, - it may also have certain specific properties many things do depending on how they made, little additions or in plastics cross linking and such. Can make a difference in strength, elasticity, whether you can glue it, whether it is resistant to chemicals etc.
For example fron the first link found on Google for Acetal:
"Acetal is a crystalline thermoplastic polymer with a high melting point.
It offers a high modulus of elasticity combined with great strength,
stiffness and resistance to abrasion. Moisture has little to no effect
on acetal resin, and because of this, the dimensional stability of close
tolerance fabricated items is excellent. It is suitable for mechanical
parts or electrical insulators that require structural strength at above
normal temperatures.
PROPERTIES:
High modules of elasticity. High strength and stiffness.
Low coefficient of friction. Easily fabricated with hand tools and
automatic production machinery. Good abrasion and impact
resistance. Low moisture absorption. Excellent machinability.
Natural lubricity. Resistant to gasoline, solvents, and other
neutral chemicals. Useful in air temperatures of -60°
to +320°.
GRADES:
Delrin 100® series: High viscosity grade of resin for production
of rod, slab and tubing to be machined. Our rod and sheet is produced using Delrin® 150 resin.
Delrin 570® series: Resin containing glass fibers. Used where high
stiffness, creep resistance and better dimensional stability are required.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delrin
yes, DuPont owns the name Delrin
Little more searching reveals that other companies make Acetal plastic, BASF for one.
Delrin is followed by the ® in the text I borrowed from a plastic suppliers web site which means a registered trade mark I believe.
Bill
that would be my translation of
There are different grades of Delrin? Which is better for flutes?
You don’t ever want the glass-impregnated stuff if you’re going to machine it. I unwittingly had some (unlabeled) impregnated polyimide, and it destroyed several bits before I discovered the mistake.
The acetal from McMaster, etc., machines nicely.
@ Denny - yes I was typing as you wrote that - the old cross posting thing
kinda snarky this morning…sorry!