What’s Polyamide 12?: DAIAMID® / VESTAMID® / VESTOSINT®

Differences among Polyamide 6, Polyamide 66 and Polyamide 12

You must have heard the word "Nylon" at least once in your daily life. The official name for "Nylon" is "Polyamide". Polyamide is one of the resins which are also called plastics or polymers. Here, it is referred to as "resin".
There are various types of Polyamides and Polyamide 6 (PA6) and Polyamide 66 (PA66) are the most well-known types of Polyamides. They are commonly used in clothing fibers.

Chemical structure of Polyamide 12 (PA12)

Polyamide 6 and Polyamide 66 (PA6 and PA66) are widely used and account for approximately 80-90% of the annual sales of all Polyamides worldwide. They are used in a wide range of applications, including clothing, automotive parts and industrial applications. These materials have high heat resistance, toughness and excellent chemical resistance. However, they can absorb water easily. This property leads to dimensional changes and deformation when the materials are exposed to water or high humidity environments. As a result, PA6 and PA66 aren’t suitable for applications that require high dimensional stability. Additionally, their mechanical properties such as tensile, bending and impact strength, can be affected by their high water absorption. In contrast, our Polyplastics-Evonik's PA12 (Polyamide 12), such as DAIAMID^® and VESTAMID^® , has very low water absorption compared to other Polyamides. Therefore, PA12 shows excellent dimensional stability and stable mechanical properties.

Low water absorption Polyamide 12 with excellent dimensional stability

For example, as shown below, PA12 has a lower water absorption than PA6 and PA66. In particular, in terms of saturated water absorption in underwater environments, PA12 absorbs only about one-sixth of the water that PA6 and PA66 do.

Comparison of water absorption of Polyamide 6, 66 and 12

Low density Polyamide 12 that contributes to weight reduction

In addition to low water absorption, PA12 also has a low specific gravity. As shown in the graph below, you can see that PA12 has a much lower specific gravity than other resins. This leads to weight reduction in a variety of fields. For example, in the automotive field, switching from metal pipes to plastic tubes contribute to reducing the weight of cars. In addition, in the sports field, PA12 is used in the soles of shoes, which can also reduce the weight of shoes and lead to a comfortable fit.

Comparison of specific gravity with various resins

PC: Polycarbonate, PBT: Polybutylene terephthalate, POM: Polyacetal

Polyamide 12 with excellent flexibility

In addition, PA6 and PA66 have high stiffness. On the other hand, PA12 has excellent flexibility. This results in quieter operation when used in gears applications. PA12 is also commonly used in tubes and cables. The excellent flexibility of PA12 contributes to the ease of handling and bending of tubes.

Polyamide 12 is used in automotive fuel pipes and shoe soles

Polyamide 12 with excellent impact resistance at low temperature and chemical resistance

In addition, PA12 is high-impact resistant. Especially in cold temperature environments, PA12 has higher toughness than PA6 and PA66, making it less likely to crack. For example, in the automotive field, operating temperatures below freezing point must be considered. Therefore, durability as high impact resistance in such a cold environment is required. PA12 is an excellent material to meet those strict automotive criteria. In addition, PA12 also has excellent chemical resistance, such as oil resistance. Especially in the automotive field, PA12 has even better calcium chloride resistance, a component of snow-melting agents, compared to PA6 and PA66.

Polyamide 12 used for gears, automotive cooling lines, cable coatings and medical balloon catheters

Polyamide 12 with excellent processability for various applications

PA12 can be processed into various forms. In addition to pellet shape PA12 can also be used as powder for powder coating and 3D printer material. PA12 can also be processed into film.
This high-performance PA12 is used in a wide range of fields including automotive, general industry, sports & lifestyle, and more. You can check other fields and applications where DAIAMID^® and VESTAMID^® of PA12 are used and how they works from the following information.