| HS Code | 243510 |
| Material | Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 |
| Polymer Type | Nylon 12 (PA12) |
| Glass Fiber Content | 30% |
| Density | 1.23 g/cm³ |
| Tensile Strength | 110 MPa |
| Tensile Modulus | 6300 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 3% |
| Flexural Modulus | 6000 MPa |
| Charpy Notched Impact Strength | 10 kJ/m² |
| Melting Point | 178 °C |
| Heat Deflection Temperature 1 8 Mpa | 150 °C |
| Heat Deflection Temperature 0 45 Mpa | 170 °C |
| Water Absorption 24h | 0.7% |
| Water Absorption At Saturation | 1.3% |
As an accredited Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 30% Glass Filled Nylon 12 factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Evonik Vestamid L-GF30, 30% glass filled nylon 12, supplied as cylindrical pellets in 25 kg moisture-resistant bags. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL loading of Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 glass-filled nylon 12 pellets, packed in sealed bags on pallets, secured for transport. |
| Shipping | Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 is a 30% glass-fiber-reinforced nylon 12 grade supplied as solid granules or filament. It is non-hazardous for transport. Ship in sealed, moisture-barrier packaging to prevent humidity uptake. Avoid excessive heat and direct sunlight. Standard ground freight is suitable, with safe handling and dry storage conditions. |
| Storage | Store Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 in its original, sealed packaging in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Protect from moisture, direct sunlight, and excessive heat. Keep away from incompatible materials and ignition sources. Under proper conditions, shelf life typically extends for several years, but re-drying may be required before processing if exposed to humidity. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is indefinite when stored in original sealed packaging, in a dry, cool area, away from moisture and sunlight. |
In automotive fuel vapor connectors and underhood quick-release couplings injection-molded from Evonik Vestamid L-GF30, the first processing constraint is not melt temperature but residual moisture at the feed zone. Desiccant drying with a dew point of -30 °C or lower at 80 °C for 4–8 h reduces moisture below 0.10% as verified by ISO 15512 Karl Fischer titration; higher moisture produces gate-area splay and lowers weld-line toughness. Barrel profiles are set from 230–240 °C in the feed zone to 260–280 °C at the nozzle, with a screw L/D of 20:1 and a compression ratio of 2.0:1–2.4:1 to limit glass-fiber attrition. Mold wall temperature is controlled from 60 °C to 80 °C, which slows crystallization of the PA12 matrix and reduces anisotropic shrinkage. On multi-cavity tools with 80–150 t clamp force, hold pressure is maintained at 50–80 MPa until gate freeze; cushion position is monitored within 0.5 mm to avoid fiber-rich stagnant melt and batch-to-batch variation.
The dominant failure mode is not hydrolytic degradation but weld-line cracking at the bore pin. In destructive lot acceptance, specimens cut along the weld line and tested to ISO 179-1/1eA typically show Charpy notched impact retention of 50–65% compared with gate-area values. Where a connector body must survive SAE J2044 pull-off and vibration, the gate is repositioned so the two flow fronts merge at an angle above 120°, or the bore pin is relocated to a non-load path. Zinc chloride exposure is a secondary selector for PA12 over PA66. In immersion screening at 50% ZnCl₂ and 80 °C for 200 h, unfilled PA12 grades do not propagate complete stress cracks, while glass-filled grade resistance depends on resin-rich skin integrity; exposed glass ends from over-polished weld lines can wick chloride ion into the interface. Molded connectors are therefore cooled under hold pressure, de-gated with hot-cut tooling, and all exposed fiber ends are sealed by a minimum 0.3 mm resin-rich skin or by heat sealing the gate vestige. Production parts include SAE J2044 fuel-line quick connectors, evaporative emission canister valve bodies, coolant return-line retainers, and turbocharger boost-tube clips; compliance is evaluated under CARB LEV III evaporative emission protocols in addition to mechanical test standards.
Natural 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 specimens molded at 3 mm and tested according to IEC 60112 are usually reported at 500–600 V comparative tracking index, which corresponds to material group I or II under IEC 60664-1. This permits reduced creepage distances for pollution degree 2 industrial control housings, but the final decision depends on rated impulse voltage and overvoltage category. Creepage distances are checked against the relevant tables in IEC 60664-1 for pollution degree 2 and the design impulse voltage. The molded surface is not a polished laboratory plaque: glass fibers oriented near the surface create local roughness that can shorten the effective creepage path unless the tool surface is specified as SPI A-2 or better and the melt is held at the upper barrel temperature to promote a resin-rich skin.
