All about Dyneema rope

What is Dyneema?

Dyneema is a patented synthetic fiber of type UHMWP and thus a brand name.

It was once invented by DSM and marketed in the 1980s under the brand name Dyneema.

Meanwhile, it is part of Avient, which bought it from DSM in 2022.

UHMWP stands for Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene.

If you were to look at the molecules of Dyneema with a microscope you would see that they are very ordered. The fibers of dyneema are very thin – 12 micron thickness.

If it is then made into rope, then in one thread you already have more than a thousand filaments.

Find all our Dyneema ropes here: https://prorope.com/product-categorie/dyneema/

What is the difference between Dyneema rope and generic HMWP or UHMWP rope?

Raw material: Other manufacturers usually buy their own polyethylene. A proprietary recipe is used for Dyneema

Price: Generic UHMWP or HMWP is a lot cheaper

Quality: As a producer, Avient controls the entire chain and can thus provide very high quality. With other manufacturers, this quality is less guaranteed.

So we really recommend Dyneema for critical applications and if you want to be sure of the quality.

If price is important, then it is better to choose standard HMWP rope or UHMWP rope.

By the way, there are other manufacturers who brand their UHMWP rope.

One example is Spectra, a Honeywell brand name.

What versions are available?

There are many varieties available, but the ones we carry are the SK75 and the T70.

The SK75 comes with a gold coating. The smallest diameter we have is 6 mm, the thickest is 16 mm.

So then you have a breaking strength of 24,000 kg.

Larger diameters are available upon request

The T70 has a beautiful silver-gray coating. The diameters we have in stock are the same: 6 mm is the thinnest and 16 mm is the thickest.

The T70 also has the same breaking strength, but is made in a different factory and is therefore cheaper.

Sometimes the T70 is also available with the golden yellow coating.

How strong is dyneema rope?

Dyneeema fibers are very strong, but the exact breaking strength of a Dyneema rope depends on the diameter of the rope.

For our T70 and SK75 Dyneema ropes, the breaking strengths are as follows:

6 mm – 3700 kg

8 mm – 6000 kg

10 mm – 10,000 kg

12 mm – 14,000 kg

14 mm – 18,000 kg

How is Dyneema actually made?

The Dyneema® production process involves several steps, from ethylene gas processing to final use in various applications. In our case, that’s rope.

Here are the main steps in the Dyneema® production process:

1. From ethylene gas to polyethylene (UHMWPE):
   • The process begins by processing ethylene gas in a special polymerization plant to produce polyethylene. This polyethylene is a building block used to make Dyneema®.
   • Dyneema® is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with a very long polymer chain, making it incredibly strong.
2. From UHMWPE powder to fiber:
   • The UHMWPE powder, which is the starting point for Dyneema®, is produced by a gel-spinning process in which the molecules are unraveled and then pressed through a plate with small holes to form fibers.
   • The molecules are then further aligned in a drawing process, creating an extremely strong yarn that is wound onto spools and ready for use.
3. From fiber to unidirectional composite:
   • Before Dyneema® fiber can be used in applications such as protective body armor, it is converted into a unidirectional (UD) material called Dyneema® UD.
   • In this process, the fibers are laid in parallel, impregnated with a water-based resin and joined into layers that are then laminated. This results in a material with ultra-high quality properties.
4. From fiber to rope:
   • Ropes are woven from the fibers.
     Here, different diameters are used to achieve different breaking strengths.