PTFE (POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE)
TEFLON®   HOSTAFLON®   HALON®   FLUONR

SPECIFICATIONS:

U.S. MILITARY MIL-I-18746               AMS 3584          AMS 3653
 MIL-I-22129C TYPE I               AMS 3585          AMS 3653C
 MIL-I-23053C/12               AMS 3586          AMS 3654
 MIL-P-19468A               AMS 3647          AMS 3655
 MIL-P-22231A TYPE II               AMS 3651B          AMS 3656
 MIL-P-22241A               AMS 3651C          AMS 3656A
 MIL-P-22242               AMS 3652A          AMS 3661
 MIL-P-22296
 MIL-T-23594 TYPE I               ASTM D1710          ASTM D3295
 MIL-T-27730               ASTM D3293          ASTM D3308
 MIL-T-47287A               ASTM D3394
 MIL-T-81914/1 and /2
 MIL-W-7139
COMMERCIAL STANDARD CS239-62                 SPI STANDARD FD-100
 CS252-63                  FD-104
 CS257-63                  FD-105
FDA TITLE 21 CFR 177.1550                             UNDERWRITER'S LABORATORIES UL-224

NATURAL COLOUR:
   BLEACHED WHITE

TEFLON® has almost become a generic name for PTFE. However, you must be careful when using the trade name TEFLON®. It is registered by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (Inc.) and actually refers to a family of FLUOROPOLYMERS which includes PFA (Perfluoroalkoxy), FEP (Fluoroinated Ethylene Propylene) and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). In this section, we will first discuss PTFE then the remaining members of this family as well as other FLUOROPOLYMERS.

As you can see from the volume of specifications above, PTFE is an important, highly specialized and well-studied product. It is also quite expensive as the raw resin is costly, production of basic shapes is relatively labour intensive requiring a high capital investment and the cost of maintaining quality to meet such a range of specifications is high. But PTFE can function the way no other material is able. PTFE is an engineering polymer which maintains its useful mechanical properties over a very wide temperature range from -450°F to 550°F; it has an extremely low coefficient of friction; almost nothing sticks to PTFE; its chemical resistance is outstanding with only molten alkali metals and certain halogens, under special conditions, attacking the material; there are no known solvents for PTFE; electrical insulation and loss properties are remarkable as no other solid material maintains its dielectric constant over such a wide range of temperature and frequency; parts of PTFE are virtually unaffected by weather, i.e. extremes of heat and cold and ultra-violet light; moisture absorption is zero; PTFE will not burn under any conditions, it exhibits almost zero slip-stick; PTFE is unaffected by large doses of radiation. The ability of PTFE to accept a wide variety and loading of fillers and reinforcing materials results in increasing its low tensile strength by a factor of 2 to 3; increasing its poor wear resistance by as much as 500 times; increasing initial deformation under load by approximately 25%; increasing creep resistance by two fold; increasing hardness by about 10%; increasing thermal dimensional stability by a factor of 2.

Claremont Polymer Shapes can provide a wealth of technical and practical support for you in the design and production of quality PTFE parts. With the aid of mills producing rods, sheets, tubes, tapes, etc. as well we the resin producers, we can offer back up second to none. Should you require prototype or production quantities of PTFE parts and do not wish to manufacture such parts yourself, call on us; our facilities, and those of some outstanding craftsmen working with us, are at your disposal.

