Expanded PTFE Sheet And PTFE Sheet – Which One Suits Your Needs The Best?

Industries in various sectors require products such as PTFE or Expanded PTFE for a number of uses. Expanded PTFE suppliers modify the PTFE compound to offer the desired mechanical, thermal and electrical properties for industrial applications. Let’s discuss more on PTFE and Expanded PTFE Sheet to help you choose the right one for your specific application.

What is PTFE?

Polytetrafluoroethylene, popularly known as PTFE or Teflon is a sturdy material used in numerous industries. Both PTFE and Expanded PTFE have good chemical resistance. Additionally, Expanded PTFE has better creep resistance and cold flow.

Some of the key characteristics of PTFE are as follows:

• It can perform well in environments with temperatures as high as 260 Degree Celsius.
• PTFE comes with a low co-efficient of friction.
• The PTFE material lasts longer as it can stand abrasions.

Usage of PTFE

Some of the industries where PTFE is ideal are the ones dealing with:

• Petrochemicals
• Lacquers
• Solvents
• Corrosive Chemicals
• Oxidising media
• Mineral Oils
• Food & Pharma
• Glass Line Reactors & Columns

PTFE is odourless. It is non-corrosive so doesn’t contaminate contents that come in contact with it. That’s one of the reasons why it is approved for use in the food processing industry.

What is Expanded PTFE?

Expanded PTFE sheet is a modified form of PTFE that can be acquired through a reputed Expanded PTFE Sheet Manufacturer. It is made using 100% virgin PTFE.

The notable characteristics of expanded PTFE are as follows:

• Expanded PTFE offers excellent resistance to cold flow and creep.
• ePTFE is a popular sealing material as it is highly compressible.

Usage of ePTFE

If PTFE is a robust material then why do we need ePTFE? Here are some reasons for using ePTFE:

• ePTFE displays good adaptability to sealing surfaces.
• Expanded PTFE can be customised to gain the required hardness, surface energies, stiffness and more.

PTFE Sheet or ePTFE Sheet – Which one should you choose?

Both PTFE and ePTFE are materials with excellent properties. Both are suitable for use in several industries including the food industry. However, you should choose ePTFE if you want enhanced PTFE characteristics for your application.

Here are some more reasons to choose an expanded PTFE:

• ePTFE has a multi-directional fibrous texture which allows it to give excellent performance at high surface pressures.
• In extreme environments, ePTFE sheets can work more effectively than PTFE sheets.
• ePTFE is tailored for extreme safety requirements such as sealing the flanges in pipelines carrying oxygen.

Expanded ePTFE sheets can deliver greater performance than PTFE sheets. Due to their enormous demand, expanded PTFE suppliers are offering this flexible material in different densities, heights and dimensions. PTFE sheets, as well as expanded PTFE sheets, are offered by manufacturers as sheets or pre-fabricated gaskets based on the requirement.

Sealmax offers PTFE sheets as well as Expanded PTFE sheets for various applications. One of the preferred ePTFE sheets provided by Sealmax is the KWO® MultiTex® Sheet (produced in Germany). It is a high-quality, bi-directional expanded PTFE sheet that’s manufactured without using any adhesives, pigments or inks. It is suitable for pharmaceutical as well as food applications.