PTFE & Teflon 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.