Material
PA612 Nylon
Long-chain polyamide filament
Choose PA612 Nylon based on its stiffness, recovery, wear, wet-service, chemical, and temperature behavior. To define stiffness, confirm the material together with filament diameter, free trim length, density, grade, and service conditions.
Datasheet values
- Density
- 1.06–1.07 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 212–218°C
- Water absorption at 50% RH
- 1.2–1.3%
- Water absorption at saturation
- about 3%
- Wet stiffness retention
- about 70–75%
- Filament diameter
- 0.075–2.50 mm
PA612 is a long-chain polyamide with lower water absorption than PA6 or PA66 and resistance to many oils, fuels, cleaners and saline solutions.
What is PA612 Nylon, and what makes it different from other brush filaments?
PA612 Nylon sits in the long-chain polyamide filament family, supplied as filament, drawn in round, triangular, cross-shaped, hollow, star-shaped and hexagonal sections and set in straight rows, helical, staggered, zoned and wavy fill patterns.
PA612 Nylon is used in custom cleaning brushes for long-life wet cleaning, precision tube brushing and premium roller or strip brushes where stable trim geometry matters.
Where a project stalls on material choice, the comparison is normally against PA66 Nylon, Polypropylene PP and PBT, and it turns on moisture uptake and working temperature.
Compare PA612 Nylon with PA66, PP, PBT. Change material when wet stiffness, temperature, chemical resistance, conductivity, particle shedding, or surface marking becomes the limiting factor.
What stiffness and contact pressure can I expect from PA612 Nylon?
PA612 Nylon is medium to firm; Shore D about 70-80; premium filament with strong bend recovery and dimensional stability. Use finer filament and longer trim for conformable contact; use coarser filament, shorter trim, or higher density for stronger displacement or cutting.
The published filament ranges, set against the grades it competes with. The finished brush is rated from the whole assembly: fill, anchoring and adhesive each have their own limit.
| Property | PA612 Nylon | PA66 Nylon | Polypropylene PP | PBT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shore hardness | Shore D 70–80 | Shore D 80–88 | Shore D 65–75 | Shore D 80–90 |
| Continuous temperature (°C) | 90–110 | 100–120 | 80–100 | 120–140 |
| Peak temperature (°C) | 130–150 | 150–180 | 120–140 | 160–180 |
| Water absorption, 24 h | 0.3–0.7% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) | 1.0–1.8% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) | ≤0.03% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) | 0.05–0.20% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570) |
| Filament diameter (mm) | 0.05–2.50 | 0.03–3.00 | 0.08–3.00 | 0.03–2.00 |
| Flexibility | High Flexibility | Medium to High Flexibility | Medium Flexibility | Medium to High Flexibility |
The part people get wrong: the number that decides scrubbing pressure is diameter over trim length, not the grade name. Two brushes in this material can behave nothing alike.
How does water affect PA612 Nylon performance?
PA612 Nylon takes up 0.3–0.7% (24h, ISO 62/ASTM D570), rising to 1.2–1.3% at saturation, which is the figure that matters for anything left submerged.
PA6 and PA66 absorb moisture; PA610, PA612 and PA12 retain stiffness better in wet service; this moisture response matters in long-life wet cleaning, precision tube brushing and premium roller or strip brushes where stable trim geometry matters.
What this means for your application: water changes the working diameter and the spring rate together, so wet performance has to be checked rather than assumed from a dry trial.
A practical check: soak a sample for an hour and re-measure the trim. If it has moved enough to change the contact band, the grade is wrong for the duty.
What temperature limits apply to PA612 Nylon?
Maximum continuous use: 93°C; maximum short-term use: 121°C.
Published melting point is 212–218°C. That is a material property, not an operating ceiling, and using it to justify a hot wash is the fastest way to ruin a brush.
Where it stops working: If the filament takes a permanent set under load, step up to PBT or PA66 Nylon, which hold a higher continuous temperature.
The usable limit also moves with diameter, trim and contact pressure. A fine filament under light load tolerates more than a thick one under heavy scrubbing.
What chemicals attack PA612 Nylon?
It stands up to water, oils, mild detergents and dilute alkalis.
What degrades it: strong mineral acids, phenols and strong oxidizers.
The same cleaner can be harmless or destructive depending on how strong it is, how hot it runs and how long it sits. Quote the concentration and the dwell time, not just the product name.
Before you commit to a quantity: Specify the exact PA612 Nylon grade or alloy, filament or profile size, color, straight or crimped form, working temperature, wet or dry use, chemical exposure, surface finish, and any required material documentation.
What is the practical lower limit for filament diameter?
