PA

Polyamide is a tough material with very high impact resistance.

Polyamide

Polyamide is a versatile plastic with an impressive combination of properties. In the world of mechanical engineering and dynamic applications, polyamide is known for its exceptional wear resistance and excellent sliding and rolling properties.

The material is not only hard and stiff, but also has a remarkable sound-damping capacity, making it an excellent choice for situations where noise reduction is important. In addition, PA is tough and offers excellent machinability, allowing it to be easily adapted to different applications.

Among the polyamides, generally better known as "nylons," several types can be distinguished, the most important of which are PA6, PA66, and PA12. The differences in physical properties are mainly determined by the composition and structure of the molecular chains.

PA6G (cast) combines high mechanical strength, stiffness, and hardness with good creep resistance, wear resistance, heat-ageing resistance, and machinability. An interesting aspect of polyamide is the ability to improve its properties by adding fillers: oil-filled polyamide, for example, provides integral lubrication in dynamic applications, resulting in reduced friction and a longer service life for components. However, PA absorbs a relatively large amount of moisture, which can lead to dimensional changes in humid environments — this should be taken into account for applications with tight tolerances.

Key characteristics:

Operating temperature: -30° to 90°C
High mechanical strength, stiffness, hardness, and toughness
Good fatigue resistance
High mechanical damping capacity
Good sliding and emergency-running properties
Excellent wear resistance
Good electrical insulating properties
High resistance to high-energy radiation (gamma and X-rays)
Good machinability

Applications of PA

PA is widely used when a component is subjected to heavy mechanical loads. The material stands out when strength, toughness, and impact resistance are more important than very precise dimensional accuracy, and when components are used intensively or need to absorb impacts and dynamic loads. Thanks to its excellent wear resistance and good sliding properties, PA is also a logical choice for moving parts that run against one another, such as guides, rollers, and wheels.

In oil-filled variants, integral lubrication is also created, making PA particularly suitable for dynamic applications where friction and component lifespan are crucial — think of gears and bearings that are continuously in operation. The high mechanical damping capacity also makes PA a good choice in situations where noise reduction is desired, for example in running and guide wheels in machines. Due to its good electrical insulating properties, PA is also used in components where electrical insulation plays a role.

Please note: PA absorbs a relatively large amount of moisture, which can cause its properties and dimensions to change under varying conditions. For components with very tight tolerances, it is therefore important to take this into account beforehand when selecting the material.

Typical applications include:

Plain bearings and strips
Gears
Running and guide wheels
Cable pulleys
Scrapers
Slide and wear plates
Die cutting pads
Conveyor rollers

Our possibilities

Food grade certified plastics
Components in the food industry are exposed to cleaning agents and temperature fluctuations on a daily basis. Lakwijk selects materials that can withstand this, ranging from standard POM to high-performance PEEK for the most demanding conditions. This helps prevent deformation, wear, and unnecessary downtime.
Custom material advice
Not every plastic behaves the same way under load, moisture, or heat. Lakwijk knows the properties of commonly used materials such as POM, PA, and HMPE, as well as high-performance plastics like PEEK, PAI, and PTFE. By combining this knowledge with your specific application, we advise a material that isn't just suitable on paper, but also performs well in practice.
All processing techniques in-house
Plastic starts out as sheet or rod material and is processed step by step at Lakwijk into a precise end product. Our operators saw, mill, turn, bend, weld, and glue, depending on what the component requires.