{"id":144,"date":"2018-02-07T09:30:17","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T17:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ipolymer.com\/blog\/?p=144"},"modified":"2018-12-06T01:25:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T09:25:08","slug":"fluoropolymer-coating-which-should-you-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/fluoropolymer-coating-which-should-you-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Comparisons: Which Type of Fluoropolymer Coating Should You Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fluoropolymer<\/a><\/p>\n

Fluoropolymers are synthetic plastics, rubbers, or resins with valuable attributes that provide suitable protective coatings for various industrial applications. Many metals including aluminum, brass, cast iron, copper, stainless steel, and steel alloys can be coated or treated with fluoropolymer resins, as well as many non-metallic media such as glass, fiberglass, plastics, and rubber.<\/p>\n

Fluoropolymers offer durability, strength, non-stick properties, resistances to chemicals, electricity, heat, salt, and water, and they work within extremely harsh conditions. To coat something with a fluoropolymer almost always means a guaranteed improved resistance to corrosion that will protect any equipment from damage or weathering.<\/p>\n

Here are a few comparisons of coatings to get a feel for what fluoropolymer coating you should use:<\/p>\n

PTFE (also known as polytetrafluoroethylene)<\/h2>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n\u25cf PTFE has the highest operating temperature among fluoropolymers, with a max operating temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius).
\n\u25cf PTFE has an extremely low coefficient of friction, excellent chemical resistance, and good abrasion resistance.
\n\u25cf PTFE is also chemically safe in cryogenic temperatures and its superior \u201cnon-stick\u201d property means pollutants will not stick to its coating.
\n\u25cf PTFE\u2019s excellent dieletric stability makes it a great insulating material and since it absorbs insignificant amounts of water, it can be applied in damp, polluted environments.
\n\u25cf PTFE is readily available and used in numerous industries, including semiconductor, aerospace, construction, pharmaceutical and medical device industries.<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n\u25cf PTFE can become porous, so it is possible that solvents can attack metal underneath the coating over time.
\n\u25cf Its chemical resistance is high, but molten alkali metals could affect its surface at elevated pressures and temperatures.<\/p>\n

PFA (also known as perfluoroalkoxy alkane)<\/h2>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n\u25cf Like PTFE, PFA offers high temperature resistance and chemical inertness.
\n\u25cf Unlike PTFE, which is a sinter-process, PFA is melt-process, so it can be formed with traditional injection molding principles while in a molten state.
\n\u25cf Like PTFE, coatings made from PFA can operate at service temperatures from 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius) to -436 degrees Fahrenheit (-260 degrees Celsius).
\n\u25cf PFA has a superior creep resistance, which means it can return to its original shape after deforming under extremely high stress.
\n\u25cf It also has excellent stress crack resistance, a low coefficient of friction, and excellent flexibility.
\n\u25cf PFA has greater material toughness characteristics than other plastics within the fluoropolymer family.
\n\u25cf PFA has good translucence optical clarity characteristics.
\n\u25cf It is ideal for extreme high- or low-temperature environments as well as high-stress settings.
\n\u25cf PFA is commonly used in the chemical and semiconductor processing industries, as well as laboratory components.<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n\u25cf PFA has a higher cost factor relative to other fluoropolymer coatings. Relative to PTFE, one should not be surprised with a 2x to 3x increased cost factor.<\/p>\n

ECTFE (also known as ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene)<\/h2>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n\u25cf ECTFE, also known under the brand name Halar\u00ae is a melt-process polymer, like PFA.
\n\u25cf ECTFE has excellent chemical resistance and weather resistance, as well as excellent permeation resistance to carbon dioxide, chlorine gas, and oxygen.
\n\u25cf ECTFE has high tensile strength, high density, good insulation properties, and very good sliding properties, with an extremely smooth surface.
\n\u25cf It has extremely high impact strength at temperatures ranging from 300 degrees Fahrenheit to -100 degrees Fahrenheit.
\n\u25cf It is easier to fabricate relative to other fluoropolymers, with conventional welding equipment.
\n\u25cf It\u2019s food safe.<\/p>\n

Cons<\/strong>:
\n\u25cf ECTFE is susceptible to stress cracking at temperatures above 284 degrees Fahrenheit.
\n\u25cf Like PFA, it is more expensive relative to other fluoropolymers.<\/p>\n

Of course, the above are only a few of the many fluoropolymer coating options available. Each unique application should be reviewed to identify the best fluoropolymer coating option. Contact the team at iPolymer for assistance with all your fluoropolymer coating needs. iPolymer specializes in catalog and custom engineered solutions with fluoropolymer plastics.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fluoropolymers are synthetic plastics, rubbers, or resins with valuable attributes that provide suitable protective coatings for various industrial applications. Many metals including aluminum, brass, cast iron, copper, stainless steel, and steel alloys can be coated or treated with fluoropolymer resins, as well as many non-metallic media such as glass, fiberglass, plastics, and rubber.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100004,"featured_media":146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipolymer","category-technology","tag-fluoropolymer-coating"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipolymer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}