Insert-molded brass terminals introduce a separate stress-concentration problem. Shrinkage measured to ISO 294-4 for 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 is typically 0.2–0.4% parallel to flow and 0.6–0.9% transverse; this differential shrinkage produces hoop stress around cold inserts and can crack the boss during temperature cycling from -40 °C to 85 °C per IEC 60068-2-14. Production tools preheat inserts to 80–120 °C and maintain a minimum wall of 1.5 mm around each insert. Dielectric strength under IEC 60243-1 at 3 mm is commonly 15–25 kV/mm dry; after conditioning at 50% RH, values fall because the PA12 matrix absorbs water. The grade is therefore limited to low-power control circuits or components behind a grounded metallic barrier unless creepage and clearance have deliberate design margin. Flame rating of this specific grade is HB at 3.0 mm to UL 94, so load-bearing live parts requiring V-2 or higher are outside the operational boundary. Industrial contactor housings, terminal block covers, and current transformer window frames are representative terminal parts.
Alpine ski binding components molded from 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 depend on low-temperature ductility rather than room-temperature modulus. Charpy notched impact values measured to ISO 179-1/1eA on dry-as-molded specimens at -30 °C are typically retained at 8–12 kJ/m²; this retention is used as a lot-release criterion because the PA12 backbone shifts its ductile-to-brittle transition below the service window. Molded sole plates and adjuster cams are produced on 120–180 t injection machines with sequential valve gates to move weld lines away from release torque interfaces. Wall thickness at the toe and heel lug is held to 2.5–3.5 mm, and cooling time is 25–40 s; longer cooling lowers cycle time but can introduce internal voids in thick sections when holding pressure is removed before the gate seals.
The primary cosmetic and structural conflict is fiber read-through. The same glass content that raises flexural modulus to 5,000–6,500 MPa under ISO 178 also creates visible fiber bundles on textured cavity surfaces. Hot mold surfaces of 80 °C or higher reduce the effect by prolonging matrix flow, but excessive mold temperature also reduces the resin-rich skin and can expose fibers at gate areas. Downstream operations must not use aggressive solvent polishing because it attacks the PA12 matrix; mechanical de-gating and flat-bottom nib repair are used instead. Release-interfacing features are checked against ISO 5355 for alpine ski boot sole dimensions and binding release function; after assembly, the binding is subjected to release torque testing in forward fall and lateral twist modes. Production parts include boot shell interlock nodes, sole lugs, walk-to-ski lever cams, and heel release inserts.
Water-glycol hydraulic pump volutes and centrifugal pump impeller wear plates molded from 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 replace cast aluminium where mixed-metal corrosion and chloride pitting cannot be controlled by inhibitor dosage. The injection mold is usually a hot-runner single-cavity tool of 200–350 t clamp force; melt is injected at 250–270 °C into a mold at 60–80 °C with a slow screw speed below 50 rpm to limit fiber breakage. The critical quality issue in rotating components is radial property anisotropy. Glass fibers align with flow around the hub and produce a hoop-direction tensile modulus that is 20–30% higher than the radial direction; this is measured on plaques by ISO 527-2 at gate-near and gate-far positions and is used to orient gates so radial load paths receive as much fiber alignment as possible. Impeller blades are tapered from 2.0 mm at the root to 1.2 mm at the trailing edge to reduce stress concentration, and the hub bore is finish-machined after molding because anisotropic shrinkage from ISO 294-4 creates out-of-roundness above 0.05 mm in un-machined tools.
Chemical exposure is evaluated in water-glycol hydraulic fluid at 60 °C for 1,000 h; tensile strength retention is generally above 80% of dry control, though published data for this specific configuration is limited. Cavitation-induced erosion is a known weakness of thermoplastics; therefore high-velocity areas above 15 m/s are protected by replaceable metal wear rings. The main process failure on production machines is cold slug formation at the hot-to-cold nozzle interface when barrel residence time exceeds 10 min; short shots and fiber-rich surfaces occur if the cushion is below 2 mm. Terminal parts include centrifugal pump wear plates, volute liners, and progressive-cavity pump coupling inserts.
