FLUOROPOLYMERS
are organic compounds consisting of flourine and carbon atoms
but may also contain oxygen or hydrogen.
Commonly
found fluoropolymers are tetrafluorethylene (TFE), polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE or Teflon®), perfluoroalkyoxy (PFA),
perfluoroethylenepropylene (FEP another grade of Teflon®),
modified PTFE (another grade of Teflon®),
polyvinylidenefluordie (PVDF or Kynar®),
ethylene-tertrafluoroethylene (EFE or Tefzel®)
and ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE or Halar®).
Each of these fluoropolymers has chemical and physical
properties that differ from one another in durometer, impact
resistance, tensile strength, melting point, chemical and moisture
resistance, and elongation. Among the many uses of fluoropolymers
are
lining
of pumps, valves and piping
for
corrosive
liquids and
for
cookware.
One
of the properties of fluorpolymers that makes it difficult
to bond
to
is
the
fluorine in it that seals off the carbon atoms. Fluoropolymers can be
bonded
to
but
it requires careful preparation, and matching of the adhesive's
elongation to the coefficient of expansion (COE) of the materials
being
bonded. We recommend the use of BONDiTTM brand
adhesives. BONDiTTM
products are among the few available
that
can be used
to bond
Teflon coated
or fluoropolymer substrates to themselves, and to other substrates
for harsh environments and long term deployment without debonding.
The RELTEK Teflon Bonding Kit including an etchant to prepare
the fluoropolymer surface to be bonded and BONDiTTM B-45TH
adhesive. The kit may be modified to include any of the BONDiTTM adhesives
to match
your
specific
application.
Our highest recommendation for bonding fluoropolymers
(after the substrates are properly prepared)
is our BONDiTTM B-45TH. In the case of
PVDF and ECTFE, no preparation of the substrates is required to
use BONDiTTM products.
Our recommendation would change if you're looking for higher chemical
resistance, in which case we recommend the BONDiTTM B-4811.
If high temperature resistance is required, please call us at (707)
284-8808 for a specific recommendation for your application.
Among
the other substrates which fluoropolymers can be bonded to
using BONDiTTM
products
are: UHMW, Delrin, other fluoropolymers, rubber,
polyethylene, polyolefin, polypropylene, polyurethane, silicone, thermoplastics,
thermoset,
urethane, glass, ceramics, wood, metals, stone, aggregate and concrete.
Please refer to our properties
comparison table(s) to compare the properties
of various BONDiTTM products or call us at
(707) 284-8808 or email us at reltek@reltekllc.com.