The key properties of polyamide are:

1. High mechanical strength, hardness, rigidity and toughness

2. High mechanical damping properties

3. Good fatigue resistance

4. Very high wear resistance

5. Good sliding and emergency running properties

6. Good machining properties

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Polyamides are subdivided into various basic types. PA 6, PA 66 and PA 12 have established themselves as the most important for technical applications. Apart from the standard versions there are a large number of polyamides from which the basic types are specifically treated with additives for the requirements of special applications.

In the production of semi-finished products, a distinction is made between the manufacturing processes of extrusion and casting. The performance of extruded polyamide semi-finished products, however, has various disadvantages. The limits of manufacturing size are reached quickly. In addition the properties of the extruded materials are negatively affected because this process remolds the
materials under temperature/pressure. The extrusion screw and tooling also cause shearing stress and breaks in the polymer matrix. Polyamides manufactured in monomer casting show a higher degree of crystallinity and thus have much better material properties than the extruded types.

In any case, all polyamides share, independently of their manufacturing process, a large number of
basic properties specific to the material.