[Dlanv]

And is nylon able to form rigid 3 dimensional structures?

[robonerd]

For some values of 'rigid', yes. Here's a bicycle made out of nylon:

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/airbike-nylon-bicycle-first-l...

> Two British engineers have designed a bike, christened the Airbike, made entirely of nylon – and they claim it’s as strong as steel.

[kazinator]

The answer is obviously yes.

(Did you actually mean to ask "can nylon form rigid 3D structures that can be substituted for a girder in a skyscraper or bridge?")

[OJFord]

Yes, you probably have a bunch at home in various knick-knacks. Plastic gears are usually nylon, for example.

[kazinator]

The better ones are delrin (a.k.a acteal). It has a low coefficient of friction.

[OJFord]

Interesting, thanks, I probably can't tell the difference and have just assumed they're all nylon to be honest!

[sudosysgen]

Delrin gears are not uniformly better. They have a lower coefficient of friction, but they can handle less torque. It's a tradeoff.