New POM grades from Daicel with 30% recycled content
Last update on Jul 27, 2026
Formulators specifying engineering thermoplastics for gears, connectors, and precision automotive parts face a growing tension. Sustainability targets increasingly call for recycled content, but wear resistance, dimensional stability, and mechanical strength cannot be compromised in these high-tolerance applications. Finding a recycled-content polyoxymethylene (POM) grade that holds up against virgin-grade performance has remained a persistent trade-off.
First presented at CHINAPLAS 2026 in Shanghai this past April, Daicel Corporation's High Performance Polymers (HPP) business unit has introduced four new DURACON® POM grades containing 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material: Standard, Low VOC, Sliding, and Tough. Each grade is engineered to address a different piece of that trade-off.
Track latest updates and developments from Daicel in the Master Catalog of Plastics.
Targeting specific performance needs with each grade
Each grade targets a specific formulation need. The Standard grade offers a melt flow rate of 9, positioning it for general-purpose processing. The Low VOC grade meets OEM requirements, relevant for automotive interior applications where emissions limits apply. The Sliding grade is reported to deliver significantly better sliding properties. The Tough grade is reported to match the performance of virgin POM grades.
Since 2023, Daicel has offered DURACIRCLE® Re-Compounding Services, which recycles plastic scrap collected directly from customer plants. That service has focused on post-industrial recycling (PIR), reusing scrap generated during manufacturing. The new PCR-POM line moves a step further: it uses POM that has already been used in the market, not just manufacturing scrap, as its recycled raw material. This shift from PIR to true post-consumer sourcing is the core technical distinction formulators should note when comparing this line to other recycled-content POM options.
You can review DURACON® POM portfolio and access technical data in the Master Catalog of Plastics.
Properties comparable to conventional grades even with 30% recycled content
A major challenge in using PCR materials is variability in properties and maintaining consistent quality. Daicel reports that, drawing on its compounding expertise and quality control technologies, mechanical properties remain comparable to conventional grades even with 30% recycled content. That consistency is what ultimately determines whether a recycled-content grade can be trusted in high-tolerance parts like gears and precision components.
DURACON® POM is already established across industrial sectors, valued for high mechanical strength and rigidity, wear resistance, sliding properties, and dimensional stability. Typical applications include gears, connectors, precision parts, and automotive components, the same application space the new PCR grades are designed to serve. For formulators screening options by recycled content or regulatory status, the Master Catalog of Plastics offers a way to benchmark this line against other PCR engineering polymers as it becomes available. Daicel states it is continuing development work to expand its PCR-POM offering to meet a wider range of formulation needs.
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