| Toughened polyamide 6,6, though an excellent material with high temperature resistance, is very expensive. However, processors did not have any alternative until Clariant developed impact modified polyamide 6. This new material compared to polyamide 6,6 has easier processability and good impact strength. This new impact modified polyamide 6 can be offered in several bright colours as well as good surface finish.
The new grade of impact modified polyamide 6 is targeted towards applications in lawn & garden, power tools, furniture, sporting goods, electrical products and even interior automotive components. A lot of these applications require more toughness than conventional Nylon 6 can deliver, but impact-modified Nylon 6,6 is really over-engineered, and over-priced, for almost anything except high-temperature applications like under-the-hood automotive parts. In addition, this highly-toughened polyamide 6 has substantially lower viscosity than toughened 6,6 polyamide. It helps in processing through pin gates and can readily fill thin-walled sections and still provide a good surface finish
Using the same toughening architecture, several options of glass or mineral reinforcement, flame retardancy and light stabilization can be developed. In fact, colourability is another major advantage of the new highly-toughened polyamide 6. The new Clariant material, on the other hand, uses different properiety additives that actually result in a translucent material that is much more receptive to color and can deliver excellent contact clarity. Compared to standard toughened Nylon 6,6, the impact modifier melts more readily, so colours that would degrade at higher temperatures can be used in the new polyamide 6 This opens up a much broader palette for designers to choose from. Additionally new polyamide 6 uses less colourants to achieve the desired effect. This helps in maintaining better physical properties and is therefore more cost competitive. |
