1935
Carothers 66
Wallace Carothers’ team polymerised hexamethylene diamine + adipic acid.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Carothers 66
- Nylon 6,6 launch
- World’s Fair
- Parachutes & cord
- Schlack PA6
- Tyre cord wars
- Carpet bulked yarn
- Airbags
- Bio-caprolactam talk
- Ocean fishing-net recycle
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength70
Heat resistance46
Fire performance26
Insulation30
Workability84
Circularity32
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is Nylon non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: combustible, melt-drip. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Nylon insulate?
Thermal mark 30/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: low.
What is the density band?
~1.14 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: DuPont 1935–38 (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 32/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
PA6 ~220 °C; PA66 ~260 °C
heat 46 · fire 26
Nylon did not arrive as a finished commodity. DuPont 1935–38 around United States still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
DuPont 1935–38United States
Timeline
1935Carothers 66
Wallace Carothers’ team polymerised hexamethylene diamine + adipic acid.
1938Nylon 6,6 launch
Toothbrush bristles then stockings.
1939World’s Fair
Nylon stockings as spectacle.
WWIIParachutes & cord
Military demand ate civilian stockings.
1938–41Schlack PA6
Caprolactam route in Germany — today’s volume nylon.
1960sTyre cord wars
Nylon vs PET vs rayon vs later aramid/steel.
1970sCarpet bulked yarn
BCF nylon owned US carpets for a generation.
1990sAirbags
High-tenacity PA66 fabrics.
2000sBio-caprolactam talk
Still mostly fossil.
2010sOcean fishing-net recycle
ECONYL-type loops for PA6.
The eras
1939
World’s Fair
Nylon stockings as spectacle.
1938–41
Schlack PA6
Caprolactam route in Germany — today’s volume nylon.
1970s
Carpet bulked yarn
BCF nylon owned US carpets for a generation.
2000s
Bio-caprolactam talk
Still mostly fossil.
Milestones
Parachutes & cord
WWIIMilitary demand ate civilian stockings.
Carpet bulked yarn
1970sBCF nylon owned US carpets for a generation.
Ocean fishing-net recycle
2010sECONYL-type loops for PA6.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Nylon as timeless.
Keep exploring
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