Polymer Technology & Services, LLC

2315 Southpark Drive

http://www.ptsllc.com

+49 (0)7681 4937269

The term nylon refers to a family of plastics. The two most common grades of nylon are Nylon 6 and Nylon 6/6. The number refers to the number of methyl groups (See "A Guide to Polycarbonate in General" for an example of a methyl group) which occur on each side of the nitrogen atoms (amide groups). The term polyamide, another name for nylon, reflects the presence of these amide groups on the polymer chain. The difference in number of methyl groups influences the properties of the nylon. Nylon is crystalline in nature; so the molecular chains do not have large substituent groups (such as the phenyl ring in polycarbonate). The crystalline nature of the material is responsible for its wear resistance, chemical resistance, thermal resistance, and higher mold shrinkage.