Properties of PTFE

For more than 80 years, SPN has been developing innovative products from high-performance polymers. Among a dozen materials processed, SPN produces fluorinated polymers, including the best known, PTFE. This material with remarkable properties has been a historical pride of SPN since the manufacture of masks for fighter pilots. Let’s take a closer look at the properties of PTFE and all the advantages of this exceptional material.

PTFE is the acronym for polytetrafluoroethylene, a fluoropolymer. It is mainly known to the general public under the name “Teflon”, which is a Chemours brand, formerly Dupont de Nemours band. SPN (formerly Ulmer Aéronautique) was the first importer of the Teflon patent in France for fighter pilot masks. Thanks to the aeronautical sector requirements, we have learned to transform and machine this material for the most demanding and critical applications with precise specifications and high quality requirements.

Polytetrafluoroethylene material is used to manufacture products for countless applications. In addition to the high-tech industry, it is also used in the chemical, medical and energy sectors. But it is also a material that is often found in everyday life: the best non-stick coatings for kitchen utensils, for example, are made of PTFE.

Plastic processing specialists, including SPN, have chosen to work with this material because its properties are exceptional and enable them to offer remarkably high-performance products, including

• a very good chemical resistance,
• very low friction coefficient,
• excellent resistance to aging and humidity.
• very resistant to UV and cryogenic temperatures
• non-flammable
• compatible with food standards, in particular the FDA.

In addition to these exceptional and natural properties of PTFE, this material can be further improved by combining it with other materials. This process is called “compounding”. Classical compound are PTFE filled with glass fiber, graphite, carbon, stainless steel or bronze. In combination, the compound PTFE properties offer even greater resistance to chemical attack, wear, high speeds, various contacts, deformation and compression. Some PTFE products also have excellent thermal conductivity. This is the case of PTFE compound with graphite and bronze. SPN is specialized in proposing atypical compound according to the specifications and needs.

We invite you to discover all our PTFE products on our website or contact us to discuss your project and we will make it happen together.