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Upgrade BrowserEngineering polymers are regularly utilised across various key industries worldwide. From standard, low-cost commodity plastics utilised in high volumes through to engineering plastics utilised for the most critical applications.
Nylon is a high load bearing engineering plastic, with excellent wear and dimensional stability characteristics. Typically manufactured into sheet, rod, and tube formats using a liquid casting process, Nylon has quickly become the ideal replacement for traditional metal component materials.
This easy to machine material offers many cost saving benefits, such as reduced product weight, eliminating external lubricates and excellent abrasion resistance.
Cast nylon, commonly known as Nylon 6, or PA6C, is created by vertical, centrifugal and pressurised casting methods.
Each process allows activated caprolactam to be poured into heated moulds, where an exothermic polymerisation process takes place. The resulting semi-finished materials include stock-shapes such as rods, plates, tubes, sheets and near-net-shape castings.
Each grade of 6C is produced through an anionic polymerisation mechanism, enabled through a chemical reaction process. By using additives such as oil, solid lubricants or thermal stabilisers, typical characteristics of nylon 6 can be selectively adjusted for certain applications, allowing for custom materials to be used over a wide range of application.
Cast nylon material inherently has less stress than extruded nylon.
Lower moisture absorption & higher operating temperatures, giving a greater dimensional stability.
More crystalline structure of cast nylon gives it a higher strength than extruded nylon.
To help form a consistent crystalline structure, and maintain optimum mechanical characteristics, our cast nylon stock-shapes undergo post-production heat treatments. This annealing process further minimises internal stresses and tension held by the stock-shape and ensure dimensional stability before, during and after cutting / machining operations.
This choice is often based on improved performance and cost reduction, but further advantages include:
Corrosion & chemical resistant materials technology protects against the arduous environments.
1/7th the weight of steel.
Maintains original dimensions during changes in temperature and humidity.
Self-lubricating and low coefficient friction qualities makes Nylon the ideal replacement for traditional materials in high wear applications.
