October 7th, 2025
When working with glass-filled nylon resin, it’s often considered to be one of the toughest materials to manage. Nylon is durable, has great heat resistance, but is also prone to absorbing moisture and tends to cling to pigments. The key to ensuring smooth operations is through implementing a comprehensive maintenance plan. With the right purging compound you can protect valuable equipment, reduce downtime and maintain a competitive market advantage by staying ahead of potential problems.
In this article, we’ll explore the unique challenges of handling nylon and how to properly purge machinery to achieve the best outcome for your injection molding manufacturing needs.
Challenges
Glass-filled nylon can be tricky to work with, derived from a completely different type of synthetic that carries its own unique obstacles:
- Nylon is prone to absorbing dampness, making it more likely to break down.
- It is temperature sensitive and requires a high melting point during processing.
- It holds onto pigments, which may linger and cause streaks in future cycles.
As Jeff Lewis, Slide Products’ industry expert explains, “Nylon is difficult to mold, with temperature being a crucial contributor to the process. It often molds between 500-660 degrees, but the gap of temperature change makes it susceptible to degradation.”
This degradation can lead on to major issues. Jeff adds, “When you have a dry material like that, especially for nylon, if you heat it too much it fails very quickly. And by degrade, I mean it basically burns and carbonizes like charcoal.” This carbonized material then sticks to parts like the screw, barrel and even the manifold, causing detrimental build-up.
Best Practices
Even when using top-of-the-line products, a successful purge largely depends on your procedure. Here are some important considerations to achieve optimal results:
- Choose the Right Compound
Most standard mixtures tend to break down during the nylon processing cycle, so selecting a high heat-resistant substrate is imperative for success. - Keep Things Moving
You should always flush the manifold, whether it calls for another purge cycle or not. - Don’t Leave It In
Never, ever leave nylon in the barrel during downtime; this will cause disintegration and major issues, so be sure to remove all material. - Be Consistent
Maintain a constant, moderate screw speed during the application for an effective scrub.
Introducing Purge-Atory
So how do you keep machinery clean? That’s where Slide’s purging compounds come to the rescue. Utilizing our Purge-Atory product will quickly and effectively get rid of leftover resin from previous cycles, cleanse the screw, barrel, hot runner and extruder dies and minimize the amount of resin scraps that may accumulate.
Benefits
These advantageous characteristics make it perfect for applications like automotive parts, gears, and electrical components:
- Great heat resistance
- Structurally hard and durable
- Highly chemical tolerant
What Makes This Product Different?
GRAS Rated
Made with ingredients that are “generally recognized as safe” so you can even use it in food and beverage applications.
High-Heat Stability
Designed specifically for high heat, well-suited for nylon processing, which necessitates hot processing.
No Extra Work Required
Comes conveniently ready to use in a premixed form, so all that’s required is apply and go.
Chemically Strong
Expect a hassle-free application, as you will find a styrene-acrylonitrile resin carrier (SAN) on the ingredient list – it strips any residue off instantly.
Versatile
This all-around product also works great for injection molding, extrusion and blow molding methods.
Nylon purging procedures may vary but you can count on almost any of Slide’s purging products for a beneficial outcome. Our Purge-Atory is recognized by trusted users as the most suitable option when working specifically with nylon. We always encourage you to ask questions and remember that our experts are available in assisting, virtually and even onsite.
Need additional consultation on finding your best solution? Contact the experts at Slide – we even offer free onsite help to tackle your specific applications.
