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Engineering

We strive to be your plastic engineering partner from education to material selection, thru component design.

Custom Fabrication

TriStar excels in custom plastic fabrication from Prototype to Production.

Featured Products
CJ Bearings TriSteel™ Ultracomp® Rulon® Bearings Rulon® Materials Meldin®
Manufacturing

We manufacture a wide range of bearing materials that are ideal for non-lubricated high-load applications.

High Performance Plastics

We have quality High Performance Plastic materials available for the most demanding applications.

Saint-Gobain

TriStar is the exclusive partner for the Rulon, Meldin and Fluoroloy product lines in North America with the largest global inventory for immediate shipment.

Enhanced Materials

Cutting-edge enhancements that improve and extend the performance of polymers, elastomers, and specialized membranes.

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Material Database

With hundreds of high-performance bearing materials to choose from, utilize our material database to filter your search for the exact match for your application.

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A series of quick reads on the best materials for the most demanding applications in your industry.

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About Us

TriStar Plastics, LLC provides engineering, custom fabrication and manufacturing of high-performance plastics and self-lubricating bearings materials. The Company’s capabilities include component design, material selection, prototype, production, manufacturing, and surface modification.

Locations

The Company’s principal location is in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, with additional sales and distribution centers in Denver, North Carolina, Yorba Linda, California and Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Click here for details and directions.

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Rulon® Grades Comparison | Chemical Compatibility

Use the Rulon grades comparison chart to determine which formulation will work best for your application. Click on the linked grade name at the top of each column to read more about a specific material and let us know if you have any questions.

The chemical compatibility chart (in tab 2) outlines general chemical resistance for all Rulon grades. Download the PDF version.

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Rulon® Grades Grade AR LR J 641 W2 123 488 957 XL 142 945 1045 1337 1410 1439
Color Maroon Maroon Gold White Black Black Turq. Green Tan Turq. Black Gold Tan Gold White
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Performance Max Load
"P"(psi)
Mpa		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 750
5.2		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,200
8.3		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 1,000
6.9		 750
5.2		 1,000
6.9
Max Speed
"V" (fpm)
m/s		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0		 400
2.0
Max "PV"
(psi-fpm)
(Mpa * m/s)		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 7,500
0.26		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 10,000
0.35		 7,500
0.26		 10,000
0.35
Mating Surface
Steel & Stainless Steel		 Rb 25 & higher     X X X X X X X     X X X  X
Rc 35 & higher X X                X  X        
Rc 50 & higher                              
Painted metal
and Porcelain		              X  X              
Aluminum     X           X            
Environment FDA compliant       X   X             X   X
Steam X X   X X X X X X X X   X X X
Wet X X   X X X X X X X X X X X  X
Dry X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Vacuum X X X X     X X X X   X X X X
Relative Rating
1 = Low 5 = High		 Coefficient of
friction		 4 4 1 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 4 1 1 1 3
Creep
resistance		 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 2 2 2 4
Insulative prop. Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

The list above is only a partial list of available Rulon grades (formulations).

PV data may be exceeded based on specific application requirements. Ask to speak to a TriStar Application Engineer.

RATINGS above are relative within Rulon® family ONLY.

For Rulon® materials, coefficient of friction decreases with increasing load and wear decreases with increasing surface hardness.

For PTFE based materials, wear in steam and wet environments is higher than in dry environments. Saint-Gobain offers enhanced Rulon® grades which minimize this effect.

Most Rulon® products have excellent chemical compatibility. Data available upon request.

Chemical

Rating

2 - butanone

A

Acetic acid

A

Acetylene

A

Alkalines

A

Ammonia

A

Amyl chloride

A

Analine

A

Aqua Regia

A

Benzaldehyde or Benzonitrile

A

Benzenesulfonic Acid

A

Bromine

A

Calcium Hypochlorite

A

Camphor Oil or Carbon Sulfide

A

Carbon Tetrachloride

A

Chloral Hydrate or Chloroacetic Acid

A

Chlorine or Bleaching Agents

A

Chloroform or Chorosulfonic Acid

A

Chromic Acid

A

Concentrated Oxidizing Acids

A

Creosote or Cresol

A

Decalin or Dichlorobenzene

A

Diethyl Ether or Dimethylamine

A

Diemethyl Sulfoxide

A

Ethyl Acetate

A

Ethylene & Propylene Dichloride

A

Ferric Chloride

A

Ferric Nitrate

A

Ferric Sulfate

A

Ferrous Sulfate

A

Fluoboric Acid

A

Fluorinating Agents, Strong

NR

Fluorine > 140°F
& Dry Gas > 250°F

NR

Fluosilicic Acid

A

Hydrobromic Acid

A

A = ACCEPTABLE

NR = NOT RECOMMENDED

Important Note:

This chart is intended to provide general information only; there are exceptions for some Rulon grades. We recommend that you check with TriStar engineering as some fillers can be attacked in certain chemical conditions.

General Warranty Information:

All information contained herein is believed to be correct but is presented without any guarantee, warranty or representation of any kind, express or implied. Technical data set forth herein is based on tests and measurements conducted in our laboratory under controlled conditions. Suggestions concerning possible applications of our products are made without representation or warranty that such use is free from patent infringement and are not recommendations to infringe any patent. The user should not assume that all safety measures are indicated, or that other such measures may not be required.

Chemical

Rating

Hydrochloric Acid

A

Hydrocyanic Acid

A

Hydrofluoric Acid

A

Hydrofluosilicic Acid

A

Hydrogen Fluoride, Dry
> 250°F

NR

Hydrogen Peroxide

A

Hydrogen Sulfide, Moist

A

Hydroxides

A

Mercury or Silver Salts

A

Methyl Choride or MEK

A

Molten Alkali Metals

NR

Molten Anhydrous Bases

NR

Nitric Acid

A

Nitro Benzene

A

Oleum

A

P-dioxane or Phenol

A

Partly Halogenated Hydrocarbons

A

Phosphoric Acid

A

Potassium Chlorate

A

Potassium or Sodium Cyanide

A

Potassium Dichromate or Nitrate

A

Potassium Hydroxide

A

Sodium Chlorate

A

Sodium Hydroxide

A

Sodium Nitrate

A

Stannous Chloride

A

Sulfur Dioxide 5% + H20

A

Sulfur Molten

A

Sulfuric Acid

A

Tetralin or Trichlorethylene

A

Toluene

A

Trifluoroacetic Acid

A

Xylene

A

Zinc Chloride

A