Ward & Kennedy supplies businesses nationwide with traditionally die-cut and high-precision digitally cut nylon. From ropes to outdoor apparel and everything in between, you can trust Ward & Kennedy’s nearly 100-year history for fast turnaround times and dedicated service and support.
Nylon is a synthetic polymer fabric known for its strength, elasticity, and resistance to abrasion, while remaining lightweight. It's widely used across outdoor gear, apparel, automotive, and industrial applications, particularly where durability and flexibility need to hold up under repeated stress.
Common products made from nylon include:
Nylon's weave, denier, and heat sensitivity directly affect how it performs during cutting, from fray control to edge consistency.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Denier (fiber thickness) | Higher denier nylon is heavier and requires more cutting force for clean edges |
| Weave | Affects how much the material stretches or shifts during cutting |
| Elasticity | Stretch can distort patterns if the fabric isn't held flat and tensioned properly |
| Heat sensitivity | Nylon melts under heat, which is often used intentionally to seal cut edges and prevent fraying |
| Coatings | Coated nylon can behave differently under the blade than uncoated fabric, affecting cut cleanliness |
| Surface texture | Smooth, slippery surface can shift during cutting without proper stabilization |
slices completely through the material, and both digital cutters and traditional dies can perform it depending on thickness and volume.
Digital cutting, particularly hot-knife or laser cutting, is common for nylon at both the prototyping and production stages, since heat sealing the edge as it cuts helps prevent fraying on webbing, straps, and technical fabric pieces. This makes it a practical choice even beyond early sampling.
Die cutting is still used for high-volume production of flat, repeated nylon components, such as bag panels or patches, where the upfront tooling cost is offset by faster cutting speeds and lower per-unit costs at scale.
At our facility in Milwaukee, WI, our team of designers and fabricators can help bring your vision to life. Whether you have existing design files or assistance with their creation, we’re here every step of the way.
Along with fabrics, we die cut materials like:
Ward & Kennedy has been designing, fabricating, and supplying industries all over the world since we were founded in 1928. Whether you’re in our Wisconsin backyard or located across the world in Asia, we can supply your die cut materials.
Along with fabricating parts for businesses across America, we supply them with the necessary tools, supplies, and gear to keep them running at full capacity. We stock abrasives, adhesives, PPE, and more from major brands like 3M, Dynablade, Superior Glove, Wendt and Mirka.
