(Newswire.net — November 1, 2013) Anaheim, CA — Plunkett and Dupont’s new PTFE material changed the way many products were made. This new material was found to be chemically inert, and it was nearly impervious to most chemicals and heat. Some early uses for PTFE were coating for valves and as a non-stick surface for cooking pans.
Today PTFE is used in a variety of applications, the most common being where sliding action of parts is needed, and heat or chemicals are present. Common products from PTFE Sheet are gears, bearings, slide plates, steam valves, and Chemical fixtures. Other common trade names for PTFE are: Diakin®, Fluoroplastic®, Fluoropolymer®, Neoflon®, Polyfon®, Chemfluor®, and more.
Pans coated with PTFE (most are still the Teflon brand from Dupont) have an excellent non-stick quality which enables them to be used without any added oils or fat in an effort to prevent food from sticking to the pan. In addition to this advantage, PTFE coated pans are generally easy to clean. PTFE is resistant to corrosion and chemicals, as well as most caustic or acidic cleaning agents. The PTFE sheet and PTFE rod materials can not be tied to any one brand name, the major resin suppliers only licence ‘end user’ parts or products, and can not apply to semi-finished raw materials.
Laboratory environments contain some products that are made using PTFE. Some examples of such products might include containers, magnetic stirrer coatings, chemical fixtures and in tubing for highly corrosive chemicals like Hydrofluoric acid which could dissolve glass containers.
Air filters used in industrial air filtration applications can be coated with PTFE which can improve the efficiency for areas with high temperatures and high particulate loads such as coal fired power plants, cement production, and steel foundries.
PTFE has one of the lowest co-efficient of friction ratings of any known solid. Combine that with its excellent chemical and corrosion resistant properties and this is the ideal material for a wide range of applications. PTFE plastic can be produced in very thin gauges and coated with adhesive on one side. The ‘PTFE Tape’ can be used in high temperature applications where chemicals are present. This is a quick way to coat a surface to make it chemical and heat resistant. This PTFE tape material can also be produced without the adhesive for a thin film material, from .001” to .063” thick roll stock.
PTFE sheet and rods are the material of choice for applications parts like O-rings, seals, gaskets, spacers, and in applications such as vessel linings. This may be attributed to PTFE’s excellent resistance to virtually all acids, caustics, and because of its ability to withstand temperatures up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the food and beverage industries, PTFE is used in the food processing equipment industry, and in many medical applications, and can be easily sterilized. PTFE is also certified by UL to be fire retardant, and carries the UL 94 V-0 certification.
If you need a plastic with excellent chemical resistance, slippery and nonstick features, resistance to wear, and a low co-efficient of friction, PTFE might just be the plastic material you have been looking for. Another plastic material with exceptional slip or low co-efficient of friction is UHMW Polyethylene. If the application does not involve high temperatures, the UHMW-PE sheet or rod may be an option.
PTFE is available in Sheet (Film) ranging from .005” – 3.0” thick. PTFE Rod sizes range from .125” – 6.0”, with larger sizes available as molded per order. Vast combinations of PTFE
molded Tubing are also available, call for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~