Nylon Fasteners: What Are They And How Are They Used?
Logically, fasteners are supposed to be made out of tough materials since they are used to keep products fastened together. The existence of nylon hardware such as nylon insert lock nuts seems like an oxymoron. However, the truth is that these types of fasteners do exist, and they have a vital role to play in many fastening environments. When you need to carry out a manufacturing process that will heavily rely on the use of fasteners, you should therefore not only focus on the traditional fasteners such as Inconel hex head cap screws. You should also keep in mind that the nylon ones can also be used, and that in many cases they have superior qualities over other types of fasteners.
What are nylon fasteners?
Nylon fasteners, as the name seems to suggest, are fasteners that are made out of the plastic nylon. This type of plastic is usually modified during production to make it tough so that it can withstand the conditions that a regular fastener will be exposed to.
The nylon used to manufacture these fasteners can be made out of different types of plastic. Some of these include:
Acetal: This is a plastic that is well known to be impervious to water. The fasteners made out of it would be ideal for marine use.
PVC: This plastic is normally resistant to UV radiation and sunlight.
Polypropylene: A plastic that is usually used as an additive to other plastics, so as to strengthen them.
Polycarbonate: This is a form of plastic that has high resistance to heat and electricity. It’s therefore the plastic of choice when making nylon fasteners to be used in areas with high temperatures or high voltages.
Why they are used
Nylon fasteners are mostly used in environments where the use of metal fasteners would not be a good idea. Examples of this include when designing electronics where the manufacturer might be interested in insulating the product as much as possible.
The fact that plastic is an inert product that will not react with most chemicals also makes it useful in environments where harsh chemicals will be used. For instance, if you have a manufacturing plant where powerful acids will be used in the manufacturing process, using metals that react with the acid would not be a good idea. Making sure that most of the fasteners are made of nylon will reduce the need to keep replacing them, since they will not be damaged. This is also safer for the environment since the risk of spillage will be reduced.
Buying your nylon fasteners
If you are interested in buying nylon fasteners, it would be wise to focus on getting them from high quality vendors. The quality of the fasteners will be heavily influenced by the quality of the manufacturing process, and this will only be guaranteed by getting your products from a well known manufacturer.
In summary, you should not take nylon fasteners for granted; they are useful in many different scenarios. If you need any help in buying them, don’t hesitate to consult Melfast.
