PTFE is used extensively in many different
industries:
Petrochemical and chemical processing:
PTFE is the material of choice for gaskets, vessel linings, pump
interiors, washers, rings, seals, spacers, dip tubes and well-drilling
components because it is corrosion resistant and chemically inert;
it is unaffected by virtually all acids and caustics and functions
in environments to 500 degrees F..
Semi-Conductor Industry: PTFE is
inert, and its operating temperature range is from minus 350 degrees
Fahrenheit to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. When made to ultra pure standards
it is the material of choice for various items used in chip manufacturing,
including encapsulation devices for quartz heaters, and the like.
Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical industries:
Virgin PTFE is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for
use in the food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
Thin Film and sheets make an inert, no-toxic slide surface without
microscopic depressions where microbes can grow. Conveyancing components
- profiles, guide rails and slides - can withstand high temperatures
inside baking and drying ovens and other heated segments of the
food, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals manufacturing processes.
Laboratory applications: PTFE piping,
tubing and vessels are used in various laboratory ware because of
their chemical resistance, and inertness. No contaminants adhere
to the surface.
Bearing pads: Glass filled PTFE
can be cut or stamped into bearing pads, and will resist all weather-related
degradation while remaining an inert interface between disparate
construction materials, like steel and concrete.
PTFE Compounds: Various fillers
can be blended with the PTFE base resin to enhance certain properties,
e.g. glass fiber, glass bead, carbon, graphite, molybdenum disulfide,
bronze, etc.
PTFE does not melt; it cannot be molded into complex
shapes, but must be machined. PTFE is easily machined using standard
mechanical woodworking and stamping equipment and tooling. Most
shapes are sold slightly oversized for easy trimming and machining
to exact sizes.
