Factors that Influence your Choice of Cast Nylon in your Project

Nylatech Feb BlogWith many types of Nylatech brand Cast Nylon 6/12, we have a material that will work for virtually any project. All of Nylatech's Nylon materials have excellent abrasion and wear resistance, high tensile and compressive strength, a low coefficient of friction, are lightweight, and are easily machinable. But some are better suited for certain applications than others. Here are a few of the key factors that may influence which Cast Nylon 6/12 plastic you choose for your next project:

Temperature: What is the anticipated operating temperature the cast nylon part will be exposed to? This can affect your choice of plastic. For example, where higher continuous operating temperatures will exist, Nylatech Blue is often recommended for bushings, rollers, wear pads, and wear strips in ovens, kilns, and industrial dryers.

Lubricity: When manual lubrication of your part is difficult or impossible, there are several grades of cast nylon we could recommend:

  • Nylatech Oil also limits moisture absorption (making it ideal for bearing material for submerged or critical tolerance applications).
  • Nylatech MD-Oil has all the advantages of a liquid lubricant and has high compressive strength and load-bearing properties.

Food Contact: When your parts come in direct contact with food, special FDA-approved food-safe cast nylon is required. We might recommend Nylatech Natural-Oil as it confirms with FDA Regulations 21 CFR, Sec. 177.15 and USDA 3A Sanitary Standards 20-17 for direct contact with food.

Friction: While most cast nylon plastics have good friction properties, Nylatech PVM is a self-lubricated material with the lowest coefficient of friction of any cast nylon. It’s often recommended for high-speed bushing and siding applications.

For Prototypes: To cut down on production time and cost, Nylatech Glass Filled (up to 30%) is often suggested for prototype and development work because injection molded parts would be too expensive.

Of course to get the best cast nylon product suggestion for your project, send us the specs and details of your project and we can use our 25 years experience in plastics to suggest the right one for you.