GENERAL PROPERTIES
  ASTM
test
UNFILLED FILLED
Virgin Mechanical 15% Glass 15% Graphite 60% Bronze 15% Glass
5% MoS2
15% Kevlar®
SPECIFIC GRAVITY   D792 2.16 2.16 2.22 2.19 3.97 2.28 2.06
TENSILE STRENGTH psi D638 4000 2800 3200 2900 1900 2750 2370
TENSILE MODULUS 105 psi D638 0.78 0.70          
ELONGATION % D638 350 220 325 185 85 225 136
FLEXURAL STRENGTH psi D790 No Break   1800 2400 3050 2200  
FLEXURAL MODULUS 105 psi D790 0.97   1.50 1.80 1.97 1.80  
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH 10% psi D695 1700 1500 2400 2800 3900 2800  
COMPRESSIVE MODULUS 105 psi D695 0.80 0.75 1.00 0.95 1.90 1.20  
HARDNESS rockwell R D785 R15 R20 R40 R40 R60 R45  
IMPACT STRENGTH
(1/2" x 1/2")
ft-lb/inch of notch D256 3.0 2.9 2.5 3.0 2.3 2.9  
THERMAL EXPANSION 10-5/°F D696 5.5 5.5 3.8 4.7 4.5 3.7  
HEAT RESISTANCE
(continuous in air)
°F   500 500 510 510 525 510 510
DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE   D648              
@ 264 psi °F   132 125          
@ 66 psi °F   250 240          
DIELECTRIC STRENGTH v/mil D149 600 N/A   N/A N/A   261
DIELECTRIC CONSTANT   D150 2.1 N/A 2.5 N/A N/A    
DISSIPATION FACTOR 10-3 D150 0.30 N/A 0.20 to 1.20 N/A N/A    
WATER ABSORPTION 24hrs % D570 <0.01 <0.01 0.015 <0.01 <0.01 0.01  
FLAMMABILITY in/min D635 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0  
BEARING PROPERTIES
WEAR FACTOR, 'K' 10-10-in3-min
ft-lb-hr
D3702 2500 N/A 16 34 6 9 0.2
COEFFICIENT of FRICTION (DRY)                  
against self - static 40 psi                
against self - dynamic 40psi/50fpm                
againist steel - static 40 psi   0.07   0.05 0.05 0.07 0.09  
againist steel - dynamic 40psi/50fpm   0.11   0.09 0.07 0.13 0.15  
LIMITING PV lb-ft/in2-min @10fpm 1200 N/A 10000 10000 15000 11000 20000
    @100fpm 1800 N/A 12500 17000 18500 14000 20000
    @1000fpm 2500 N/A 15000 28000 22000 17500  

PLEASE NOTE:
Values shown in the above table are averages and there will be variances from lot to lot. After selecting a material based upon these values, you must conduct tests specific to your application to be assured the material suits your needs.

Effects of the most common reinforcing materials for PTFE are as follows:

GLASS FIBER
Milled, short glass fiber is common to 25% by weight, providing uniform increase to tensile, impact and dimensional stability properties. Often used with graphite or molybdenum disulphide to reduce wear on mating parts; it has little effect on electrical properties; resists acids and oxidizers but is attacked by alkalis.

CARBON
High purity coke powder in amounts of 25% to 35% by weight is used to increase wear resistance especially for heavy loads. It has little effect on chemical resistance but electrical properties can be inhibited.

GRAPHITE
A crystalline form of carbon, it is used alone or in combination with amorphous carbon or glass fiber often at 15% by weight. Compounds often have soft surfaces, which reduce wear on mating hard metals while improving friction and wear properties with little effect on chemical resistance but impairing electrical properties.

BRONZE
Powder in amounts from 40% to 60% by weight is used to increase machinability, creep and wear resistance, thermal conductivity and reduce friction and wear of soft metal parts. Chemical resistance to acids and bases plus electrical insulation are poor.

KEVLAR® FIBER
Provides many of the enhancements of GLASS FIBER but without abrasiveness, amounts to 15% yield a material with excellent wear resistance. Electrical properties and chemical resistance are lower; water absorption and flammability increasing slightly.

Moulded PTFE shapes are produced from Virgen Grade PTFE by pouring resin into an appropriate form. Pressure is exerted to force the resin into the shape. This preform is then heated to sintering temperature at which point the resin coalesces to a solid mass yielding the sheets, rods and tubes with which you are familiar. SKIVING is a process in which large diameter; heavy wall stock is peeled into thin sheeting. The stock is turned while a cutting blade is forced into the outer surface along its length in the same way that veneer is peeled from a wood log.

Virgin Grade PTFE is 100% pure material directly from the resin producer and has never been processed into a shape. Virgin PTFE has the highest physical and electrical insulation properties and the whitest colour compared to Mechanical Grade. In compounded formulations, Virgin PTFE is used almost exclusively. Mechanical PTFE contains some or all reground polymer that has been previously processed. Mechanical PTFE has similar chemical and tribiological properties, inferior physical properties, and greatly inferior electrical insulation properties and is not recommended for electrical insulation. Mechanical PTFE may not be as white, may contain dark spots and is cheaper.