Where is Polyamide Used?
When people get to know other polyamide names: nylon or capron, everyone immediately remembers where it is met in everyday life. But this polymer is so universal that few people can imagine how often we actually use it.
Engineering Plastics
Polyamide engineering plastics are produced by introducing various additives into the polymer (mineral fillers, talc, glass, etc.), which provide additional properties. Engineering plastics have strength, wear resistance, heat resistance, rigidity, impact strength, and therefore are widely used in the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, furniture industry, home appliances, construction, sports and tourism equipment, packaging.
For example, polyamide engineering plastics are used for the production of cases of drills and other tools; in cars one can find them in door handles, mirror holders, pedals, cylinder head covers and much more.
Technical (Industrial) Yarns
These yarns are used for the production of cord fabric, as a reinforcing material for rubber products (for example, timing belts), fishing nets, cables, ropes.
Cord Fabric
It is used as a reinforcing material in tires. Cord fabric produced by KuibyshevAzot is highly durable, therefore it is used in tires for trucks, passenger vehicles, and agricultural machinery.
Barrier Films
The special properties of polyamide - impermeability to gases and moisture and absolute safety for the human body, have been noted by the science and technology of the last decade, creating the so-called barrier films which allow storing food for a long time. For example, films are used in the casing for sausages, drug packaging (blisters).
Textile Yarns
Textile yarns are widely used due to their properties. They find application in the various polyamide and blended fabrics, hosiery. It is a durable and resilient material that is easy to wash, dries quickly, holds its shape, is elastic and retains its temperature well, and therefore it is used in various fields, in particular for the production of knitwear, swimwear, underwear, jackets, blankets, parachutes, working clothes, sportswear, life jackets, umbrellas, etc.
Carpets
Man-made fibers are used in the manufacture of carpets. It is easy to care for products from nylon, they have the advantage of durability. Nylon carpets serve for a long time and have a high fire resistance class. The cost of such products is comparable to the cost of wool products.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT POLYAMIDE (NYLON)
Umbrellas
The folding umbrella was invented in 1852 by Samuel Fox. He made the frame and the ribs of metal, and the entire protective surface of the umbrella - from rubberized fabric. Only in the 1960s, people started to produce umbrellas made of nylon or polyamide, which still remains one of the most popular materials in their production.
Toothbrushes
As soon as nylon was invented, it found application in the production of toothbrushes. Nylon toothbrushes, unlike horsehair or pork bristle brushes, were stronger and more resilient. At first, the first nylon brushes brought some discomfort - scratching the gums and teeth. The nylon bristles of the toothbrushes became soft only in 1950.
Spectacle Frames
One of the materials often used to produce frames and sunglasses is nylon. Frames of nylon appeared in the 40s of the last century. They had a very soft surface. Modern nylon rims are very light and durable, they are difficult to break. Such spectacle frames are resistant to high and low temperatures, as well as scratching.
Fishing Gear
Nylon was the first and most massive man-made material for the manufacture of fishing lines.
Surgical Sutures
Synthetic non-absorbable nylon suture are used in surgery. Due to its easy passage through the body tissues and high tensile strength, such surgical sutures are suitable for microsurgery, where the thinnest stitches are required.
Tea Bags
Lipton began using nylon tea bags. These bags, or sachets, are made of nylon mesh. The use of nylon as a material for bags allows to achieve a more intense taste of tea compared to conventional paper bags.
Strings for Musical Instruments
Modern strings are made of synthetic fibers such as carbon, nylon, perlon, with winding of aluminum or silver. For the manufacture of string line, the raw material is heated and passed through the holes of a certain diameter. Nylon yarns are pulled through special rollers and then cooled. In the process of manufacturing the line is soaked with special components that prevent water absorption by the string, increase strength and durability.
Dentures
One of the types of nylon Valplast-110 was created in the USA in 1953 for the manufacture of removable dentures. Since then, nylon prostheses are widely used in dentistry. Prosthetics of teeth with flexible nylon prostheses are used with complete or partial loss of teeth.
POLYAMIDE IN SPORT
Polyamide has the widest application in sportswear and equipment.
Polyamide fibers are characterized by high tensile strength, excellent resistance to abrasion and shock loads. They are resistant to moisture, many chemical reagents, biochemical effects, can be colored with many dyes.
Specially designed form of polyamide fibers, fabric weaving, various dip solutions and combinations with other synthetic threads, membranes allows one to create materials with desired properties up to use in extreme conditions and at the same time to get a variety of aesthetic effects.
For example, a property that is very important for sports: clothing, ensuring the free removal of excess heat and moisture into the environment, simultaneously has water and dirt-repellent properties (water, falling on the surface of the fabric, collects in drops and rolls off of it), does not absorb odors. Such a suit, depending on the conditions, can both retain heat and create a cooling effect. That is why polyamide fabrics are widely used in ski and hockey uniforms, clothing for snowboarding, bobsled and skaters.
There are polyamide fabrics with the stretch coefficient designed with engineering precision. The fabric stretches just as much as a human’s joints allow to bend and this helps preventing sprains. Such material, for example, is used in compression sports underwear for hockey players.
Equally importantly, the nylon clothes care requires minimal effort: it does not wrinkle and does not overstretch, it is easy to wash, it dries very quickly, and most clothes from nylon do not need ironing at all. Thus, an athlete will have more time and energy for training.
A few words about hockey equipment. Athletes take care to maximally protect themselves from the painful blows of the puck and stick, from the blows when colliding with another player, from falling on board, etc. Previously, the uniform of the hockey player was heavy, and the hockey players looked clumsy and felt discomfort. The achievements of chemistry came to aid.
Special polyamide (paraamide) fiber, widely known under the brand name Kevlar (patented by DuPont), was first used in 1980. Having high resistance to tearing, Kevlar is 5 times stronger than steel. Due to the unique combination of high tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and low density, along with incombustibility and high heat resistance, Kevlar also found application in the manufacture of sports equipment and clothing (protective elements, inserts, pads).
Kevlar is used in modern composite clubs, the shell of this material dampens the vibrations of the blade, creates a better feeling of the stick and perfectly protects against impacts. There is polyamide in goalkeeper helmets, professional hockey skates, and ski boots, which require maximum protection and comfort with minimal weight.
Perhaps the biggest fans of polyamide in winter sports are skiers. For them, sparking in polyamide high-tech racing suits, thermal underwear and socks, comfortable shoes, this polymer also protects the exterior design of skis. Over time, it practically does not change. Even deep scratches are barely noticeable due to the use of transparent sublimated polyamide. The components of the ski bindings and poles are again made of polyamide. In addition, nylon is used in the frame of sports glasses, because it combines flexibility and durability.
