For some people the economy coupe is a good enough vehicle…But for others “good enough” doesn’t cut it. They’re willing to pay for the pickup truck with the V-8 engine, power, and leather options. Such are plastics in sawmills where a dependable product like reprocessed-black UHMW may do the job adequately but another, more expensive, grade of plastic may do the job better: last longer, require less replacement and therefore need less maintenance. And Tivar 88, a grade of UHMW originally designed for bulk lining applications, is one of those premium options for sawmill applications.
Specifically Tivar 88 is best as a high quality wear strip. Unlike reprocessed UHMW, Tivar 88 is slicker, stronger, more wear resistant, and UV-stable for outdoor applications. It is more dimensionally stable and less prone to warping. It is sometimes identified by maintenance personnel as the “blue” plastic or “blue UHMW”. It can be a tough sell as the product is around double the cost of the reprocessed grade; however, it tends to last 4-6 times longer than repro UHMW does in the same application, thus it offers lower lifecycle costs. Tivar 88 cannot be substituted in every application as it is not available in rod or tube form so cannot be manufactured into trimmer lugs for example. But in the applications where it can replace repro UHMW, Tivar 88 will outlast and outperform.
For more information on Tivar 88 or other sawmill solutions please contact Redwood Plastics.