SPE COURSE: Polyketone: Understanding the Material and Properties

  Course

Polyketone: Understanding the Material and Properties

  May 18, 2026
 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET.
  Online

Polyketone: Understanding the Material and Properties

  Summary

Aliphatic polyketone, often referred to as just polyketone (POK), is a semi-crystalline plastic resin. Polyketone has a carbon backbone consisting of polar ketone groups. Commercial forms include the homopolymer made up of alternative segments of carbonyl structure and ethylene, and the copolymer which includes propylene segments.

Polyketone is characterized by:

  • High crystallinity
  • High tensile strength and stiffness, as well as good impact strength
  • Excellent tribological properties and exhibit a high level of friction, abrasion, and wear resistance
  • Chemical and hydrolysis resistance
  • Good thermal stability

Often compared with polyacetal and nylon resins, polyketone can offer advantages over these more commonly used resins.

 

If you can't attend one or several sessions live, or if you want to review some concepts, the recordings will be available after each session.

  Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for professionals who work with engineering thermoplastics and need to evaluate polyketone as a material option for demanding applications. It is especially valuable for:

  • Product and Design Engineers selecting materials for high‑performance, wear‑resistant components
  • Materials & Polymer Engineers comparing polyketone with acetal, nylon, and other engineering resins
  • Manufacturing and Process Engineers responsible for molding, processing, or qualifying new materials
  • Quality, Reliability, and Failure Analysis Teams investigating wear, friction, chemical exposure, or mechanical performance issues
  • Application Engineers and Technical Sales Professionals supporting material recommendations and customer evaluations
  • Students and Early‑Career Engineers seeking deeper knowledge of modern engineering thermoplastics

  Why Should You Attend?

Are you evaluating alternatives to acetal or nylon and need to understand where polyketone fits—and where it excels?

Do you want a clear, practical understanding of how polyketone’s molecular structure drives its mechanical, tribological, and chemical performance?

Are you looking for reliable guidance to determine whether polyketone is the right material for your application?

If these questions sound familiar, this course was developed for you.

This course provides a focused, application‑oriented introduction to polyketone—cutting through comparisons and marketing claims to explain what the material is, why it performs the way it does, and where it delivers real advantages.

  Everyday Problems You’ll Address

How does polyketone really compare to acetal and nylon?
Why does polyketone exhibit excellent wear, abrasion, and friction resistance?
What makes polyketone resistant to chemicals and hydrolysis?
How does crystallinity influence strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability?
Is polyketone suitable for tribologically demanding applications?
When does polyketone outperform traditional engineering resins—and when does it not?

These are common questions when evaluating polyketone, and this course provides clear, technically grounded answers.

  What You’ll Learn

By attending this course, you will gain:

  • An overview of polyketone chemistry, including homopolymer and copolymer grades
  • How polyketone’s carbonyl‑containing backbone influences material behavior
  • Key mechanical properties, including tensile strength, stiffness, impact performance, and crystallinity effects
  • Tribological performance, including wear, friction, and abrasion resistance
  • Chemical, hydrolysis, and thermal resistance characteristics
  • Comparative insights versus acetal and nylon, highlighting advantages and limitations
  • Guidance for material selection based on performance demands and application requirements

The course emphasizes understanding material behavior—not just property tables.

  Why This Course Matters

Polyketone is an increasingly important engineering thermoplastic, yet it is often misunderstood or overlooked in favor of more familiar materials. Its unique combination of strength, wear resistance, chemical stability, and tribological performance makes it a compelling option for many demanding applications.

This course matters because it:

  • Helps engineers make informed, confident material‑selection decisions
  • Clarifies where polyketone provides real performance advantages
  • Reduces risk when qualifying alternatives to traditional engineering resins
  • Bridges the gap between molecular structure and real‑world performance
  • Improves communication between design, materials, manufacturing, and suppliers

If you want a clear, practical understanding of polyketone—and how to use it effectively—this course provides the foundation you need.

  Registration Information

SPE Premium MemberFREE
SPE Members$49
SPE Student Members$25
(Student but not a student member? Join SPE for free to get program discounts!)
Nonmembers$249

  Workshop Packs

Strengthen your team’s skills and take advantage of group savings with an SPE Workshop Pack.
Go here for Workshop Pack information and registration.

 
1 Session
 
Level: Intermediate
 
Total Hours: 1 Hour
 
Streaming access on desktop and mobile browsers

  Instructor

Jeffrey Jansen
Engineer Manager
The Madison Group
  LinkedIn

Jeffrey A. Jansen is the Engineering Manager and a Partner at The Madison Group, an independent plastics engineering and consulting firm. Jeff is a proven plastic professional with more than 30 years of experience solving problems and addressing opportunities related to polymeric materials. He specializes in failure analysis, material identification and selection, as well as compatibility, aging, and lifetime prediction studies for thermoplastic materials. Jeff has performed over 5,000 investigations, both for industrial clients and as a part of litigation. He is a regular presenter on the SPE webinar series, covering a wide range of topics related to plastics failure, material performance, testing, and polymer technology. Jeff is a graduate of Carroll College and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

  Questions? Contact:

For questions, contact Iván D. López.

This educational program is provided as a service of SPE. The views and opinions expressed on this or any SPE educational program are those of the Speaker(s) and/or the persons appearing with the Speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. (SPE) or its officials, employees or designees. To comment or to present an opposing or supporting opinion, please contact us at info@4SPE.org.

Refund Policy

Full refund 30 days prior to the event start date. Please contact customerrelations@4spe.org for assistance with registration.

Copyright & Permission to Use

SPE may take photographs and audio/video recordings during the conference, pre-conference meetings and receptions that may include attendees within sessions, networking areas, exhibition areas, and other areas associated with the conference both inside and outside of the venue. By registering for this event, all attendees are providing permission for SPE to use this material at its discretion on SPE's websites, marketing materials, and publications. SPE retains ownership of copyright to all photographs and audio/video recording obtained at this event and attendees may request copies of any material in which they are included.

Anti-Trust Statement

  1. No discussion among members, volunteers, or staff, which attempts to arrive at any agreement regarding prices, terms or conditions of sale, distribution, volume, territories, or customers;
  2. No activity or communication which might be construed as an attempt to prevent any person or business entity from gaining access to any market or customer for goods or services or any business entity from obtaining services or a supply of goods;
  3. No activity or communication which might be construed as an agreement to refrain from purchasing or using any materials, equipment, services or supplies of or from any supplier; or
  4. No other activity which violates anti-trust or applicable laws aimed at preventing unfair competition.
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