Liquid Shim vs.
Plastic Packers
A Structural Engineer's Comparison
Manufactured from high-impact polypropylene and independently tested to a 20-tonne working load limit (AS 3850.1:2015 and ASTM D695), plastic packers are a reliable, code-compliant product for the job they are built to do: levelling and packing during installation.
They are built for temporary support. AS 3850.1:2015 rates a packer’s working load limit under the standard’s own test protocol, covering strength and creep performance over that test’s defined duration. It doesn’t rate the packer as a permanent structural connection material, and it isn’t a general building authority approval.
DIAMANT MM1018 Liquid Shim is engineered as a permanent structural layer for exactly the connections where plastic packers reach the end of their design intent.
Kubri Engineered Solutions supplies MM1018 and the engineering support to specify it correctly.
Technical data
MM1018 Liquid Shim vs. Plastic Packers
The table below compares the verified technical properties of DIAMANT MM1018 against the general performance characteristics of plastic packers as tested and published by Australian manufacturers.
| Property | MM1018 Liquid Shim (FL) | Plastic Packers |
|---|---|---|
| Load rating | Structural-grade polymer; design loads governed by the product technical data and applicable structural design code | Typically rated to a 20-tonne (approximately 196 kN) working load limit per manufacturer datasheets, independently tested under AS 3850.1:2015 and ASTM D695 |
| Fatigue certification | 10M load cycles (ibac RWTH Aachen, M1999) | No equivalent published third-party fatigue certification identified for plastic packer systems |
| Vibration / long-term load behaviour | Dimensionally stable; loss of pre-tensioning force approximately 10% over 50 years (log-extrapolated relaxation test, restrained) | AS 3850.1:2015 testing addresses strength and creep within the standard's own test duration, not multi-decade or high-cycle service conditions |
| Material | Two-component metal polymer, cures via chemical reaction between resin and hardener | High-impact polypropylene, a thermoplastic that doesn’t chemically cure or bond to adjacent surfaces |
| Applicable standards | abZ Z-3.82-2042, DIBt (Germany): general building authority approval covering use in permanent structural connections | AS 3850.1:2015 and ASTM D695: product-level working load limit testing for the packer unit, not a general building authority structural approval |
Load rating, fatigue certification, and vibration/long-term load behaviour figures for MM1018 are sourced from the official DIAMANT Technical Datasheet (#1866, Version 1.1, dated 14 July 2026). KES can map this data against project-specific design specifications on request.
Plastic packer figures are sourced from published manufacturer datasheets (PP Shim, Huck Aerobolt, Reid, Castle) tested under AS 3850.1:2015 and ASTM D695.
The Fatigue Argument
Working Load Limit vs. Fatigue Life
A 20-tonne working load limit tested under AS 3850.1:2015 confirms that a plastic packer can safely carry a defined static compressive load without failure. What it doesn’t describe is how the plastic packer behaves under millions of repeated load cycles over a multi-decade service life, which is a different failure mode entirely.
Published load ratings come from defined laboratory test conditions. Real-world performance under sustained or cyclic load still depends heavily on the specific polymer’s creep resistance over years, not the weeks or months a compliance test runs for. For cyclic-load applications, fatigue life is the governing question, not the static or short-duration rating on the datasheet.
MM1018 FL was independently fatigue-tested by ibac (Institut für Bauforschung) at RWTH Aachen University, sustaining 10 million load cycles at mean stresses of 40, 50, and 60 N/mm², with no loss of structural integrity. For context, EN 1993-1-9 sets the constant-amplitude fatigue limit for structural steel at 5 million cycles.
On current review of published manufacturer datasheets in the Australian market, KES has not identified any plastic packer system with an equivalent published third-party fatigue certification at this duration. For structural engineers who need a documented basis for a permanent load path under cyclic load, MM1018 is the only material in this category that provides one.
Application guide
When to Specify Which
Standard Scenarios for Plastic Packers
Plastic packers are the correct, code-compliant choice for:
- Tilt-up panel setout: Levelling and packing precast panels during installation, within the packer's tested 20-tonne working load limit.
- Window and door frame packing: Temporary alignment and support during frame assembly, ahead of final fixing.
- Temporary alignment during construction: Any application where the packer is a setout aid and not the final permanent load path.
High-Demand Scenarios for MM1018 Liquid Shim
MM1018 is specified over plastic packers as the permanent structural connection in the following cases:
- Permanent Structural Connections: Column baseplates and load-bearing joints where the interface material forms part of the permanent structure. See liquid shim for structural steel baseplates.
- Rotating Equipment and Vibration-Critical Installations: Compressors and machinery generating sustained vibration need a fatigue-certified, dimensionally stable material. See liquid shim for equipment foundations.
- Bridge Bearings and Wind Turbine Flanges: Cyclic load applications with multi-decade design lives, where a bonded, fatigue-tested structural layer is required. See liquid shim for bridge bearings.
- Bolted Joints Under Repeated Shear: Preloaded connections requiring long-term dimensional stability beyond what a thermoplastic component is rated to provide. See liquid shim for bolted joints.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 20-tonne rating is a working load limit tested under AS 3850.1:2015, which covers strength and creep performance over the standard’s own test duration. It confirms the packer won’t crush or excessively deform under that load within that test window. It doesn’t test performance over years of continuous load, temperature cycling, or millions of repeated dynamic load cycles, which is what a permanent structural connection actually experiences in service.
Plastic packers are a fixed, pre-formed thermoplastic component made from polypropylene, cut or selected to a specific thickness to fit a measured gap. MM1018 is a two-component metal polymer that’s mixed and poured or injected as a liquid, then cures via chemical reaction into a solid, bonded structural layer that fills the exact gap geometry present on site.
Engineering Authority,
Australian Support.
Moving to MM1018 as the deliberate, permanent structural layer means the interface gets detailed, sealed, and documented as part of the design.
Helping you manage that transition is Kubri Engineered Solutions, Australia’s dedicated technical authority for liquid shim technology.
Kubri Engineered Solutions is the Australian partner for DIAMANT Polymer GmbH, manufacturer of MM1018 The Liquid-Shim®, and holds exclusive technical partnerships with globally recognised manufacturers, including Maurer (expansion joints, structural bearings), Panacor (noise barriers, fire protection walls), and EarthTec (reinforced retaining walls).
KES supports your specification by supplying a complete engineering support package:
Design Support:
Interface review and product-variant selection (FL, P, or Smart S) matched to the gap geometry.
Installation Methodology:
Preparation of method statements covering sealing, injection layout, and QA checkpoints.
Interface Control:
Specification of the complete system, including MM1018 SEAL and dedicated injection hardware.
Documentation:
Provision of material certification, batch traceability, and abZ approval documentation formatted for ITPs and asset registers.
Founded by Loai Shokry, a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) with a career spanning the design and delivery of multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in Australia and worldwide, Kubri Engineered Solutions is a specification and engineering partner, not just a product distributor.
Talk to a KES engineer
Send us your connection details. A KES engineer will respond within one business day with the correct product selection and the next steps on installation methodology. Final product selection and specification remain subject to engineer-of-record approval for your project.