The logging and paper processing industry is one with tremendous history and innovation. For centuries, this industry has relied heavily on traditional materials and techniques to efficiently improve production and safety. However, thanks to advancements in modern technology, performance plastics have helped expand this market even further due to the executional durability of many industrial plastics. As this industry continues to evolve to meet demand, performance plastics will continue to provide reliable parts to ensure that heavy equipment and machinery operate at peak efficiency.
Common Plastics for Logging and Paper Processing
The logging and paper processing industry is filled with many harsh environments that require exceptional materials to help maintain smooth operations. Performance plastics offer a perfect solution for logging equipment because they are strong, tough, impact resistant, reduce wear, and have low coefficients of friction. For example, plastic flange caps can reduce damage to lumber during processing. Heavy-duty plastic liners, chutes, and hoppers offer the same care when transporting logs to the mills. High-wear and self-lubricating plastics eliminate the need to replace or care for the parts used in conveyors. Lastly, the reliability of plastic parts ensures that machinery in the field and in the mills performs at high levels and minimizes breakdowns.
Acetal has exceptional stiffness, strength, durability, lubricity, and a low moisture absorption rate. It offers a thinner, lighter, and more flexible design than traditional industrial products. It boasts excellent product fusion and a wide range of temperature performance levels. Acetal can be used for applications such as bearings and bushings, seals and gaskets, star wheels, thrust washers, valve seats, and wire harness fixtures.
Nylon has exceptional toughness, resistance to wear, and great tensile strength. It is lightweight and exhibits a low coefficient of friction and is chemically and thermally resistant. Nylon can be used in applications such as bearings and bushings, seals and gaskets, star wheels, outrigger pads, thrust washers, and valve seats.
UHMW is highly durable, cost-efficient, and versatile. It is commonly known for its extremely low coefficient of friction, inherent lubricity, superior impact strength and chemical resistance. Natural virgin UHMW has an extremely high molecular weight, making it very resistant to abrasion and moisture absorption. UHMW can also be used for applications such as chute liners, conveyor systems, star wheels, thrust washers, valves and fittings, wear strips, and outrigger pads.
Polycarbonate is a transparent plastic material with exceptional impact resistance, toughness, low moisture absorption, dielectric properties, and flame retardance. Polycarbonate is 30 times stronger than acrylic, and over 200 times stronger than glass. It is lightweight, weighing six times less than glass. Polycarbonate is also a great insulator. Polycarbonate can be used in applications such as machine guards, heavy equipment glazing, conveyor systems, and windshields.
Plastics Benefiting the Environment
There is no doubt that plastics have a negative reputation when it comes to environmental sustainability. However, this negative perception is often associated with single-use plastic products, not industrial-grade performance plastics. In fact, many industrial products offer a far more positive impact on our environment when companies elect to install plastic parts as opposed to traditional metallic ones. In addition to recyclability, many plastics can benefit the Earth in other ways. For instance, lightweight plastics used in vehicles today significantly improve fuel efficiency due to weight reduction, which decreases the amount of fuel consumed and lowers the cost of travel. Performance plastics are also made to be long-lasting, which helps reduce the number of plastic materials being sent to landfills.
