What is PA (Polyamide / Nylon)?

Polyamide (PA), commonly known by the trade name Nylon, is a thermoplastic polymer characterized by excellent mechanical strength, abrasion resistance, and wear resistance. It is one of the more technically advanced plastics and is widely used in applications requiring high durability and dimensional stability.

Polyamide is typically produced by polycondensation or polymerization of amines and dicarboxylic acids. The most common types are PA6 and PA66, which differ mainly in crystallinity, strength, and thermal behavior. PA offers high toughness, rigidity, and thermal stability (typically between –40 °C and +120 °C, with short-term peaks even higher). It is resistant to oils, fats, alcohols, and many organic solvents, but tends to absorb moisture, which can lead to dimensional changes and a reduction in stiffness. Nylon is semi-transparent to opaque, easily colorable, and well suited for injection molding, extrusion, and film production.

In packaging applications, polyamide is often used in multilayer films (PA/PE or PA/EVOH), where it provides superior puncture resistance, abrasion resistance, and gas barrier properties.

PA is recyclable, though the process is more complex compared to PP or PET due to the variety of material grades and blends.