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The development of low cost, high performance engineering polymers provides the opportunity to re-evaluate the designs of many machines traditionally manufactured from steel. Plastic molded components have already been used to replace metal shields and guards on a variety of automotive, construction and agricultural equipment. Plastics have also been used to manufacture a variety of hand-held devices, especially power tools. In both examples, the role of the plastic components is usually limited to non-structural applications where high loads and repeated impact are not present. The goal of this study was evaluate the performance and suitability of engineering polymers in the context of machines with inherent vibration, especially repeated impacts. The focus of this paper is on the noise emission reductions associated with mineral-reinforced nylon and polyester polymer caps to mitigate metal-to-metal impacts associated with hand-struck tools.