One of the questions we often get asked is why choose Nylon 6.6 Sheet over Nylon 6 Sheet and all we can say is that it does everything that Nylon 6 does, but that little bit better.

Higher operating temperature of nylon 66 sheet
It has a slightly higher operating temperature, so if you are right on the edge with Nylon 6, or you want a little bit of an extra safety margin, then Nylon 6.6 Sheet could be the answer.

Nylon 66 sheet is a little bit harder
It is a little harder than Nylon 6 Sheet which could help when used in a low friction environment as it is a little bit slippier. The hardness also helps it win in the machine ability stakes; this is also compounded by the improved temperature range so it is not quite as prone to melt during machining.

Has Nylon 6.6 sheet got FDA approval?
Natural Nylon 6.6 Sheet has an FDA approval rating which means it is acceptable to be used in certain areas where food is produced. This does not apply to black Nylon 6.6 Sheet as this has a dye or an additive which would not be suitable.

Not all a bed of roses for Nylon 66 sheet
Unfortunately there is always two sides to the story and the number one issue is going to be price. Nylon 6.6 Sheet is on the whole a little bit more expensive this is due to the polymer itself being more expensive. Nylon 6.6 Sheet also has a smaller size range and availability so some of the mid thicknesses particularly at the thicker end of the scale are not produced. This also highlights the limitation in terms of maximum thickness, Nylon 6.6 Sheet tops out at around 100mm thick, not that that is a major problem as many applications are within that limit but if you need thicker than 100mm than you will need to opt for Nylon 6 Sheet.

How Nylon 6.6 sheet is made
All Nylon 6.6 Sheet is manufactured by an extrusion process, this means that the polymerise heated and then extruded through a die the advantage is that the thickness and surface finish is pretty accurate in relative terms to the casting process but extruding Nylon Sheet can take longer. Extruding Nylon Sheet also leads to some stresses within the sheet but with the proper annealing and normalising process, most of these stresses are reduced to a minimum. Although as we always stress, if you are reducing Nylon Sheet down in thickness, always machine off equal quantities from both faces as with most engineering plastics, Nylon 6.6 Sheet could distort due to uneven stresses if only one face is machined.