Polyamide hot melts (PA, Nylon) are an excellent choice for demanding hot melt applications. They have high thermal stability, high melting points, and good chemical resistance to many compounds including many common solvents, plasticizer, and oils. Compared to other hot melts, such as EVA and polyolefins, they offer higher creep resistance under load and better flame and heat resistance. Many grades are thermally stable up to 160°C.

Polyamides have high cohesive strength due to the presence of strong inter-chain hydrogen bonds, which is the reason for the relative high strength, high melting point and good temperature and chemical resistance.

Polyamide formulations offer a flexible open time from a few seconds up to about a minute, and provide excellent adhesion to a wide variety of substrates including metal, paper, wood, and many plastics like PVC and surface-treated polypropylene and polyethylene.

Polyamide hot melt adhesives have usually lower melting points than the common grades of polyamides used for engineering plastics (nylon) but they have higher melting points than EVA and polyolefin hot melts and usually can be formulated with fewer additives. However, they are generally more expensive.

The excellent chemical and heat resistance, the low flammability, and high strength make polyamides an excellent choice for more demanding hot melt applications. Many adhesive manufacturers offer UL-approved polyamide hot melts specifically formulated for electrical applications where reduced flammability is critical and UL 94V-0 certification is required. Polyamide hot melts are also used for bonding textile fabrics because they have good resistance to dry cleaning fluids. Other important applications include furniture assembly, shoe making, automotive assembly, and gas/oil filter bonding.