Nylon and Acetal – The Basics Still Apply!
In "Plastics 101", we all learned the key Performance Benefits which, over the past forty or fifty years have made nylon and acetal the materials of choice for metals replacement - in thousands of mechanical, industrial and commercial applications. For that tiny group who may have forgotten (they could be pretending!), The basic reasons these materials are selected have not changed! They are of course:

¨ Little or no need for lubrication

¨ Resistance to most chemicals

¨ Noise Reduction

¨ Superior wear resistance

¨ Resistance to Hydrolysis

¨ High strength to weight ratio / Weight Reduction!

¨ Cost Reduction

Nylon and acetal materials continue to provide these benefits in diverse applications and throughout a wide range of industrial and commercial market segments. However today, there may be a tendency to regard these materials as decidedly "mature" - with few opportunities for new applications. The changes and "shifts" that have occurred in the industrial marketplace are indeed challenging. However, at least in the thin section marketplace, we continue to see as wide a range of traditional and new applications as ever. Perhaps we need to look a little harder – but they are there!

Here are just some of the market segments where we continue to see opportunities and new applications for thin gauge nylon and acetal shapes and parts.

The list goes on, but you get the idea! We just need to remember why nylon and acetal materials were "invented" in the first place. The old "Plastics 101" adage still applies: "If it wears, slides, rolls, rubs, turns, "squeaks", is noisy, requires lubrication, is too "heavy" (the list goes on) – "it" probably "needs" nylon or acetal to function well. So….. With a little "imagination" and diligence, we can still create new opportunities for sales and profitability. As is often the case, it’s really "up to us"!

Contributed by Dave Pincin, Penn Fibre Plastics Co., Inc., an Ensinger Company, 2434 Bristol Road, Bensalem, PA 19020, 215-702-9551, Fax: 215-702-9551.