These properties, in combination with ease of machining, make UHMW-PE, a cost-effective material for use in a wide variety of industries and applications. Since UHMW-PE is a chemically inert material that meets FDA and USDA requirements for direct food contact, it is used extensively in the food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical industries. The non-porous quality of UHMW-PE inhibits the growth of fungus or bacteria. UHMW-PE is also widely utilized in the textile, chemical processing, pulp and paper, mining, maritime, steel, water and sewage treatment, bulk material handling and agriculture industries.

UHMW-PE properties can be enhanced through the use of additives such as colorants, UV and heat stabilizers, anti-static agents, wear-resistant fillers and friction-reducing lubricants. Metals or ores can be used to increase the weight and make the polymer magnetically detectable, while other fillers increase the environmental operating temperature.

Because UHMW-PE is a semi-crystalline polymer, it must be sintered by either compression molding or ram extrusion. Annealing, prior to machining, helps remove the processing stresses caused by sintering. Finished machined parts can also be annealed, but such parts must be fixtured during the cooling process to allow for shrinkage during annealing. Rough machining should be done prior to stress-relieving so dimensional changes can be accommodated during final machining.

Available in standard sheets, rods and tubes for producing dimensionally stable parts, UHMW-PE can be sawed, milled, turned, planed, drilled or punched. Cutting tools should have high rake angles and sufficient chip clearance to prevent clogging. Feed rates should be high, so that minimum time is allowed for the cutting tool to heat the material by friction. Care should be taken to keep tools sharp because UHMW-PE can rapidly dull tool cutting edges, causing part distortion. High quality surface finishes can be obtained by using proper cutting tools, although attempts to improve poor finishes by filing or sanding will generally result in worsening the appearance.

Applications
The high wear resistance of UHMW makes it valuable in plants handling mass produced goods such as coal, ore, grain and paper. It's also effective in the chemical industry for the manufacture of pump parts, seals, filters, slide bars, gear wheels and other parts. It's especially effective in surgical implants, prosthetics and supports, ski coatings, snow plough blades, bowling alleys and butchers' blocks.

• Agricultural - Effective in improving combine efficiency, especially in replacement parts to extend the life of farm equipment and improve endurance. Works well in lining silos, wear strips on combines
• Industrial - Because of its easy release and slidability, sheets of UHMW are used in foundries to handle wet sand in chutes and bins. UHMW poly is also used in the lumber industry in slides, sluice liners and chain drag wear plates to ease handling raw lumber from the forest to the mill.
• Recreational - UHMW's wear resistance and slidability make it work in bogey wheels, slide bars and drive sprockets for snowmobiles, ski facings, bowling pin parts, small skating rink floors and hockey rink dasher panels.
• Food & Beverage - UHMW's properties of soft handling, noise abatement and wear resistance apply well in producing starwheels, feedscrews, wear plates and guide rails for food and beverage filling and packaging equipment.
• Chemical - UHMW properties of resistance to corrosion, abrasion and stress cracking make it effective in the manufacture of pump, filter and valve parts, as well as gaskets, bushings and packing.
• Medical - UHMW works well in surgical implants, prosthetics and supports because of its strong wear resistance and high lubricity. Doctors' studies note that the compression molding used in manufacturing UHMW-PE products makes it especially effective in wear resistance for orthopaedic prostheses, as well as other medical applications.