Polymer & Co.
Thermal Degradation
cHECK OF sPECIFICATIONS
As the polymers must withstand 120°C, we put both of them in an oven at 120°C for 2h30.
For Nylon 230, we noted a change of color at the surface appearing after 1h30 and slowly evolving to darker color. To see if it was a volume defect, we scraped off a part of the surface. The color is slightly lighter inside the sample than at the surface. Therefore we assume that additives migrated at the surface and degraded with heat. We did not notice any mechanical property change. So the specimen can still be used as initially before heating despite its change of color.
Figure 1 : Sample before heating
Figure 2 : Sample after heating (right part is scrapped off) after 2h30
For the nGen_Flex, we did not remark any change of the polymer after heating.
In conclusion, both polymers can resist 120°C but it is not recommended to expose the clamp to heat during a long time.
By Alexis