Nylon CNC Machining

DEK's nylon CNC machining service turns cast PA6, PA66, 30% glass-filled and MoS2 nylon into gears, bushings and wear pads at ±0.01 mm on stabilized features. Stress relief and moisture control keep parts on size.

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±0.01mm
Stabilized Features
3–5 days
Prototype Lead Time
No MOQ
Batches 1 to 10,000+

ISO 9001:2015 Certified AS9100D and ISO 13485 certified

Why Nylon CNC Machining Needs Stable Stock

Nylon is tough, quiet and self-lubricating, but it absorbs water and moves after cutting, which is where most machined nylon parts fail inspection. We control that with dry-as-molded stock and stress relief between roughing and finishing.

Parts run on the same milling and turning centers as your metal components. Nylon sits alongside 15+ other polymers in our plastic CNC machining services.

Engineering plastics beside metals since 2002
ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485 and AS9100D
Sealed storage to control moisture uptake
Engineer-reviewed quotes within 6 hours

Nylon plastic machined parts on white background

Nylon Grades We Machine

Cast, extruded, glass-filled and lubricated nylon grades, each chosen for stock form, stiffness and how much it moves with moisture.

Nylon 6 (cast PA6)
80 MPa tensile (dry)
Large blocks, sheaves, wear pads and gears, with lower stress than extruded stock. See Nylon 6.
Nylon 6/6 (PA66)
105 °C service temperature
Higher stiffness and hardness than PA6, with 85 MPa tensile strength (dry). The usual choice for bushings and rollers.
30% glass-filled
2× unfilled PA6 stiffness
PA6 base for structural brackets and housings that need more stiffness. See Nylon 6 30% glass-filled.
PA66 GF30
160 MPa tensile (dry)
Highest strength and creep resistance of the family, 120 °C service. See Nylon 6/6 30% glass-filled.
MoS2-filled nylon
PA6 + molybdenum disulfide
Bearings, guides and gears with lower friction and better wear than unfilled cast nylon.
Nylon 6 flame retardant
UL 94 V-0
Electrical insulators and enclosures needing UL 94 V-0. See Nylon 6 FR.

±0.01mm
Unfilled, under 50 mm
±0.05mm
Long, thin or glass-filled
Ra 0.8–1.6
As-machined finish (µm)
23 °C
Inspected at 50% RH

PA6 Machining and PA66 Machining at DEK

PA6 and PA66 use the same tooling and speeds; stock form and moisture movement set the process, not cutting difficulty.

1

CNC Milling

3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC milling for wear pads, guide blocks, cam plates and housings, on the same centers that cut your metal components.
2

CNC & Swiss Turning

CNC turning for bushings, rollers, spacers and threaded fittings; Swiss turning for small-diameter pins and insulators.
3

Gear Cutting

Gear cutting by hobbing and shaping in PA66 and cast PA6 for quiet, low-load drives, meshing with steel pinions we machine in the same order.
4

Drilling & Tapping

Drilling, tapping and reaming with sharp high-helix tools to avoid the undersized, hairy holes nylon produces with dull drills.

Design & Machining Tips for Nylon

Key factors our engineers check so nylon parts hold size after machining, in service and at inspection.

1

Stress Relief

Extruded rod carries skin stress. We rough, anneal at 150 °C in oil or inert atmosphere, then finish; cast PA6 needs less because it is stress-free from the mold.
2

Moisture & Dimensional Stability

A 100 mm PA6 bore can grow 0.3–0.5 mm from dry to saturated. Specify the moisture state at inspection, or choose PA66 GF30 or Delrin for wet service.
3

Thermal Expansion

80–90 µm/m·K is four times steel. A nylon bushing pressed into a steel housing tightens on its shaft when hot; design the bore with 0.3–0.5% running clearance.
4

Sharp Corners

Nylon is notch-sensitive under impact. Use 0.5 mm minimum internal radii and 0.3 mm chamfers on edges that see repeated loading.
5

Thin Walls

1.0 mm minimum, 1.5 mm for glass-filled grades; unsupported walls under 1 mm deflect away from the cutter and come out tapered.
6

Threads in PA66

Tapped holes hold well in PA66; specify a coarse pitch and 2 mm minimum wall around the thread. Use inserts for high cycle counts.

When to Choose Nylon vs Delrin, UHMW or Bronze

How nylon compares with the materials engineers weigh it against. Full breakdown in our nylon vs Delrin guide.

Criteria	This MaterialNylon	Delrin	UHMW	Bronze
Choose it for	Loaded gears	Precision gears	Chain guides	High loads
Water uptake	Higher	A fifth of nylon	–	–
Wear life	Better	Lower	Wet, gritty use	–
Strength	Stronger	–	Half of nylon	Higher loads
Cost	Lower	Higher	–	–

Where Machined Nylon Parts Are Used

Quiet, self-lubricating nylon parts run dry in drives, conveyors and electrical assemblies across six industries.

Automation & Robotics

Gears, cam followers, gripper pads, cable-chain guides and bushings for quiet, low-maintenance motion.

Gears Gripper Pads Cam Followers
Industrial Equipment

Sheaves, wear pads, sprockets, slide rails and hammer heads that replace metal where noise and weight matter.

Sheaves Sprockets Slide Rails
Electronics & Telecom

Insulators, standoffs and connector bodies machined in flame retardant nylon grades.

Insulators Standoffs Connector Bodies
Automotive

Under-hood clips, fuel-line brackets and pump gears machined in PA66 GF30 for strength and creep resistance.

Under-Hood Clips Pump Gears
Agriculture & Construction

Rollers, guide blocks and pivot bushings running dry in dusty conditions where grease collects grit.

Rollers Pivot Bushings
Food Processing

FDA-compliant natural PA6 conveyor parts machined from cast stock for clean, quiet running lines.

Conveyor Parts

Finishing Options for Machined Nylon Parts

CNC machining plus finish: nylon takes blasting, dye and marking; anodizing and plating are not applicable.

Nylon Finishes

As-machined
Bead blasting
Painting
Dyeing
Laser marking

Not sure which finish fits? See all finish options

Nylon Machining FAQ

Common questions engineers ask before ordering nylon gears, bushings and wear parts.

Is nylon easy to CNC machine?

Yes. Unfilled PA6 and PA66 cut fast with sharp carbide tools, though chips are stringy and holes tend to close in. The difficulty is keeping dimensions stable afterward, which is why stress relief and moisture control matter more than spindle speed.

What tolerance can you hold on machined nylon parts?

±0.01 mm on small, stabilized, unfilled features; ±0.05 mm on large parts and glass-filled nylon. We state the inspection moisture condition on the report so your incoming QC matches ours.

PA6 or PA66: which should I specify?

PA66 is stiffer, harder, absorbs slightly less water and runs 5 °C hotter, so it suits bushings and small gears. Cast PA6 comes in larger blocks with lower internal stress, making it better for big sheaves, wear pads and plates.

When does glass filled nylon machining make sense?

When the part needs stiffness, creep resistance and dimensional stability under load, for example brackets, pump housings and structural spacers. Expect faster tool wear, a rougher finish and a wider tolerance band than unfilled nylon.