PET PLASTIC MACHINING

Pete Poodiack, VP of Sales and Marketing at Controlled Fluidics, talks about PET plastic and what makes it a popular material for plastic machining and fabrication.

Hello. This video is about polyethylene terephthalate, which is more commonly known as PET. PET is a very versatile type of polyester. It offers high density, low moisture absorption, and dimensional stability. It’s also FDA-compliant.

PET can be an amorphous or semi-crystalline thermoplastic. In its amorphous state, it has very high transparency but slightly lower mechanical properties than the semi-crystalline version. In contrast, semi-crystalline PET is very rigid. It wears well and offers great abrasion resistance.

At Controlled Fluidics, we see clients choose PET when they’re dealing with complex applications that require a lot of dimensional accuracy. This material resists creep, and it has very low moisture absorption. So, it’s ideal for high-precision components or moving parts.

PET can come in light amber, dark amber, clear, dark green, or white. We can get unfilled PET plates that are up to one inch thick. For food processing applications, we often recommend the ZL1400 unmodified PET which of course is FDA-compliant. If you’re looking for increased resistance to wear or internal lubrication, the ZL1400 T version is a bearing-grade PET that has a reduced coefficient of friction. It’s also FDA-compliant and popular in applications that require contact with food.

This only covers the basics. Learn more about PET Plastic on our materials page.