Overview
ISO 16396-2:2022 - "Plastics - Polyamide (PA) moulding and extrusion materials - Part 2" specifies how to prepare test specimens and determine properties of polyamide (PA) moulding and extrusion materials. The standard covers handling and conditioning of test material, prescribed procedures for producing specimens (notably injection moulding and laser sintering), and the list of material properties and test methods suitable for characterizing PA materials. Designatory properties such as viscosity number and tensile modulus from ISO 16396‑1 are included, and properties are selected from general test methods in ISO 10350‑1.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Material handling before processing
- Material must reach room temperature before processing.
- Moisture limits before processing: ≤ 2 g/kg for PAs with viscosity number ≤ 200 ml/g, ≤ 1 g/kg for viscosity number > 200 ml/g. Specific PA types (e.g., PA46, PA6T variants, PA NDT/INDT) require < 1 g/kg.
- Moisture content is determined per ISO 15512; viscosity number per ISO 307.
- Recommended practices: dehumidifier hopper driers and blanketing feed hoppers with dry gas (dried air, N2, Ar).
- Specimen preparation
- Injection-moulded specimens are the reference for designatory properties and shall be prepared per ISO 294‑1 using conditions given in the standard (melt and mould temperatures, injection parameters vary by PA type, viscosity and filler content).
- Laser sintering is permitted for specimen preparation where applicable; procedures and Annex A provide guidance.
- Conditioning of specimens
- Two conditioning states: Dry-as-moulded (DAM) and Moist.
- DAM: immediately placed in moisture‑proof container and stored at 23 °C ± 2 °C for ≥ 24 h; moisture content of DAM specimens shall not exceed 2 g/kg and specimens should be tested promptly after removal (short maximum time).
- Properties and test methods
- Lists properties and associated methods (selected from ISO 10350‑1 and other widely used tests) needed to characterize PA moulding and extrusion materials.
Applications
- Creating repeatable, comparable material data for data sheets and specifications
- Supplier declarations and material acceptance testing
- R&D and grade comparison for product design and material selection
- Quality assurance and failure analysis where controlled specimen preparation and conditioning are required
Who should use this standard
- Material suppliers and compounders
- Independent testing laboratories
- Product designers and engineers using polyamide components
- Quality and compliance teams specifying material properties
Related standards
- ISO 16396‑1 (designation system and basis for specifications)
- ISO 10350‑1 (general test methods selection)
- ISO 294‑1 (injection‑moulding of specimens)
- ISO 15512 (moisture determination), ISO 307 (viscosity number), ISO 20753 (test specimen dimensions)
- Relevant IEC test methods for electrical properties (listed in normative references)
Keywords: ISO 16396-2:2022, polyamide testing, PA moulding materials, test specimens, conditioning, injection moulding, laser sintering, viscosity number, tensile modulus, material characterization.