PTFE Plastic Sheet - 0.25mm To 50mm Thick

Properties

• Thermal conductivity: 0.20 J(g*K)
• Shore hardness: Shore D
• Melting point: 327°C

What are the machining characteristics of PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE Plastic Sheet is quite a soft engineering plastic and may be difficult to hold without damaging or crushing. Also because of its inherent low friction and resulting “slipperiness”, PTFE Plastic sheet can also make it difficult to work with and hold in place again while being machined. Another consideration is its tendency to produce strings of long swarf, which may wrap around any cutters or tooling.

What PTFE Plastic Sheet is used for?

Owing to its low friction, PTFE Plastic Sheet is used for applications where sliding action of parts is needed such as plain bearings, slide plates, etc. In these applications, it performs significantly better than nylon and acetal and it is comparable to UHMWPE, although not as resistant to wear. It’s extremely high bulk resistivity makes it an ideal material for fabricating long-life electrets, which are useful devices being the electrostatic analogues of magnets. In optical radiometry, sheets made from PTFE are used for measuring heads in spectroradiometers and broadband radiometers (e.g., luminance meters and UV radiometers) due to its capability to diffuse a transmitting light nearly perfectly. PTFE Plastic Sheets have high corrosion resistance and used in laboratory environments as containers for materials such as fluoroantimonic acid.

What are the advantages of PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE Plastic Sheet is great material for high-temperature and low-friction applications. It has a number of advantages that make it a good choice:
Its coefficient of friction is the third-lowest of any known solid material
It has excellent dielectric properties and is suitable for use as a material for printed circuit boards used at microwave frequencies
PTFE Plastic Sheet is one of the most thermally stable plastic materials displaying no appreciable decompositions at 260°C and retaining most of its properties
Its high melting temperature makes it a good choice as a high-performance substitute for the weaker and lower melting point polyethylene that is commonly used in low-cost applications

What are the disadvantages of PTFE Plastic Sheet?

While PTFE Plastic Sheet is a great choice for many applications, it does have a few disadvantages to be considered:
It has almost no “plastic memory" and is subject to creep, which can be advantageous when used as a seal, but to limit this effect a version of PTFE with fillers must be used
PTFE Plastic Sheet is described as soft and can damage or distort when being clamped.
It wouldn’t be described as being tough or having a high tensile strength
PTFE Plastic Sheet decomposes above 350 °C and the degradation by-products can be lethal to birds and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans.

How does PTFE Plastic Sheet perform?

Components made with PTFE Plastic Sheets have an exceptional resistance to high as well as low temperatures, chemical reaction, corrosion, and stress-cracking. The electrical and low-friction properties of PTFE make it a preferred material for a number of applications and for different processing techniques.

Can PTFE Plastic Sheet be glued or bonded?

Here again, the touted low friction and “slipperiness” of PTFE becomes a challenge. PTFE Plastic Sheet must undergo surface preparation prior to bonding, normally by etching, using a solution of sodium and naphthalene in tetrahydrofuran. Adhesive manufacturers have developed proprietary primers which make it possible for the surface to be primed ready to accept an adhesive. Once the surface of the material is prepared, a number of adhesives can then be used including, epoxies, polyurethanes and acrylics. Companies such as Loctite® and 3M® have now developed a special acrylic based adhesive that can bond directly to PTFE without the need for preparation other than a preliminary wipe with a cleaning solvent.

Can PTFE Plastic Sheet be used in food applications?

As we all are aware of PTFE is DuPont’s Teflon® lining for cookware which is famous worldwide.

Is PTFE Plastic Sheet chemical resistant?

PTFE is pretty much safe against most known elements and compounds. It is attacked only by the alkaline metals in the elementary state, by chlorine trifluoride, and by elementary fluorine at high temperatures and pressures. PTFE doesn’t dissolve in most solvents at temperatures up and around 300°C. Fluorinated hydrocarbons can cause an amount of expansion which is not permanent. Some oils which are highly fluorinated and at temperatures over 300°C can inflict a dissolving affect upon this excellent engineering plastic.

How does PTFE Plastic Sheet compare for wear resistance?

The wear of PTFE Plastic Sheet will always depend on the roughness of the opposing material as well as speed and the load that is applied but for high wear applications it would be better to choose other engineering plastics such as UHMWPE.

What are the unique characteristics for PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE is so slippery that it is known as the only known material that an animal called a gecko cannot stick!

Does PTFE Plastic Sheet have a famous trade name?

It is sometimes referred to as Teflon ® (DuPont)

What is the size range, colours and availability of PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE Plastic Sheet in white (natural) in colour and is available in thicknesses ranging from 0.5mm up to 50mm

Why should you choose PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE Plastic Sheet offers super low friction, high chemical resistance, low and high temperature capability, resistance to weathering, electrical and thermal insulation, and unrivalled "slipperiness"

Is there a summary for PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE is the most chemically resistant plastic yet known. Very few chemicals will react with it. Its mechanical strength properties are low compared to other engineering plastics such as nylon, but its properties do remain over a great temperature range. Its working temperatures are exceptional at -240 to +260°C. PTFE has outstanding thermal and electrical insulation properties. And, it is famous for its very low coefficient of friction. It is very difficult to make anything stick to PTFE without specific preparation.

What to be aware of with PTFE Plastic Sheet?

PTFE Plastic Sheet can potentially become dangerous when heated over 400°C due to a toxic emission. It has also been shown that PTFE may become a hazard while being machined if PTFE dust or shavings come into contact with extremely high temperatures, such as a lighted cigarette. PTFE brakes down into highly toxic fumes and as a result if inhaled, the heated PTFE dust via a lit cigarette, for example, can be fatal.