About 0.05 mm. Below that the filament turns fragile and breaks under ordinary contact pressure, so 0.05–2.50 mm is the working range.
Free trim runs 3–250 mm, and the two interact: a finer filament needs a shorter trim to keep useful stiffness, while a thicker one carries a longer trim and still lands pressure on the tip.
Split the range by duty: roughly 0.05–0.66 mm for light wiping, dusting and surfaces that mark easily, and 0.66–2.50 mm where residue is packed on and point pressure matters more than surface risk.
Tip treatments available on this filament: end rounding, tapered-tip grinding, silicone-oil coating, ptfe coating, anti-static coating and antibacterial coating.
In practical brush terms: reaching deep into a bore or crevice is a diameter problem before it is a length problem. A thicker filament on a moderate trim pushes further in before the tips fold over.
What applications typically use PA612 Nylon?
Long-life wet cleaning, precision tube brushing and premium roller or strip brushes where stable trim geometry matters.
The cleaning work it is specified for most often:
- CPAP Hose Cleaning
- Laboratory Tube Cleaning
- Pipe Robot Brush Attachment Use
- Hose Cleaning
- Dental Tool Cleaning
- Medical Instrument Cleaning
Brush types built with this fill:
- Custom Tube & Pipe Bore Brushes
- Custom Handheld Detail Brushes
- Custom Roller and Conveyor Brushes
If the sample comes back rejected: PA612 costs more than general PA6 and should be used where its wet stability, recovery or wear life creates a real process benefit.
How do I specify PA612 Nylon for a custom brush?
A usable specification carries the construction, the filament diameter and free trim, the density and contact setting, and the service conditions: wet or dry, temperature, and what the cleaner actually is.
The mistakes that most often send a sample back:
- Selecting PA612 Nylon from the material name alone without setting filament diameter, trim length, and density
- Using dry stiffness to predict wet behavior without checking moisture absorption or liquid exposure
- Ignoring trapped abrasive particles, chemical concentration, temperature, or contact motion when assessing surface risk
Reference standards behind the figures on this page: ISO 527-1:2019; ASTM D638; ISO 62:2008; ASTM D570-22; ISO 868:2003; ASTM D2240-15(2021); ISO 4892-3:2024; ASTM G154-23; UL 94.
Source: American Brush Manufacturers Association — Brush Lingo — Nylon 6.12. Corrected from an unsupported higher value; ABMA gives brush-filament use limits for Nylon 6.12.
What else does the datasheet specify for PA612 Nylon?
| Filament cross-section | Round/Triangular/Cross-Shaped/Hollow/Star-Shaped/Hexagonal |
|---|---|
| Electrical behaviour | Insulating; Anti-Static Modification Can Reach 10^6–10^9 Ω |
Questions this page is asked
How should PA612 be qualified for oil, fuel, saline water or cleaner exposure?
Use the exact fluid or mixture, contamination state, concentration, temperature, dwell, mechanical deflection, rinse and drying sequence rather than transferring a rating from a different reagent. Repeat the cycle on the finished brush and check dimensions, stiffness, recovery, swelling, cracking, discoloration, anchor security and surface transfer against the process limits.
Which measurements should set PA612 brush replacement?
Track trim length and profile, permanent set, bend recovery, contact force, cleaning result, filament splits and shedding at defined cycle intervals in the conditioned state. Replace when reach, finish, debris removal or contamination control leaves its acceptance band, even if the PA612 filament still looks intact or retains most of its original length.
Where these figures come from
| Property | Published value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical resistance | Good resistance to water, oils, mild detergents and dilute alkalis; strong mineral acids, phenols and strong oxidizers attack the polymer; for long-life wet cleaning, precision tube brushing and premium roller or strip brushes where stable trim geometry matters, specify the carrier grade, cleaner co | Perlon Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
| Published datasheet figures |
|
Evonik Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
| Hardness and stiffness | Medium to firm; Shore D about 70-80; premium filament with strong bend recovery and dimensional stability. | Perlon Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
| Limitations | PA612 costs more than general PA6 and should be used where its wet stability, recovery or wear life creates a real process benefit. | Perlon Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
| Temperature resistance | Continuous service: 100°C; short exposure: 150°C. | Evonik Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
| Water resistance | PA6 and PA66 absorb moisture; PA610, PA612 and PA12 retain stiffness better in wet service; this moisture response matters in long-life wet cleaning, precision tube brushing and premium roller or strip brushes where stable trim geometry matters. | Evonik Retrieved 2026-07-20 |
Guides that go deeper on this
No catalogue item for this yet
Every brush here is made to order, and this one has no catalogue entry so far. Send the working surface, the residue, the access opening and the quantity, and it is quoted through the same specification route as the rest of the range.
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