Nylon, one of the most widely used engineering thermoplastics, is an extremely versatile engineering plastic. An excellent combination of mechanical performance (toughness, low coefficient of friction, and good abrasion resistance) and cost make Nylon an ideal replacement for a wide variety of materials from metal to rubber. There are many nylon grades available; the most common are Nylon 6/6 (extruded) and Nylon 6 (cast).
The properties of cast and extruded nylon are very similar; and typically, can be used interchangeably. It is the strongest and stiffest of all nylons, and has the highest melting point of any unmodified nylon processed by conventional extrusion techniques. However, there are some advantages and limitations to each material.
Cast Nylon 6 (polycaprolactam) has similar mechanical properties to extruded nylon 6/6; however there are distinct advantages. Cast nylon 6 is often less expensive to produce, especially for large geometries, large cross-sections, etc. The casting process of cast nylon 6 results in less stress than the extrusion process, thus providing better dimensional stability. Nylon 6 exhibits all the properties which generally make nylon a superior engineering material: high strength, low friction and wear resistance. Additionally, because of the casting process, part size and thickness are almost unlimited without degradation of the material's internal structure. Cast Nylon 6 provides one of the largest array of sizes and custom shapes of any thermoplastic. Custom irregularly shaped parts can be cast to "near-net" geometries thereby reducing machining time. Cast nylon meets FDA standards. It is also available in blue, glass-filled, and molybdenum-disulfide filled grades.
A large number of formulations (i.e., blue, glass-filled and molybdenum-disulfide filled grades, FDA compliant, Internally lubricated, heat stabilized (blue), impact modified) for nylon are available to match specific application demands. Heat stabilized Nylon 6 (blue) adds up to 20° F higher continuous operation temperature for those applications that require additional temperature resistance beyond the standard resistance.
Contact an Emco Industrial Plastics representative who can help you choose the correct material to meet the needs of your application.