PTFE stands for PolyTraFluoroEthylene.
PTFE invented in 1938 by an employee of Dupont USA.
It was discovered by accident that a fluoropolymer-based refrigerant had been polymerized into a solid.
This agent was found to be resistant to acids, solvents, high and low temperatures.
It was also discovered that PTFE has a very low coefficient of friction.
It was then used mainly in defense, aerospace and nuclear industries.
It has become best known through the brand name Teflon by Dupont, and among consumers mainly through “Teflon-coated pans.
PTFE can be produced in several colors and gives very good corrosion protection.
It can be used up to 260°C and for a good end result a good pre-treatment is very important.
After pre-treatment, the material is treated with a primer followed by the PTFE layer.
Then the complete coating system is cured at high temperature.
Here the coating layers fuse together.
In this way it meets the requirements set by e.g. the offshore and (petro)chemical industry.
The properties one can achieve are very diverse:
- Very low coefficient of friction
- High corrosion resistance
- Self-cleaning
- No squeaks and creaks
- High chemical resistance
- Many colors possible, thus decorative or simple distinction for externally identical products.
For example, bolts and nuts of different qualities and tensile strengths can be easily identified in this way. - No stick slip, no film adhesion in sealing processes
- Antibacterial coatings are possible
- Electrically conductive coatings are possible
- Coatings with food approval and drinking water approval are possible
Xylan® 1070 from Whitford is a ptfe coating, also called a fluoropolymer coating, based on an organic solvent and was developed in the early 1970s primarily for coating fasteners.
For materials treated by us, it normally consists of 2 layers, they are “treated” 2x.
Together with proper pretreatment, for example Whitford primer 4090, it provides excellent corrosion-protection, neutral salt spray test up to 3,000 hours.
The layer thickness of this coating is usually about 25mu (from 20 to 60 mu) and the processed materials can be used at temperatures from -195°C to +260°C.
Major industrial applications include:
- Bolts, nuts, studbolts for in the oil and gas, (petro)chemical, and wind energy industries
- Sealing knives and beams in the packaging industry
- Valves in pipelines
- Conveyor systems in the food industry
- Machines in the dough industry and in bakeries
- Trays in the ink and printer industry
- Robot arms, moving parts that must always function
- Nozzles in the plastic injection molding industry