{"id":7037,"date":"2021-08-05T18:28:52","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T16:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gremco.de\/?p=7037"},"modified":"2022-01-17T12:14:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T11:14:29","slug":"variants-production-applications-ptfe-tubing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gremco.de\/en\/magazin\/variants-production-applications-ptfe-tubing\/","title":{"rendered":"PTFE tubing – variants, production and applications"},"content":{"rendered":"
The evolution of polytetrafluoroethylene<\/strong> (PTFE) – better known as Teflon\u00ae – from a niche product for high-value applications to a mainstream requirement has been gradual. Over the past two decades, however, as a result of increasing commercial use in more than 200 industrial, consumer and medical applications, PTFE has become a significant material in multiple application contexts. While sheets, rods, coatings and components once accounted for the majority of the market for PTFE products<\/a>, PTFE tubing<\/strong> is now emerging as the key growth area.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PTFE tubing is used in various fields such as automotive, chemical, electrical and medical<\/a>. Table 1 shows the key properties that illustrate the versatility of PTFE tubing, while Fig. 1 shows the potential applications in various fields. In the Automotive industry, PTFE’s high-temperature resistance of over 250 \u00b0C makes it ideal for transferring fluids at high temperatures and high efficiency in mechanical cables. In medical applications, PTFE tubing is in great demand, justified by its excellent sliding properties and chemical inertness. Thus, catheters consisting of PTFE tubing can be inserted into the human body without any negative consequences. In chemical applications such as laboratories, PTFE is an ideal substitute for glass due to its inertness and durability. In the field of electrical engineering, PTFE is suitable for insulating high-voltage cables thanks to its excellent dielectric properties.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Corresponding to the field of application, PTFE tubing is classified along with three main categories, which are respectively defined based on the diameter and the tubing’s wall thickness (see Table 2).<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n While spaghetti tubing<\/strong> is primarily used in medical technology, the PTFE pressure hose,<\/strong> and the PTFE liner<\/strong> are often used in the automotive segment.<\/p>\n Even within categories, PTFE tubing lends itself to different variations, each allowing for a different application (Table 3):<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In general, small-diameter spaghetti tubing is primarily used in the medical device industry. Two key properties are crucial for the use of PTFE in this field: lubricity<\/strong> and biocompatibility<\/strong>. Compared to other plastics, fluoropolymers are characterized by very good lubricity. PTFE is the most lubricious polymer available, with a coefficient of friction of 0.1, followed by fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) at 0.2. Accordingly, these polymers make up the vast majority of all fluoropolymer tubing<\/a> used in medical devices.<\/p>\n The issue of biocompatibility of any polymer used in a medical device is extremely significant. PTFE is particularly well suited for use in this area and has long been used \u201ein vivo\u201c.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The uniqueness inherent in PTFE tubing stems from the complexity of PTFE as a polymer. While most polymers can be easily injection molded, allowing complex shapes, PTFE can only be produced by compression molding due to its high melting point and exceptional melt viscosity. Change to PTFE can be produced by compression molding or cold paste extrusion. The high melting point of PTFE also makes the extrusion process<\/a> – as it is usually performed – impracticable. Specialized PTFE paste extrusion<\/strong> is therefore an increasingly utilized process as a result of the growing demand for PTFE tubing. Extruded versions of PTFE were first used in the wire and cable<\/a> industry in the 1950s, with its excellent dielectric properties, in particular, proving crucial to the developing electronics market. The first such tubing was manufactured by extruding PTFE over a wire, including subsequent removal – a labor-intensive process. In the 1960s, a technique was developed that enabled PTFE to be extruded without a wire core. By means of this process, PTFE tubing can be produced economically in long, continuous lengths. PTFE paste extrusion is performed in 6 major phases, which are explained below:<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The evolution of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) – better known as Teflon\u00ae – from a niche product for high-value applications to a mainstream requirement has been gradual. Over the past two decades, however, as a result of increasing commercial use in more than 200 industrial, consumer and medical applications, PTFE has become a significant material in multiple[…]","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[686],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nApplications of PTFE tubing<\/h2>\n
Types of PTFE tubing<\/h2>\n
PTFE tubing in the medical equipment market.<\/h2>\n
Processing techniques<\/h2>\n
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