Long-Chain Nylons for Wide Range of Processes

New long-chain nylons such as 610 and 612 grades are newly available from Nylon Corp. of America (NYCOA) as part of the company’s ‘transformation’ into a specialty nylon company. The new materials are suitable for a wide range of processes, including injection, extrusion, blow molding, tubing and rotomolding. The company, which since 1957 has included nylon 6, 666 copolymers and 66 compounds, has expanded its product offering through the addition of dedicated polymerization lines for long-chain nylons.

The new manufacturing capacity will provide ample supply of NYCOA’s long-chain nylons, including NXTamid T nylon 6.10 and 6.12 grades, said to deliver significant performance features and a unique balance of properties compared to short-chain materials such as nylon 6 and 66. These nylons are a drop-in replacement for competitive materials, offering better dimensional stability, lower moisture absorption and the opportunity for a renewable raw material (for nylon 6.10) NXTamid T nylon grades. These grades boast high impact strength, excellent wear resistance, good electrical insulation properties and strong chemical resistance. Compared to nylons 6 and 66, they are said to exhibit lower moisture absorption, are less sensitive to stress cracking in several applications, and retain their intrinsic impact resistance and toughness at colder temperatures.

Also new is NXTamid L nylon which is said to exceed the performance of nylon 12 and nylon 11 in many applications, and offers a broad range of customization options. Compared to nylon 12, NXTamid L features a tunable backbone, higher service temperature and low extractables. It delivers sustainability benefits with a 25%-60% biobased composition.

Rounding out the new long-chain nylon offering is the NY-Flex elastomeric line of engineered nylons which encompass a variety of chemistries, including random copolymer alloys and polyether block copolymers (PEBA), which are said to provide superior flexibility, low material weight and high-impact toughness in rubber replacement applications.  NYCOA offers PEBA elastomeric grades in a range of hardnesses from 55 to 80 Shore D, for use in sports and leisure, athletic shoes, ski boot components and technical films.