Compressed-air valve manifolds with multiple threaded ports are switched from cast aluminium to 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 to eliminate corrosion blistering and reduce machining steps. The injection-molding process must address thick-to-thin transitions at port bosses, where voids and sink marks coincide with thread engagement. Port bosses are designed with wall thickness ratios not exceeding 1:1.6; hold pressure is set between 70 MPa and 100 MPa and screw back pressure is maintained at 5–10 bar to compact the melt in the boss. Mold temperature is kept at 60–90 °C, and the gate is placed at the main flow channel, not at the boss, so that packing direction is perpendicular to the port axis. Production tools use 150–250 t hydraulic injection machines with shot size kept between 30% and 60% of barrel capacity; this prevents excessive residence time and hydrolytic degradation of the PA12 matrix in humid plants.
The limiting compatibility factor is compressor oil condensate. In immersion tests based on ISO 175 in synthetic ester-based compressor oil and acidic condensate at 70 °C for 168 h, the unfilled PA12 matrix shows good swelling resistance, but the glass fiber-matrix interface is sensitive to condensate with pH below 4, especially at weld lines. Molders therefore avoid venting at expected weld lines and use vacuum-assisted venting to remove volatiles without creating a weak knit line. Threaded inserts are avoided in favor of molded port threads when operating pressure is below 10 bar; above this, brass inserts are preheated to 90–120 °C and installed after molding with controlled insertion torque, not overmolded. Terminal parts include pneumatic valve manifold baseplates, air preparation unit housings, and solenoid pilot adapter blocks.
Solar tracker bearing bushings molded from 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 operate at low speed and high static load, with service temperatures from -30 °C to 65 °C and sustained torque. Unfilled PA12 grades creep excessively; glass reinforcement raises the creep modulus and lowers wear rate under boundary lubrication, but the property is not isotropic. Bushings are gated from the end face so that glass fibers orient radially around the bore; this orientation increases radial compressive stiffness but creates a shear plane in the axial direction. Creep modulus is measured to ISO 899-1 at 60 °C and 1,000 h; published data for this specific configuration is limited, but 30 wt% glass-filled PA12 grades typically retain higher creep modulus than unfilled PA12 by a factor of 1.5–2.0 at the same stress. Molding is performed at 250–270 °C melt temperature and 60–80 °C mold temperature, with sequential gating to move the weld line away from the load-bearing bearing surface.
Ultraviolet exposure is managed by carbon black masterbatch at 1.5–2.5% addition, which provides UV stabilization but slightly lowers notched impact; the glass fibers themselves do not protect the matrix from photo-oxidation. Outdoor validation uses ISO 4892-2 xenon-arc exposure for 1,000 h with tensile strength retention above 80% as an acceptance limit for black parts. Post-molding shrinkage is lower than unfilled PA12 but remains moisture-sensitive: bushings are conditioned at 50% RH before final machining to prevent dimensional change after installation. The wear interface is limited to contact pressures below 15 MPa; beyond this, the glass-filled PA12 should be paired with a metallic sleeve or a harder bearing polymer. Terminal parts include tracker pivot bushings, gear rack slide plates, and panel mounting collars.
Competitive Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 30% Glass Filled Nylon 12 prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
For samples, pricing, or more information, please contact us at +8615365186327 or mail to admin@ascent-chem.com.
We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Tel: +8615365186327
Email: admin@ascent-chem.com
Flexible payment, competitive price, premium service - Inquire now!
Evonik Vestamid L-GF30 is an injection-molding-grade polyamide 12 compound containing 30% by weight short glass fiber reinforcement. In the Vestamid L naming system, the L segment identifies the PA12 base polymer and the GF30 segment denotes the nominal glass fiber loading. The compound is normally characterized in the dry-as-molded condition at 23 °C. Density determined according to ISO 1183-1:2019 is approximately 1.25 g cm-3, compared with approximately 1.01 g cm-3 for unfilled PA12. Published supplier data list tensile modulus at approximately 8,500 MPa and tensile stress at yield at approximately 130 MPa when tested according to ISO 527-1:2019 and ISO 527-2:2012. Elongation at break is below 5%, whereas unfilled PA12 grades may exceed 100% elongation before break. Notched Charpy impact strength under ISO 179-1:2010 is reported in the range of 10 kJ m-2 to 15 kJ m-2 at 23 °C, depending on specimen preparation and fiber orientation. Heat deflection temperature under a 1.8 MPa load, measured to ISO 75-1:2020 and ISO 75-2:2020, is approximately 160 °C to 170 °C in the dry-as-molded state. The melting temperature determined by differential scanning calorimetry under ISO 11357-1 and ISO 11357-3 is approximately 176 °C.
