NYLON (POLYAMIDES)
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Nylon is a designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides and was first produced in 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont. This thermoplastic silky material was first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush (1938), followed more famously by women's “nylons” stockings (1940). It is made of repeating units linked by peptide bonds (another name for amide bonds) and is frequently referred to as polyamide (PA).
It was the first commercially successful polymer and the first synthetic fiber to be produced entirely from coal, water, and air. These are formed into monomers of intermediate molecular weight, which are then reacted to form long polymer chains.Nylon was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk and substituted for it in many different products after silk became scarce during World War II. It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tires.
TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS/FEEDSTOCK
Nylon 6 polymer is made by continuous polymerization of high-purity molten caprolactam. Caprolactam is mixed in a tank with a controlled amount of water, chain terminators (e.g., acetic acid), and other additives such as heat and light stabilizers. The mixture then enters the reaction vessel, where it is heated up to 275 degrees C; after about 24 hours, the nylon 6 polymer is extruded into strands, which are cut into chips.
Fibers are made by feeding the polymer chips into a melter; the molten resin exits through a spinnerette into the quench duct, where the polymer solidifies into fibers, which are drawn out of the duct by a drum. The fibers are stretched slightly and wetted with antistatic and lubricating agents and collected on a bobbin. After a day, the fibers are drawn. To produce a yarn, the fibers are wound onto a tube.
Nylon 6 and 66 fibers are available as regular and high-tenacity continuous filament yarn (which may be heat stabilized), as monofilament, and as staple. The fiber is produced in several cross-sectional configurations, which may be circular, triangular, multilobal, flat or texturized, or hollow fibers.
Nylon fibers are used in a broad range of apparel, home furnishings, and industrial end uses, and particularly in areas that require high tensile strength and abrasion resistance. In general, bulk continuous fiber (BCF) and staple are used mostly in carpets and home furnishings; textile filament, in apparel; and high-tenacity filament, in industrial uses.
The top 10 producers of nylon staple fibre and filament worldwide account for 52% of world capacity. The following table lists them in the order of their capacities worldwide with number of plants in operation.
The complete Nylon Chain Report 2008 covers Nylon Investments / Disinvestments/ recent developments, Trends in nylon demand-supply etc - View Table of Contents || Buy this report online
AN OVERVIEW
Nylon production (filament and staple) increased by a mere 0.8% in 2007 thus continuing with the low growth of 0.4% recorded in 2006. Production growth has been on the dramatic retreat since 2001. Over the past 10 years, nylon output has shown an annual rate of growth of 0.3%. This is largely due to severe competition form other low priced fibres, particularly polyester. Capacity expansion too has been receding. Between 1998 and 2007 about 220 thousand tons were decommissioned.
The report also covers various aspects in tabular as well as graphical form as shown below:
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The complete Nylon Chain Report 2008 also covers analysis on caprolactum, benezene.Also available Nylon Filament and Staple Fiber Production, Capacity, Export, Import, Nylon Price Trends, Outlook, Trends in Nylon Demand-Supply etc
Price Trends
The current global prices and trends are published weekly in theYnFx PriceWatch Report, which covers 22 textile products, starting from feedstock till yarn. This report is available for online subscription.
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