Tag Archives: nylon

What’s That Plastic?

Have you ever come across a plastic material, a sheet, rod, or tube, in your shop or warehouse with no label and no way to determine exactly what it is? This can be a difficult challenge due to incredible number of variations that include all the machinable engineering plastics plus all the fillers and additives used to enhance or improve aspects of an engineering plastic’s performance under specific conditions.
However, there are some things you can do to get off to a good start on narrowing down the options.
We’ve put together a handy infographic on some simple do it yourself tests and how the most popular engineering plastics will react to them.

In addition to these methods take a look at our blog post on using the Burn / Flame Test to Identify Plastic Materials

 

Engineering Plastics use Grows in Food Processing Equipment

iStock_000014977093LargeEngineering Plastics continue to replace metals as key components in food processing equipment. Plastics are often lighter and able to outlast traditional metal parts. A quick look through the variety of plastics available in today’s market shows an increasing number of engineering plastics that are compliant to FDA, USDA, 3A Dairy standards making them available in applications where they will come into direct contact with food. They are also being chosen for their
ability to create a quieter work environment.

With 2014 looking to be a great year for Food Processing equipment sales I wanted to share what we most find in food processing applications and why.

UHMW
UHMW continues to lead the way (by pounds sold in the United States) in the transformation from metal to plastic parts.  For more information on materials sold in the U.S. see this article by the American Chemical Council. Compared to steel UHMW is just 1/7th the weight. In addition UHMW is corrosion resistant. UHMW is a great option for room temperature applications like guides, paddles, and cutting surfaces.  Recent advances include the introduction of metal detectable versions that can be recognized by your detection systems in line.

Nylons
For bearing and wear applications, Nylon materials have been the workhorse for over 30 years.  Like UHMW, Nylon is also light weight, and provides lubrication – free operation making it a great material for producing bearings or bushings.  Gears and sprockets made of Nylon have been popular because they can reduce noise in work areas. They can also improve the efficiency of production lines conveying food and liquids in your plants by lasting longer than metals, which reduces downtime, and by allowing lines to run faster.

Acetals
For many components, Acetal is the best choice for metal replacement, and we find its popularity is growing quickly in the food processing industry.  Acetal (Delrin Homopolymer or CoPolymer brands like Acetron GP and Celcon) are very easy to machine, and their very low moisture absorption rates make them a good choice for the often wet environment of food processing.  Acetals are harder than Nylons and maintain dimensional stability where Nylons tend to be more flexible. In many applications Acetals can handle continuous use temperatures up to 210° F and they are typically compatible with most cleaning solutions, a huge plus in the food processing industry.

ERTALYTE®
A popular speciality material is Quadrant Engineering Plastics Ertalyte material.  Ertalyte has unique properties that allow it to wear like Acetal in wet environments and like Nylon in dry or unlubricated environments.  I like to think of it as giving you the best of both worlds! Ertalyte also is highly resistant to stains generated by things like tomato based sauces and green vegetables.  Ertalyte also has high dimensional stability that meets the demands of the highly precise machining tolerances required in filling pistons and fluid manifolds.

In looking to the future of food processing the demands are heavy. Companies are working hard to keep consumer prices in line while still making a profit. Food processing companies are achieving these goals by improving efficiency and creating better work environments. Plastics are an increasingly big part of the solution because their use in parts can improve line speeds, decrease maintenance downtime, and even make for a quieter work environment.

As I look at the Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials we have here at AIN Plastics I’m pleased to see how they are being used to improve the food processing industry and I’m excited to see the new applications our customers are working on as well as the new materials our suppliers are always working on. If you have an application you’ve been scratching your head over, give us a call. We know there are lots of options and we can help you take some of the guess work out of finding out if Engineering Plastics are right for your application.

Paul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

For more information on Engineering Plastics visit http://www.tkmna.com/tkmna/Products/Plastics/Engineering/index.html

Extruded or Cast Nylon – Material Testing Shows Differences

If you are a user of Nylon materials do you use extruded or cast nylon? Do you always use one vs. the other? Material testing shows there are differences between extruded and cast nylon materials that may warrant a good look at a Technical Data Sheet before you make your material selection.

