Polyethylene - An Overview

The polyethylene family of plastics consist of several grades, named according to their density / molecular weight. The 3 standard grades we supply at Ai Engineering Plastics and Laminates are: PE1000 (UHMW-PE), PE500 (HMW-PE) and  PE300 (HDPE).

These 3 grades have a variety of different applications they are best suited to but do share a lot of the same polyethylene characteristics.

Some of their shared characteristics include:

• Excellent chemical resistance
• Low water absorption
• Machinability
• Low economic cost

PE1000

 PE1000, otherwise known as UHMW-PE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene), has the best wear resistance out of the 3 materials, due to it having the highest molecular weight. In addition to this, it also has high impact strength, even at low temperatures, excellent chemical resistance, low coefficient of friction, very low water absorption and excellent machinability. Some of its typical applications include: general mechanical construction, bottling & canning lines, packaging machinery, chemical and electroplating industry, cryogenic equipment, textile industry and storage systems. 

PE500

PE500, otherwise known as HMW-PE (High Molecular Weight Polyethylene), has higher impact strength and better wear resistance than HDPE. PE500 has high impact strength, excellent chemical resistance, very low water absorption as well as good electrical insulation. It is widely used in leisure and food beverage industries in applications such as cutting and chopping boards, pool grates, protection strips and buffers.

PE300

PE300, otherwise known as HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), is a high impact strength grade of PE with good chemical and abrasion resistance, low water absorption and high tensile strength. These characteristics, along with its FDA/USDA approval, make PE300 / HDPE ideal for applications such as the manufacture of chemically resistant materials or food and beverage production.

Quadrant EPP Specialist Grades

In addition to these 3 standard grades, we also sell Quadrant EPP’s range of specialist polyethylene products. TIVAR® Speciality Grades of polyethylene offer improved sliding and wear properties, static dissipative characteristics, enhanced release properties and other improved characteristics, developed for specific applications.

Tivar® 1000 Antistatic

By incorporating an effective carbon black grade, TIVAR® 1000 antistatic offers the electrostatic dissipative properties often required for PE-UHMW components operating at high line speeds and conveying rates, maintaining the inherent key characteristics of PE-UHMW. TIVAR® 1000 antistatic (plates) is available as a "Food Grade".

TIVAR® H.O.T.

TIVAR® H.O.T. [Higher Operating Temperature] is formulated to maintain inherent PE-UHMW key properties over an extended service temperature range, in this way considerably increasing part life in low load bearing applications up to temperatures as high as 125°C.

Special additives reduce the oxidation rate of the material at higher temperatures thereby slowing down material degradation and extending wear-life. TIVAR® H.O.T. also features a food contact compliant composition.

TIVAR® DRYSLIDE

Thanks to the lubricant built into a PE-UHMW matrix with higher molecular weight, TIVAR® DrySlide offers a lower coefficient of friction and enhanced wear and abrasion resistance than TIVAR® 1000. The additives used also make this material static dissipative and considerably improve UV-resistance.

TIVAR® CLEANSTAT WHITE

TIVAR® CleanStat White, the first FDA compliant and ATEX tested thermoplastic with permanent antistatic performance for pharmaceutical and food applications. New ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) TIVAR® CleanStat White is unique in combining good electrostatic dissipation (ESd), excellent wear resistance and food contact compliancy in a neutral / white coloured material.

TIVAR® 88

Recognised worldwide as the premium lining material for bulk material handling, TIVAR® 88 is noted for its performance in promoting bulk solids flow of cohesi