Nylon stands up to hardships of travel
Canadian Plastics
With an eye to reliability and warranty issues, luggage manufacturer Samsonite selected two Akulon(r) nylon 6 grades from DSM Engineering Plastics as the preferred material for some critical component...
With an eye to reliability and warranty issues, luggage manufacturer Samsonite selected two Akulon(r) nylon 6 grades from DSM Engineering Plastics as the preferred material for some critical components in their Flite range of suitcases.
Akulon K224PG6, a 30% glass reinforced and toughened polyamide, is used for the wheel housing that functions as the axle of wheel as well as wheel covering. The cover needs adequate stiffness to hold the wheel in position at all times. It also needs to be tough, even at very low temperatures, due to the impact loads it experiences during operation.
The pull handle has a lockable, adjustable height mechanism for user comfort and convenience. The locking mechanism has two components that rely on Akulon. The locking cylinder acts as a bushing for the locking plate and also uses Akulon K224PG6. The locking plate needs to be extremely strong to withstand the high loads required to provide secure locking at all times and Akulon Ultraflow KFHG12, a 60% glass reinforced polyamide grade met those requirements.
“With Akulon, we were sure that we could meet Samsonite’s requirements of stiffness and toughness at very low temperatures and high loading conditions and guarantee its performance,” says Shailesh Gupte, Business Development Manager – India, DSM.
DSM Engineering Plastics 877-664-9362