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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.

Polyamide (PA / Nylon) – Properties & Applications

Criterion Description Practical Relevance
Material Type Thermoplastic polymer with high strength, toughness and abrasion resistance. Known commercially as Nylon. Ideal for mechanically demanding applications and high stability requirements.
Manufacturing Process Produced by polycondensation or polymerisation of amines and dicarboxylic acids. Allows for different PA grades with tailored properties (e.g. PA6, PA66).
Common Types PA6: High toughness, easy to process.
PA66: Greater rigidity, heat and abrasion resistance. 		Type selection depends on load, temperature range and application.
Temperature Range Typically –40 °C to +120 °C; short-term higher temperatures possible. Suitable for hot filling, technical parts and multilayer films.
Chemical Resistance Resistant to oils, fats, alcohols and many organic solvents. Sensitive to acids and moisture absorption. Excellent media resistance – but moisture uptake must be considered.
Moisture Absorption Absorbs humidity from the environment, which can lead to dimensional changes. Important for tight tolerances and mechanical precision parts.
Optical Properties Semi-transparent to opaque, very good colourability. Allows versatile product design and colouring for parts or films.
Processing Injection moulding, extrusion, film production. Processable with standard equipment for engineering plastics.
Use in Packaging Used in multilayer films (e.g. PA/PE, PA/EVOH) for puncture resistance and gas barrier performance. Ideal for vacuum or MAP packaging requiring high tightness.
Recyclability Basically recyclable, but complex due to variety of types and multilayer composites. Possible, though more difficult than with single-material plastics such as PP or PET.

Note

Polyamide offers high strength, thermal stability and excellent barrier properties. In packaging technology, PA is mainly used as a functional layer in multilayer films. Because of its moisture absorption, storage conditions should remain dry and stable.

Status: 2025 · Source: Bikapack Product Management · All information without guarantee.