Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is AustLon®?
AustLon® is our registered brand name for our monomer cast nylon. AustLon® is an abbreviation for “Australian Nylon.” It is the only nylon available that is 100% Australian owned and manufactured at our site in Ermington, NSW.
Monomer cast nylon has the Identification of PA6G, and this stands for Polyamide 6 Gauss. Gauss is the German word for cast.
Q. Is AustLon® the same as other cast nylons?
AustLon® is similar to other brand named monomer cast nylons. However, due to slight variations in the manufacturing process, there are distinct differences. For example, AustLon® C100 cast nylon is a harder, more wear resistant product than other available cast nylon brands. This is because AustLon® is 100% caprolactam.
Q. What are the differences in the grades of AustLon®?
McNeall Plastics manufacture 3 primary grades of AustLon®. These grades are:
AustLon® C100
AustLon® C90
AustLon® C80
Q. What is AustLon® C100?
AustLon® C100 is 100% Caprolactam. Caprolactam is the base material of polyamide or nylon 6, hence, PA6G. AustLon® C100 is hard and tough, which makes it ideal for demanding wear applications. AustLon® measures 80 Shore ’D’ in hardness. AustLon® C100 is processed by casting into a mould, providing a very flexible product. It is also readily machinable meaning it is the product of choice for low to medium volume production runs.
Q. What is AustLon® C90?
AustLon® C90 is 90% Caprolactam (Nylon 6) + 10% Laurinlactam (Nylon 12), PA6/12G. The addition of laurinlactam significantly improves the impact properties over AustLon® C100, with a slight reduction in hardness and wear properties. This makes AustLon® C90 ideal for applications that experience impact, such as gears, coupling components and items that may be subject to rough treatment.
Similar materials to AustLon® use a chemical plasticiser additive to improve impact properties and machinability. This additive only partly improves impact properties compared to Laurinlactam. Chemical plasticisers are used because they cost less and reduce processing time of cast nylon whilst providing some benefits to impact properties. At McNeall Plastics we have resisted using such additives to provide the highest quality product to our customers.
Q. What is AustLon® C80?
AustLon® C80 is 80% Caprolactam + 20% Laurinlactam. It is also PA6/12G. This unique product offers superior impact properties over other cast nylons. AustLon® C80 is ideal for severe impact application, such as pile driving pads where a hammer repeatedly impacts on the material. It should also be noted that the addition of nylon 12 reduces the percentage moisture absorption. This in turn reduces the amount of dimensional change.