TeflonTM is a FLUOROPOLYMER which are organic compounds consisting
of fluorine 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 PTFE (a.k.a. TeflonTM) coated
or fluoropolymer substrates to themselves, and to other substrates
for harsh environments and long term deployment without debonding.
The "RELTEK PTFE 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 PTFE (a.k.a. TeflonTM) (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
or email us at reltek@reltekllc.com for
a specific recommendation for your application.
Among
the other substrates which PTFE (a.k.a. TeflonTM) 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 propertiescomparison table(s) to compare the properties of various BONDiTTM products
or call us at (707) 284-8808 or email us at reltek@reltekllc.com.
*TeflonTM is a registered trademark of the Chemours company (formerly DuPont).