The transition from unfilled PA12 to 30% glass-fiber reinforcement is not a linear stiffness adjustment. Unfilled PA12 under tensile loading at 23 °C typically yields and undergoes large plastic deformation. With 30% short fiber dispersed in the matrix, tensile elongation at break falls below 5%, and the stress-strain response becomes fiber-dominated, controlled by fiber-matrix load transfer and fiber pull-out. The tensile modulus rises from approximately 1,500 MPa for unfilled PA12 to approximately 8,500 MPa for Vestamid L-GF30 under ISO 527-1:2019. The tensile strength increase is proportionally smaller because the failure mechanism shifts from matrix shear yield to fiber-matrix debonding at interfacial regions around the glass fiber surfaces.
Flexural modulus under ISO 178:2019 is reported near 8,000 MPa, with flexural strength reported near 180 MPa. These values are sensitive to fiber orientation in the skin-core structure of the molded part. High injection speed and elevated mold temperature generally produce a thicker fiber-poor skin and higher flow-direction modulus, while low injection speed and cold mold walls produce a thicker frozen layer and can lower bulk stiffness. For snap-fit or spring-arm designs, the maximum outer-fiber strain should be compared with the reduced elongation at break of the glass-filled compound rather than with unfilled PA12 design rules. Molded parts display anisotropic shrinkage; typical values under ISO 294-4:2018 are 0.2% to 0.4% in the flow direction and 0.6% to 0.8% across flow. This anisotropy must be incorporated into tooling calculations for flat covers and rectangular housings.
Before melt processing, the compound must be dried to a moisture content below 0.10% by weight. Water content is verified by Karl Fischer titration under ISO 15512:2019. Drying is commonly performed in a desiccant dryer at 80 °C for 4 h to 8 h, with a dew point not higher than -30 °C. When ambient relative humidity exceeds 60%, the hopper should be blanketed with dry air or the material should be consumed within 2 h of drying. Melt temperature measured at the nozzle should be maintained from 240 °C to 260 °C. Barrel profile settings from feed throat to nozzle are typically 230 °C, 240 °C, 250 °C, 250 °C, and 255 °C. Mold surface temperature should be held between 50 °C and 80 °C to balance crystallization and dimensional stability; higher values reduce post-mold shrinkage but can increase cycle time and gloss variation. For thin-wall sections of 1 mm to 2 mm, holding pressures of 60 MPa to 90 MPa are common.
Weld lines are a controlling design limit for glass-fiber-reinforced PA12. Because fibers orient parallel to the melt front on both sides of a weld line, the weld plane contains limited fiber bridging. Tensile strength retention in unfilled PA12 weld lines may be around 70% to 85%, whereas in 30% glass-filled PA12 it can fall to 40% to 60% of the bulk nominal value. Published values for this specific grade are limited to internal molding trials; part acceptance should include static and fatigue testing on welded sub-specimens cut from the gate-affected region. Local wall thickness transitions should not exceed a step ratio of 2:1. Sink mark depth can be estimated from differential shrinkage and is typically in the range of 0.02 mm to 0.08 mm for ribs with 50% of nominal wall thickness.
Retained glass fiber length in molded parts is typically lower than in pellets. In production-scale injection molding with a 25 mm screw diameter and a 20:1 to 25:1 L/D barrel, measured number-average fiber lengths in the part are commonly in the range of 200 μm to 350 μm, depending on screw compression ratio, back pressure, and hot runner shear. Screw design should use a low compression ratio of 1.8:1 to 2.2:1, a ring-type check valve with clearances not exceeding 0.05 mm, and back pressure limited to 2 MPa to 4 MPa to minimize glass fiber breakage. High-shear mixing sections in injection screws are not recommended. Residence time at melt temperature should not exceed 6 min; during interruptions the barrel should be purged with unfilled PA12 or a commercial purging compound. Degradation above 260 °C may produce yellowing and reduce molecular weight, with resulting losses in weld-line strength and chemical resistance.
