Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an almost universally applicable construction material due to its extraordinary product characteristics including highest resistance to chemicals and other substances such as acids, bases, solvents, also halogenated, as well as oils and gasoline. PTFE has become an indispensable material that can hardly be replaced by any other plastic, especially in those branches of the pump, apparatus and machine construction where high corrosion resistance is of crucial importance. As PTFE is nontoxic and physiologically safe, it can also be used for applications in the areas of food technology, pharmaceutical and medical engineering. Finally, PTFE is incombustible, weathering-resistant and, in addition, completely hydrophobic, so that it features outstanding electrical insulation values and other favourable electrical parameters even at high air humidity. PTFE is therefore ideally suited for outdoor applications as well.
Virgin PTFE is amorphous. It is pure white without additives of any kind and suitable for permanent use in a wide temperature range between -200 °C and +260 °C. Although the heavy perfluorinated polyhydrocarbon, in technical terms, belongs to the thermoplastics, its density is significantly above 2.1 g/cm3, its intramolecular characteristics do not allow forming melting processes. PTFE is therefore processed into compact semi-finished products by pressing methods or sintering of PTFE powders. Pressing processes such as the continuous extrusion molding into solid rods or the compression molding of the virgin PTFE powder into cylindrical shapes are industrially preferred. The technical and chemical properties of both PTFE qualities are identical. They differ only in the available dimensions and their size accuracy.
The favorably shaped round material can be processed without any problems. All cutting processes are well-suited to serve this purpose. Moreover, PTFE is also adhesible by means of special primer adhesive formulations such as the proven THOMASANN® PTFE adhesive of Reichelt Chemietechnik, a contact adhesive based on synthetic rubber.
Within its delivery program „Semi-finished products“, Reichelt Chemietechnik has a wide range of narrowly tolerated round material made of virgin PTFE with the shore hardness D between 55° and 59° in stock, made of both extruded and compression-molded PTFE.
Solid rods made of extruded PTFE (virgin) are available with diameters between 6 mm and 120 mm in lengths of 250 mm, 500 mm and 1000 mm.
Solid rods made of compression-molded PTFE (virgin) can be delivered with diameters between 130 mm and 210 mm in lengths of 150 mm and 300 mm.
The whole range of solid rods made of virgin PTFE is represented in detail in the handbook THOMAPLAST II (Semi-finished products) of Reichelt Chemietechnik on page 84.
