| Materials |
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Dealing with material suppliers as frequently as we do, we many times wish that a specific material could be specified as being the ideal candidate for a specific application. Unfortunately, what is considered "ideal" is many times elusive. Consequently, we cannot over-emphasize the need for our customers to thoroughly test the varieties we have to offer, in the specific application they have intended the product to be used. Recently, we have seen a good amount of mixing of materials where a male buckle might be in an acetal, and the female in nylon, in order to better maximize the properties of each material. We have found this approach to be quite effective in balancing characteristics of impact resistance, water absorption and price economies. |
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ACETAL |
NYLON |
POLYPROPYLENE |
|
You can not beat
this material for its stiffness and tensile strength and
consequently people (especially in the U.S.) prefer the
"macho" feel in side release buckles. However, acetal's
biggest strength lies in its ability to resist moisture
through absorption and it consequently performs very well under
freezing or arid conditions. The acetals we mold are
Dupont's DelrinŽ and Ticona's CelconŽ. Be careful,
however, acetals high stiffness can make it susceptible to
impact. |
Nylon offers great impact resistance under normal operating
conditions. It is light, flame retardant and has a softer
feel for side release buckles. When used on a typical single
piece product it is not unusual to obtain a 20 - 30%
increase in tensile strength over acetal. The kicker, of
course, is that nylon absorbs water and under freezing
conditions can become brittle. We mold Dupont and
Ascend nylons. |
Its major
advantage is that it's cheap. Use this material where load
bearing and impact are minimal. Another advantage is that
the material offers a very soft feel for side release
buckles, which is ideal for children. |
Disclaimer
Warning: Products shown in this catalog are
not for use in any product intended to provide safety or
protection to any person.
You must independently evaluate the
suitability of, and test each product for their use in your
application. JOHN HOWARD COMPANY disclaims any liability
resulting from its use. JOHN HOWARD COMPANY’s only
obligations are those in our Terms and Conditions of sale
and in no case will JOHN HOWARD COMPANY be liable for any
incidental, indirect, or consequential damages arising from
the sale, resale, use or misuse of its products. The
customer assumes all risk for the suitability for a
particular purpose unless JOHN HOWARD COMPANY specifically
represents in writing to the contrary. |
