This page is for informational purposes only. Fern Plastics provides injection moulding services and does not supply the material.

Nylon is formed in two ways, either through a condensation reaction between diamines and dibasic acids or by a process of opening a lactam monomer. The numerical identification of nylon relates to the way the nylon was produced. For example, Nylon 66 is created using a condensation reaction and produces a nylon type with two identifying numbers. The first number relates to the number of carbon atoms in the diamine and the second number represents the number of atoms in the acid. Nylon 6 is produced by opening a lactam monomer and the numerical identification of 6 represents the number of atoms in the lactam monomer.

Because aluminum alloy injection molding has incomparable advantages in accuracy and efficiency, the low density of aluminum makes it of particular interest for many applications, it has been applied in many industries such as navigation, aviation, machinery, automobile, precision instruments and so on. With the continuous development of machinery industry, AIM has become the fastest growing near-net-shape processing technology of aluminum alloy parts in the world, and has been favored by more and more industries, where weight reduction is important.

After this first step, the oxygen atmosphere is replaced by nitrogen and the temperature is increased further. With the additional help of magnesium, the aluminium oxide layer is finally broken and reduced. A liquid phase occurs and the aluminium particles are sintered to form a solid metal piece. This method allows to separate the two process steps; the removal of carbon residue and the sintering of the aluminium particles, thereby enabling both steps to run to completion for the first time.

However, a problem arises if aluminum is used, as the oxide layer surrounding the aluminum particles can only be removed at extremely high temperatures. At the same time, aluminum has a relatively low melting point, which restricts the maximum sintering temperature. It is therefore impossible to remove the oxide layer on the aluminium powder before the entire metal piece has melted.

Nylon (Polyamide or PA) is recyclable through mechanical and chemical recycling methods, as well as upcycling techniques. Mechanical recycling involves collecting and processing Nylon waste into new products, although the material may experience some degradation with each cycle. Chemical recycling breaks down Nylon into its constituent monomers for the synthesis of new Nylon, potentially yielding higher-quality material, but it is more complex and may require greater investment.

Metal injection molding (MIM) is to uniformly mix the powder and the binder, and then the mixture is granulated by a granulator and then injected into a forming mold cavity to complete the desired shape. The mixed melt has good fluidity after heating, which aids in the forming of the product during injection and maintains the density uniformity of the product. The shaped product also needs to be degreased and then sintered in a sintering furnace, and some products need some post-treatment such as tapping, polishing and coating.

Nylon has very high durability and is lighter and cheaper than aluminium making it a great choice for many applications. Using nylon materials for injection molding results in an end product that is easy to paint and has an excellent surface appearance. Polyamides are extremely hardwearing and strong and are often used to replace metal parts. Additives like fibreglass are often introduced to create a more robust end product.

The Powder Injection Molding process enables complex shapes to be manufactured, which cannot be realised in any other way, or only with great effort. The aluminium powder is relatively inexpensive, which means that even large components, by MIM standards, can be produced at a reasonable cost. In mass production, savings of up to 50% can therefore be expected on materials and weight compared with conventional production.

Since the injection process is performed under precise temperature and pressure, the formed product has extremely high precision and a very uniform density. Aluminum alloy injection molding technology can process and produce extremely complex parts, with a minimum of 0.1g of small parts; the products has uniform structure, high accuracy and smooth surface; Moreover, the product quality is stable and the production efficiency is high, which is suitable for mass production.

Nylon PA absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and this moisture can affect the material’s properties and lead to issues like surface defects and reduced strength. It is essential to dry the raw materials before moulding. Nylon can also exhibit significant shrinkage and warping during cooling which can lead to unstable parts so it is important to use appropriate extended cooling times.

This advanced technology is suitable for the production of large-volume, complex parts, including some extremely complex three-dimensional shapes, and the products produced do not require machining or only a small amount of processing, which greatly reduces the production cost and greatly improves the work efficiency.

Some of the types of nylons include: Nylon 6 (PA6) Nylon 66 (PA 66) Nylon 6,12 (PA 6,12) Nylon 4,6 (PA 4,6) Nylon 12 (PA12)

A solution to this problem has been succeeded in finding now. The key is in creating the correct atmosphere in the sintering furnace. A low-oxygen environment is usually used to prevent the complete oxidation of a metal powder. By contrast, with aluminium, an oxygen-rich atmosphere has been found to be beneficial. The aluminium oxide layer of the particles is so thick that the particles are protected from complete oxidation. At the same time, the oxygen aids the combustion of the carbon contents of the binder material.

Polyamides are very commonly used in many polymer injection mouldings to create plastic products for a wide range of applications in a variety of industries. Nylon injection molding can be used to create a variety of products like electrical insulation and product packaging.

Aluminum alloy injection molding (AIM) is a new type of aluminum alloy forming technology. It is similar to metal injection molding (MIM) technology, which is the main branch of powder injection molding (PIM) technology. It is developed from injection molding technology and will be the fastest growing and most widely used near-net-shape processing technology of aluminum alloy parts in the world.

The most common forms of nylon used to create custom moulded plastic parts are PA 6 and PA 66. The main differences between these types of nylon material are in their structure. Nylon 6 (PA6) exhibits lower mould shrinkage which results in a stable final product, while nylon 66 (PA66) has greater mould shrinkage when it cools and solidifies, so this needs to be taken into account as the shape of the final product will differ. While PA6 and PA66 have slightly different characteristics, they do have similar properties.

If you’re looking for custom polyamide injection moulding, call Fern plastics today on 01902 758282 or contact our experienced technical staff who will be happy to assist.

With its extreme versatility and strength, nylon material makes an excellent alternative to metal products. At Fern Plastics we specialise in the manufacturing of plastic injection moulds. We create bespoke nylon parts using custom injection moulding processes.

The binder material, which bonds the metal powder in the MIM feedstock, is also removed by thermal processes, which only occur at increased temperatures. The overlapping of the temperature ranges for binder removal and sintering means that residues of the binding agent are incorporated into the sintered workpiece if aluminium is processed using the same technique as for other metals.

Nylons are a part of the group of plastics called Polyamides (PA) and are available in a variety of material types each with very different properties. Polyamides are generally tough thanks to their semi-crystalline structure. This synthetic thermoplastic polymer is widely used in plastic injection moulded products and can be blended with other engineering plastics to improve certain aspects of performance.

Although there are many advantages to nylon injection moulding, there are some nylon disadvantages to consider that can affect the results of your injection moulded product.