PTFE Rods

Further Information

PTFE rod is a very versatile engineering plastic and has many performance advantages over other plastics.

Manufacturers produce engineering plastics that are slightly oversize in either diameter and/or thickness for your benefit. This oversize tolerance, which is listed in the tables below, is provided to assist customers to produce very accurate items within the size shown and remove any minor surface imperfection.

PTFE Rod Tolerances:

Features of PTFE Rod:

• Easily outperform other engineering plastics by being able to perform continuously at temperatures of -250°C, right up to an +250°C
• It has an outstanding co-efficient of friction
• It also has a very good acid and chemical resistance
• Another feature of PTFE is its ability to set by or due to compression
• PTFE has excellent electrical resistance
• PTFE is water repellent and can be used in the manufacture of modern high performing, water repellent and breathable clothing

Applications for PTFE Rod:

• For low friction bearings, bushes, rollers and pulleys
• Used in cryogenic components due to its ultra-low operating temperatures
• Regularly used for seals
• Become a very important engineering plastic used within the aerospace industry and aeronautics
• Within the food industry companies
• In the use of product or component handles due to its resistance to heat and heat transfer
• When an application for electrical resistance becomes too high for other materials, PTFE rod can fill a very important gap

Advantages of PTFE Rod:

• Because PTFE has such a low co-efficient of friction it offers a material that when used will reduce load and drag in bearings to improve efficiency and reduce frictional losses and PTFE will outlast other materials
• Because PTFE rod will set due to compression, PTFE seals will conform to mating components resulting in excellent sealing capacity
• PTFE is reasonably easy to machine which helps with reduced machining costs and increased capacity and efficiency
• PTFE is resistant to most acids allowing this material to be used in aggressive environments to where such materials as polypropylene are unsatisfactory

Availability of Extruded PTFE Rod:

Extruded PTFE Rod is available in diameters as small as 4mm and as large as 120mm. PTFE Rod is also available in lengths of 2m up to 100mm diameter which is the normal maximum diameter of extruded PTFE and then reduces in available produced lengths due to range availability being produced in moulded rod.

Data information for PTFE Rod:

• PTFE is a synthetic fluoropolymer.
• Maximum long term working temperature is plus 260°C.
• Maximum short term working temperature is plus 260°C
• Melting point is plus 327°C.
• Co-efficient of friction is 0.08.
• Density is 2.18g/cm3

Additives of PTFE Rod: 

Although PTFE is an excellent material, PTFE Rod can further be enhanced by adding performance enhancers into the production process such as molybdenum, bronze, graphite etc. This can further expand its suitability for other applications.

Adhesives for PTFE Rod:

PTFE is very slippery but there are specialist adhesives produced specifically to bond it either to more PTFE or to bond the PTFE to other materials. This often involves a primer which etches the surface of the PTFE Rod to prepare the initial surface and the adhesive is then applied to complete the bonding process. This is more complicated in terms of having a two part process than other bonding systems but if you require any assistance with this, we recommend you contact an adhesive specialist

Points to Remember about PTFE Rod:

1.    Softness of PTFE Rod - PTFE Rod is softer than other engineering plastics and this may cause damage to the material if gripping or clamping in machine tools such as lathes or milling machine vices. In addition, threading PTFE rod would produce threads of limited strength

2.    Thermal Expansion - PTFE has a marginally higher than average thermal expansion rate. This means that components will increase/decrease in size due to temperature fluctuations

3.    Bonding - Bonding PTFE rod can be a little more involved than with some other engineering plastics

4.    Weight - PTFE is much denser than most other engineering plastics. This means there is an increase of weight over other plastics

Summary:

PTFE rod has fantastic chemical resistance and superb electrical insulation properties. Although PTFE rod can be difficult to bond, it is non-melting and is also self-extinguishing.