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The
history of TEFLON
began on April 6, 1938 at Du Pont's Jackson Laboratory
in New Jersey. On that fortunate day, Dr. Roy J. Plunkett,
who was working with gases related to
FREON refrigerants, discovered
that one sample had polymerised spontaneously to a white,
waxy solid.
Testing showed that this solid was a very remarkable
material. It was a resin that resisted practically every
known chemical or solvent; its surface was so slippery
that almost no substance would stick to it; moisture
did not cause it to swell, and it did not degrade or
become brittle after long term exposure to sunlight.
It had a melting point of 327°C and, as opposed
to conventional thermoplastics, it would not flow above
that melting point. This meant that new processing techniques
had to be developed to suit the characteristics of the
new resin - which Du Pont named TEFLON.
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Borrowing
techniques from powder metallurgy, Du Pont engineers were
able to compress and sinter TEFLON
resins into blocks that could be machined to form
any desired shape. Later, dispersions of the resin in water
were developed to coat glass-cloth and make enamels. A powder
was produced that could be blended with a lubricant and extruded
to coat wire and manufacture tubing.
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By
1948, 10 years after the discovery of TEFLON,
Du Pont was teaching processing technology to its customers.
Soon a commercial plant was operational, and TEFLON
PTFE resins became available in dispersions,
granular resins and fine powder.
Soon after the commercialization of TEFLON,
new opportunities appeared in the fluorocarbons market.
The paramount opportunity was a need for a fluoroplastic
with the unique, desirable properties of PTFE,
but which could be processed by normal thermoplastic
methods. In 1960, Du Pont introduced TEFLON
FEP, the first thermoplastic that could be
melt-extruded or injection-moulded and still provide
the chemical resistance and dielectric properties of
TEFLON PTFE. Through
some temperature resistance was sacrifices,
TEFLON FEP was still thermally superior
to most other plastics.
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The corrosion
resistance of FEP made
it ideal for service in chemical plants. Its dielectric and
insulating properties favoured its use in electrical and electronic
applications, and its low frictional properties, mechanical
toughness, thermal stability, and anti-stick qualities made
it highly suitable for bearings and seals, high-temperature
components, and non-adhesive surfaces.
Designers soon learned to take advantage of several of this
material's basic properties in a single application. The melt
processibility of FEP
broadened the range of applications for TEFLON,
leading to the extrusion of film and tubing.
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