Round Rod in PSU 1000 mm amber

This round rod is PSU, an amorphous high temperature plastic that keeps its mechanical properties and its shape up to 160 degrees continuously. The material is transparent to light with a faint honey tint in its base version, and it lets itself be turned into components that have to handle repeated steam and autoclave treatment without turning brittle. It is a common base for bushings, connectors and fitting parts in medical technology and food equipment.

The rod is cast or extruded in round format for turning and drilling of parts such as studs, couplings, plugs, threaded sleeves and seal carriers. The density is 1.24 and the water absorption around 0.2 percent, which gives good dimensional stability even in an environment with shifting humidity. The lowest service temperature reaches down to minus 50 degrees, so the rod handles both cold transport and a hot process phase without brittle fracture.

Mechanically, PSU combines stiffness with impact toughness, two properties that rarely meet in a transparent plastic. That means a turned part in slim dimensions handles assembly load without chipping, and that a thread stands up to repeated tightening. The fire rating is HB according to UL 94, fully sufficient for normal industrial use and approved for contact with food and drink in the grades that are marked food approved.

Chemically, PSU handles water based cleaning agents, alkalis in normal concentrations, acids of moderate strength and alcohol. That is why the material often shows up in wash and sterilization cycles where PC turns brittle after a while. Care is needed with chlorinated solvents, ketones and aromatics, which can cause stress cracking if the part is loaded at the same time. Always test against the actual process fluid before a design part goes into series production.

In turning you feed with a sharp, diamond bored pin and cooling with compressed air or emulsion. The material is heat sensitive during machining even though the finished part is heat resistant, so keep the cutting temperature down. Drills have to be sharp and clear chips often, otherwise internal stresses can be built in. Annealing after machining is recommended for parts that will work close to the upper temperature limit; it stabilizes the shape and reduces the risk of stress cracking in the field.

Amber colored round rod at 1000 mm. A short, stiff length for sleeves and insulating turned parts.

The use is often in sterile and high temperature environments. Bushings in autoclaves, connections in steam tubes, valve parts in food production, transparent inspection plugs and test tubes in laboratories. Do you want to compare PSU against PPSU or PEEK for a specific turned part? Get in touch with temperature, chemicals and tolerance requirements, and we go through the choice together.