Redco™ Tuffkast and Nylon have similar applications in the world of plastics such as bushings, bearings, sheaves, pulleys and even outrigger pads. Some customers get confused between the differences in the material and still others are wary of Tuffkast because, as a Redwood Plastics proprietary plastic, it is not nearly as well known as nylon. Nylon is a plastic developed around the time of the Second World War, whereas Tuffkast is a co-polymer (made of different plastic types). Tuffkast is much newer and is slowly penetrating the plastic industry. Many of Tuffkast’s properties counter potential weaknesses of nylon material.
There are three major advantages of Tuffkast over nylon:
1.) Nylon has some of the highest moisture absorption among industrial plastics at 4% on average (after 24 hours saturation). Tuffkast on the other hand will only absorb up to 0.5% moisture in the same time frame.
2.) Nylon does not handle shock or impact well, but this is a strength of Tuffkast.
3.) Nylon gets brittle in cold temperatures while Tuffkast has much better low temperature properties.
As with any comparison there are tradeoffs in selecting Tuffkast. Tuffkast is too “soft” for some applications meaning nylon would still be the optimal material choice. Tuffkast is also more expensive: about 30-50% more than nylon by weight. Regardless, as a company we see applications every week that are better served by Tuffkast. Be sure to consider it for your next project.
For questions on our Tuffkast, nylon or other plastic materials contact us today.