The Top 5 Differences between the more traditional extruded nylon and cast nylon materials are:

5 – A cast nylon material inherently has less stress than extruded nylon

4 – Lower moisture absorption gives cast nylon a higher dimensional stability than extruded nylon

3 – The more crystalline structure of cast nylon gives it a higher strength than extruded nylon

2 – Cast nylon is available in smaller diameter rod than extruded nylon is when looking at premium bearing grades

1 – Cast nylon has a 20 degree higher operating temperature than extruded nylon

The table below shows a comparison chart between a typical cast nylon and a typical extruded nylon. In this case we are looking at Property Comparison of Nycast® 6pa – Natural versus Extruded Natural Nylon 6/6 

Property  Units  ASTM Test Method Nycast ® 6 pa Natural Extruded Nylon 6/6
Specific Gravity  g/cm3 D792 1.15-1.17 1.15
Tensile Strength  psi D638 10,000 – 13,500 11,500
Tensile Elongation  % D638 20 – 55 50
Tensile Modulus  psi D638 400,000 – 550,000 425,000
Compressive Strength  psi D695 13,500 – 16,000 12,500
Compressive Modulus  psi D695 325,000 – 400,000 420,000
Flexural Strength  psi D790 15,500 – 17,500 15,000
Flexural Modulus  psi D790 420,000 – 500,000 450,000
Shear Strength  psi D732 10,000 – 11,000 10,000
Notched Izod Impact  ft.lbs./in. D256 0.7 – 0.9 0.6
Hardness, Rockwell  R D785 115 – 125 115
Hardness,  Shore D D2240  78 – 83 NV
Melting Point  deg. F D789/D3418 450 +/- 10 500
Coefficient Of Linear Thermal Expansion  in./in./F D696/E831 6.1 x 10 (-5) 5.5 x 10 (-5)
Deformation Under Load  % D621 0.5 – 2.5 NV
Deflection Temperature:  264 psi deg. F D648 200-400 200
Deflection Temperature:  66 psi deg. F D648 400-430 N/A
Continuous Service Temperature  deg. F 230 210
Intermittent Service Temperature  deg. F 330 NV
Coefficient Of Friction: Dynamic  D1894 0.22
Water Absorbtion – 24 Hours  % D570 0.5-0.6 0.30
Water Absorbtion – Saturation  % D570 5.0-6.0 7
Dielectric Strength  500-600 400
Dielectric Constant 60 Cycles  3.7 3.6
1000 Cycles  3.7 3.6
100,000 Cycles  3.7 3.6

(The facts stated in the above table are based on experiments and information believed to be reliable. No guarantee is made of the accuracy, however, and the products are sold without warranty, expressed or implied, and upon the conditions that purchaser shall conduct their own test to determine suitability for their intended use.)

Although it may not always make sense to choose a cast nylon over an extruded nylon material, characteristics of cast nylons can ultimately mean longer wearing parts and in applications such as bearings, nylon wear pads, or gears, that can mean less downtime of equipment, less maintenance and improved operating costs over time.

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.tkmna.com

The Patriotism of Plastics

In remembering Veterans Day this past week I thought it might be interesting to consider some of the various and unique ways that plastic materials have contributed to safety, security and defense.

How Are Plastic, War And Women’s Stockings Related?

In the late 1800’s Cellulose based products began showing up in the marketplace. This was followed in the 1900’s with materials like PVC’s (PolyVinylidene Chloride) and Phenolic materials (formerly known commonly as Bakelite).  However the big turning point needed to launch plastics into the mainstream industrial world would be that of necessity.  World War II required rationing of many raw resources such as costly silk from Asia which was used in parachutes, cords and cabling, as well as stockings.  DuPont introduced Ladies’ Nylon stockings right from their Wilmington Delaware headquarters and they sold out of the new hosiery within a few hours!  No longer did women have to struggle to afford costly silk stockings (if they could be found) or paint their nylons on. The new stockings looked great, fit well, and outlasted traditional silk or leg painting.
Nylon went on to become one of the most common polymers used in industrial applications, prized for its toughness and excellent wear properties, not mention it’s ability to be quite stylish and fashionable!

Posted by:

Lin Poulin
Telemarketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

http://www.ainplastics.com