Delrin® acetal resin emerged from DuPont's efforts to capitalize on the success of nylon and the growing post World War II market for plastics and other synthetic materials. Efforts to develop a tough and heat resistant metal substitute began in the early 1950s, and by 1952 chemists in the Polychemicals Department had synthesized an inflexible polymer from formaldehyde that assistant research director Frank C. McGrew called "synthetic stone" and DuPont named Delrin®.
After four years of development DuPont patented Delrin® in 1956 and began construction of a 20-million pound annual-capacity production plant at Parkersburg, West Virginia, completed in 1960. As manufacture commenced, total research and development costs for the project topped $50 million dollars. DuPont fully expected to recover these costs by marketing Delrin® as a general substitute for nonferrous metals, but a patent dispute and stiff competition held profitability down. As a result, DuPont focused subsequent research efforts on more sophisticated and specialized engineering polymers.
Despite its troubled beginnings, Delrin® thrived in the long run and has been steadily improved over the years. Today, Delrin® is a mainstay of DuPont's engineering polymers line and is widely acclaimed as a lightweight but durable low wear, low friction plastic for electronic office equipment, advanced conveyor technology, and automotive applications.
