A Brief Look at Nylon; The Industry’s Choice

What is Nylon?

Nylon defines the family of synthetic polymers that are used to make various apparels and consumer products. Unlike other organic or synthetic fibers, nylon has no organic roots. It is a thermoplastic; materials that become moldable at high temperatures and retain their shape upon cooling. Nylon can be seen often being mixed with various additives and fibers to achieve property variations.

History of Nylon

Nylon was first made in lab by the American chemist Wallace Carothers, in 1935. He produced the modern-day Nylon 6,6, which can be seen in brushes, surgical sutures, tennis strings, and fishing lines. Nylon’s demand grew during World War II when countries were running out of natural supplies like rubber, silk, and latex.

Soon after the war ended, manufacturers ran short of supplies to make clothing, and other textile goods. Some people began using repurposed parachutes fabric which came from nylon; the idea quickly gained popularity and became the norm soon.

How is Nylon Manufactured

Nylon Yarn is made from bunch of small units of chemical compounds called monomers. These monomers are linked via controlled reactions, which makes the material strong and durable. The parent monomer for nylon is called hexamethylenediamine, which comes from crude oil. The monomer is then made to react with adipic acid, which then yields a polymer known as PA 6,6.

PA 6,6 exists as a solid crystal and must be melted to be processed further. Molten PA 6,6 is then processed and passed through a device called spinneret, which gives out pure nylon, and discards impurities. After this process, the next stage is called “drawing”, where the small fibres are stretched, and wound through multiple times to increase their strength and elasticity. It is after drawing, that the nylon is ready to be used after being spun into Nylon Yarn.

Various Types of Nylon

As mentioned previously, Nylon refers to a family of polymers that have the same basic composition, along with some additional properties depending upon the usage. Some of the common nylon fabrics include:

Nylon-6,6: This form of nylon was found by Wallace Carothers; it was one of the first fully synthetic fabrics. Common usages include brushes, surgical sutures, tennis strings, and fishing lines.

Nylon 6: Nylon 6 was first developed by Paul Schlack. The major difference between Nylon 6,6 and Nylon 6 is water absorption; with Nylon 6 having more retentivity.

Nylon 510: Originally developed by DuPont; Nylon 510 is primarily used in industrial and scientific applications. It is obtained from sebacic and pentamethylene diamine acid.

Advantages of Nylon Yarn

Water-Resistance

Unlike other fibers, nylon has high resistivity towards water molecules; this property comes from nylon’s closely linked monomers, that align during drawing and increase the overall strength of the fiber. Nylon is not only suitable for umbrellas and other forms of water protection, but it also resists the growth of mold and mildew compared to other types of fabric.

Low Cost

As compared to other fabrics, nylon is cheaper to manufacture and works longer than other competitions, due to high strength and elasticity that comes with it. It can be spun and woven in a way that makes it look and feel like natural fabrics, but for a fraction of the cost.

Versatile

Nylon is a very high resistant fiber and gets used in variety of consumer products. It is very easy to mix with other fibers or chemicals to achieve desired properties.

Conclusion

Nylon is one of the most popular fabric used in the textile industry and has properties that are unmatched by its competitions. Being Lustrous, Elastic, Strong, and Resilient, Nylon serves its purpose as consumer support goods. We at Colossustex provide high grade Nylon Yarn that serves your needs for years to come.