Nylon applications are very common and alongside UHMW-PE, cast nylon is probably the most well-known industrial plastic. The issue is with nylon, as most plastics, is that it’s ideal in some applications but performs poorly in others. No plastic is a complete panacea: they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, in most applications where nylon has problems, Tuffkast can solve them.
Where is nylon not ideal?
That’s the question you have to ask and there are three areas. Firstly, nylon does poorly in submerged or “wet” applications. Unlike most plastics, nylon readily absorbs water and will swell about 4% of its size in 24 hour saturation. This makes it a poor choice for marine applications unless tolerances are taken into account. Secondly, nylon is brittle especially in the cold. While nylon can take lots of pressure (4000 PSI) it is poor in taking impact. Nylon should not be used in impact applications. The final area of concern with nylon is what was just hinted at – cold. Nylon’s properties get worse in cold exposure, about -12 degrees Celsius is the lowest you can comfortably go.
How does Tuffkast solve these problems?
Tuffkast is a “copolymer” meaning it’s a mix of different plastics. While it is “nylon-like” is performs much better in areas nylon is deficient. It has significant benefits to impact resistance and in fact is an excellent impact and shock absorbing plastic. In addition, Tuffkast absorbs much less water (about half) as much as nylon does. In addition, it does not weaken in the cold like nylon does. Customers rightly wonder what the “catch” is with this material as it would seem to be easiest to just use Tuffkast in every nylon application but that isn’t so. The main difference is cost, depending on the grade Tuffkast can be 50-80% more expensive than nylon. The other potential drawback of Tuffkast is that it is softer than nylon, this can lead to increased wear or susceptibility to wear. An example would be use of Tuffkast as a wheel on a railed track. Tuffkast will deform more quickly due to imperfections in the rail and will wear more quickly in general.
If you have more questions about how Redco Tuffkast or nylon might be ideal in your application please contact us today.
