History
It was in the 1930s when Wallace Carothers, a well-known American chemist credited with the invention of nylon, made the first notion of PA46. However, the development was shelved, and it was not until 40 years later that a Dutch scientist, R.J. Gaymans, working at Twente University of Technology in The Netherlands, explored this nylon further. His research resulted in the publication of an article, in the Journal of Polymer Science, about the preparation and properties of nylon 46.
In the 1980s, DSM collaborated with Twente University of Technology and mastered the industrialized production process of nylon 46. This resulted in the construction of a pilot plant in Geleen, The Netherlands, where in 1989 the first bags of Stanyl were shipped to an automotive customer.
Success from day one
The success of Stanyl opened a new class of materials—the high-temperature polyamides.
Over the years, DSM developed a broad product portfolio under the brand name of Stanyl—specifically for electronic connector markets and many automotive application fields. These products range from glass fiber, carbon fiber and aramid fiber reinforced to lubricated grades and flame-retardant grades, and for many processes like injection molding, blow molding, extrusion and fiber spinning.
The invention of our Diablo technology allowed parts made of Stanyl to be exposed to high temperatures up to 230°C for a significantly longer time, up to several thousand hours. This was a breakthrough innovation and allowed automakers to downsize their engines even further and allowed higher boost pressures.