Plastic · Material guide
Custom nylon parts from independent machine shops
Nylon is the go-to engineering plastic for gears, bearings, and wear parts: tough, self-lubricating, and quiet under load. It also absorbs moisture, which swells the part and shifts dimensions, so design and tolerancing around that up front. Upload a drawing and hear back from shops that machine nylon every day.
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Nylon shops on OpenSpindle
Real shops that machine nylon and other engineering plastics. See their equipment and talk to the person making your part.
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Grades
Nylon grades shops run most
Grade sets strength, wear behavior, and how much the part moves with moisture. These are the ones you will see quoted; if yours is not here, ask when you request a quote. One caveat applies to all of them: nylon absorbs water, which lowers stiffness and grows the part, so account for it before you pick a grade.
Nylon 6 (extruded)
The general-purpose grade. Tougher and easier to process than 6/6, with good impact resistance, but absorbs slightly more moisture. Stocked widely in rod, plate, and tube.
Best for General wear parts, impact-loaded parts, prototypes
Nylon 6/6
Higher strength, stiffness, and heat resistance than Nylon 6, with a higher melting point. The default when you need more load capacity or service temperature, though it is a bit more brittle.
Best for Structural parts, gears, higher-temperature parts
Cast nylon (Type 6)
Cast in large sections with lower internal stress and better wear resistance than extruded stock. Machines to a stable finish in thick parts where extruded rod would move or crack.
Best for Large sheaves, rollers, wear pads, big machined blanks
MDS-filled nylon
Cast nylon filled with molybdenum disulfide, which colors it black and improves wear and bearing performance. Lower friction and better load capacity make it a common bearing and bushing choice.
Best for Bearings, bushings, wear surfaces, bushed rollers
30% glass-filled nylon
Glass fiber raises stiffness, strength, and dimensional stability and cuts moisture-driven movement. It is more abrasive to machine and less tough than unfilled grades.
Best for Rigid brackets, structural parts, dimensionally critical parts
Specs
Material properties
Representative values for Nylon 6/6, dry as-molded. Numbers shift once the part absorbs moisture, which is the property that most affects nylon design.
| Property | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Density | ~1.14 g/cm³ (0.041 lb/in³) |
| Tensile strength (dry) | ~11 ksi (79 MPa) dry as-molded |
| Max continuous service temp | ~85–105 °C (185–220 °F) |
| Friction & wear | Low friction, good wear resistance; self-lubricating |
| Chemical resistance | Good vs solvents, oils, fuels; attacked by strong acids |
| Moisture absorption | ~2.5–3% at saturation; swells and lowers stiffness |
| Machinability | Good; stress-relief and moisture control matter for tolerances |
Moisture absorption is the single most important nylon design consideration. As the part takes on water it grows and softens, so hold tolerances loose on critical features, condition the stock, and expect dimensional change in service.
Stock
Forms we machine it from
Plate & block
Milled wear pads, guides, and prismatic parts from cast or extruded stock.
Round bar
Turned bushings, rollers, sheaves, and gears from rod.
Sheet
Cut and machined slides, guides, and wear strips from sheet.
Processes
Manufacturing methods for nylon
The right process depends on part geometry, tolerances, and production volume.
Finishing
Finishes for nylon
Nylon parts normally ship as-machined. It does not plate or anodize, so the meaningful choices are stock color and how you manage moisture, not a coating.
Natural (off-white / cream)
The standard unfilled color. Best strength and toughness, and easy to see wear or cracking on the surface.
Black (MDS-filled)
Molybdenum disulfide filled cast nylon. Black throughout with better wear and bearing performance, common for bushings and slides.
As-machined
No coating. Nylon machines to a clean, low-friction surface that is ready to run for most wear and bearing parts.
Moisture conditioning
Soaking or controlled equilibration to the service humidity before final machining, so the part reaches its working size instead of moving on the shelf.
Design around moisture-driven dimensional change rather than a surface finish. Nylon does not accept plating or anodizing; if you need a harder or more stable surface, consider a glass-filled grade or acetal.
Applications
Where nylon parts are used
Nylon shows up wherever parts slide, roll, or mesh and need to run quietly with little lubrication.
Compare
Nylon vs other materials
How nylon stacks up against the other plastics shops quote most.
Nylon vs Delrin (acetal)
Delrin (acetal) →- Acetal is far more dimensionally stable and absorbs very little moisture, so it holds tolerances better
- Nylon is tougher, takes impact better, and has the edge in wear and bearing life
- Acetal machines to tighter, more repeatable tolerances; nylon parts move with humidity
Choose nylon for toughness and wear where some dimensional movement is acceptable. Choose acetal when tight, stable tolerances matter more than impact resistance.
Nylon vs PEEK
PEEK →- PEEK handles far higher temperatures and loads and is far more chemically resistant
- Nylon costs a fraction of PEEK and is easy to source in large sections
- PEEK is dimensionally stable and low-moisture; nylon is not
Choose nylon for everyday wear parts at low cost. Choose PEEK when heat, chemicals, or stability justify a much higher material price.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Nylon 6 is tougher, has better impact resistance, and is easier to process, but absorbs slightly more moisture. Nylon 6/6 has higher strength, stiffness, and heat resistance with a higher melting point, at the cost of being a bit more brittle. Use Nylon 6 for impact and general wear parts, and 6/6 when you need more load capacity or service temperature.
Get nylon part quotes
Upload a drawing once and compare quotes from independent shops that machine nylon gears, bearings, and wear parts.
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