NYCOA Transforms Into Specialty Polyamides Player

Nylon Corporation of America Inc. (NYCOA) has expanded its product offering and added new production capacity as part of its transformation into a specialty polyamide (PA) supplier. NYCOA has introduced three new long-chain PAs and started up new polymerization lines at its existing Manchester, NH, headquarters. The company will discuss the latest developments at NPE2024 on May 6 to 10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. It is exhibiting in booth S34115.

A domestic supplier of PA 6 and 666 copolymers and PA 66 compounds since 1957, NYCOA is re-inventing itself by taking its material development and manufacturing know-how to a new level. The company has undertaken a new growth strategy and elevated its leadership role in high-performance PAs by investing and expanding in its R&D efforts and focusing on developing innovative solutions and technologies. The new capacity in Manchester ensures a dedicated future supply of these new long-chain PA products for a range of markets, including transportation, industrial, and sporting goods.

“We’ve responded to the needs of the market, and we’re excited about the new path we’ve carved out in the specialty nylons segment,” said Carlos Restrepo, vice president of business development for NYCOA. “Our mission is simply to be a best-in-class supplier that can cost-effectively fill critical supply gaps for the domestic market.”

Investing for short- and long-term growth

NYCOA has invested for short- and long-term growth by expanding capacity and increasing staff significantly at the Manchester facility. The new manufacturing capacity will provide ample supply of NYCOA’s new long-chain PAs, including NXTamid T PA 6.10 and 6.12 grades. These are engineered long-chain polyamides that deliver significant performance features and a unique balance of properties compared to short-chain materials such as PA 6 and 66. These products are a drop-in replacement for competitive materials, offering better dimensional stability, lower moisture absorption, and, in the case of PA 6.10,  the opportunity for a renewable raw material. NXTamid T PA grades are suitable for a range of processes, including extrusion and injection, rotational, and blow molding.

Low moisture absorption, high toughness

NXTamid T 6.10 and 6.12 have high impact strength, wear resistance, electrical insulation properties, and strong chemical resistance. They also exhibit lower moisture absorption than PA 6 and 66 and resist swelling. NXTamid T grades are also less sensitive to stress cracking in several applications. Another interesting performance characteristic of 6.12 and 6.10 is that they retain more of their intrinsic impact resistance and toughness at colder temperatures than shorter-chain polymers such as PA 6 and 66.

NYCOA has also launched NXTamid L, a PA product family that meets or exceeds the performance of PA 12 and PA 11 in many applications and offers a range of customization options. Compared to PA 12, NXTamid L features a tunable backbone, higher service temperature, and low extractables. It delivers sustainability benefits with a 25% to 60% bio-based composition.

Flexible solutions for rubber replacement

Rounding out the new long-chain PA offering is the NY-Flex elastomeric line of engineered materials that encompass a variety of chemistries, including random copolymer alloys and polyether block copolymers (PEBA). NY-Flex grades provide superior flexibility, low material weight, and high-impact toughness in rubber replacement applications.

Polyether-block-amide (PEBA) copolymers are true elastomeric grades that are based on a PA hard segment and polyether soft segment. They deliver excellent recovery and shock-absorbing properties. NYCOA offers PEBA grades in a range of hardnesses from 55 to 80 Shore D. Custom grades are also offered with specialized additive packages for improved thermal stability, hydrolysis resistance, and UV resistance. These elastomeric grades are used in athletic shoes, ski boot components, and other sports and leisure products as well as technical films.

Amorphous high-performance PAs

As part of the PA family expansion, NYCOA has also developed amorphous 6I/6T PAs branded NY-Clear. They are high-performance PAs that offer higher temperature resistance, lower moisture absorption, and better retention of properties compared to PA 6 and PA 66. Amorphous PAs are known for their dimensional stability, low creep at elevated temperatures, and chemical resistance compared to many high-performance engineering plastics. NY-Clear is commonly used in flexible food packaging requiring high strength, stiffness, and hydrolysis resistance.