Incoming lot control should include ashed glass content under ISO 3451-1, which commonly falls within 28% to 32% by mass for this grade, and melt peak temperature under ISO 11357-3. The ash value alone does not quantify retained fiber length in the final part; molded-part fiber length is affected by screw speed, back pressure, check valve shear, and hot runner geometry.
Exposure to aliphatic hydrocarbons, mineral oils, engine oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and many hydraulic fluids falls within the chemical resistance envelope of PA12. Chemical compatibility screening should follow ISO 175 or ASTM D543 at the relevant service temperature. The glass fiber content does not fundamentally alter the chemical resistance of the matrix, but it can increase sensitivity to interfacial attack when the fiber sizing is hydrolyzed. The compound absorbs approximately 1.1% water by mass at saturation in 23 °C water under ISO 62:2008, and approximately 0.5% at 50% relative humidity. This is significantly lower than PA66-GF30 saturation water uptake, which is commonly reported at 5% to 6% by mass. The PA12 matrix also provides useful resistance to stress cracking in zinc chloride environments, a failure mode to which PA6 and PA66 are more susceptible. This property supports use in automotive cooling components, compressed air systems, and connectors exposed to road salts and metal chloride solutions.
The glass reinforcement reduces chemical resistance only where exposed fiber ends create wicking paths along the interface. A resin-rich skin of 0.1 mm or thicker reduces fluid ingress in many injection-molded parts. Oxidizing acids, concentrated sulfuric acid, glycol-based brake fluids at elevated temperature, and certain chlorinated solvents should be excluded. Continuous contact with hot water above 60 °C requires design stress derating because the PA12 matrix hydrolyzes slowly over time; published data for hot-water aging of this specific glass-filled compound are limited compared with unfilled PA12 piping grades.
In a dry state, PA66-GF30 can exhibit comparable or higher tensile modulus and higher heat deflection temperature than PA12-GF30. The performance ranking reverses in humid or thermally cycled environments because PA66 absorbs more water and undergoes larger dimensional change. Under ISO 62:2008, PA66-GF30 saturation water uptake can exceed 5% by mass, whereas Vestamid L-GF30 remains near 1% by mass. The resulting moisture-induced tensile modulus loss is smaller for PA12-GF30. For precision housings toleranced to ±0.05 mm, the lower and more stable moisture uptake of PA12-GF30 reduces post-mold dimensional variation after transport and field exposure. However, PA66-GF30 generally has higher dry heat deflection temperature under 1.8 MPa, often above 240 °C, while PA12-GF30 is limited to approximately 160 °C to 170 °C. Density also differs significantly: PA66-GF30 is approximately 1.38 g cm-3, whereas PA12-GF30 is approximately 1.25 g cm-3.
| Property | Test standard | Vestamid L-GF30 | Unfilled PA12 | PA66-GF30 typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | ISO 1183-1:2019 | 1.25 g cm-3 | 1.01 g cm-3 | 1.38 g cm-3 |
| Tensile modulus, dry | ISO 527-1:2019, ISO 527-2:2012 | 8,500 MPa | 1,500 MPa | 10,000 MPa |
| Tensile strain at break | ISO 527-1:2019, ISO 527-2:2012 | <5% | >100% | 3% to 5% |
| Water absorption, saturation in 23 °C water | ISO 62:2008 | 1.1% | 1.5% | 5% to 6% |
| Heat deflection temperature, 1.8 MPa | ISO 75-1:2020, ISO 75-2:2020 | 160 °C to 170 °C | 50 °C to 60 °C | 240 °C to 250 °C |
The table uses dry-as-molded typical values at 23 °C; actual lot-to-lot variation and conditioning state can alter the comparison. Unfilled PA12 impact values are often reported as non-break; numeric comparison at the same notch geometry should not be interpreted as a direct service ranking.
For elevated-temperature dry structural applications, PPA-GF30 offers higher heat deflection temperature and low moisture uptake, but it requires melt temperatures above 320 °C and mold temperatures above 100 °C. Vestamid L-GF30 can be processed at lower barrel settings, reducing thermal stress on hot runner systems and allowing use on injection molding machines with lower thermal stability requirements. Impact-modified PA12 grades may be preferred where high ductility is decisive; the 30% glass-filled product is specified for stiffness, dimensional tolerance retention, and chemical resistance rather than for high elongation or severe snap-fit abuse.
