PVC, PP & Plastic Products #4951167

Striped tubing is primarily used for easy identification of lines carrying specific fluids or intended for specific purposes. The product properties as the same as the base resin in all respects.

Currently, this tubing only comes in PTFE. The unique properties of PTFE cover an impressive range - high use temperature compared to other polymers, almost universal chemical resistance, excellent electrical properties at high voltage and high signal frequencies, non-stick characteristics, use under extreme low temperatures (cryogenic conditions) and excellent UV resistance.

The cost-effective brother of PTFE, FEP was developed as a conventionally melt-processible fluoropolymer in response to the limitations and initial difficulties in processing PTFE.

FEP tubing is a copolymer of TFE, the basic fluoro-monomer building block. The addition of a modifier results in a small, but meaningful departure from the properties of PTFE tubing. Mainly, it possesses a working pressure that is 30% higher, transparent walls, a small increase in stiffness, and a use temperature that is 50 degrees F lower.

Unlike other fluoropolymer tubing, long continuous lengths of FEP tubing can also be produced by extrusion. The relatively low cost and desired properties of FEP tubing drives its use in many applications that require high electrical breakdown voltage, low dielectric constant, high chemical resistance, high UV transmission, excellent sterilizability and longevity of use.

A proprietary product, H2TMConductive Tubing is the result of a special formula of FEP and PFA resin that has around 2.7-times higher heat conductivity than PTFE, ETFE, or regular FEP or PFA.

It can be used in a variety of applications for dust and particulate control, electrical discharge, and where thermal dissipation is required. Product performance depends upon the specific application conditions, but the mechanical properties, such as working pressure, are equal to or better than its natural fluoropolymer tubing counterparts.

Since plastics have a lower thermal conductivity than most metals, they are perceived to be relatively inefficient for heat transfer. However, metals suffer from the disadvantage of low corrosion resistance to many solvents and liquids (including sea water, in marine applications) and excessive weight. A brand new metal heat exchanger works well as long as the metal surface is clean. In real life industrial environments, factors such as corrosion, etching and particulates, coat the metal surfaces. This phenomenon reduces the conductivity of the metal surface, and that new metal exchanger no longer has the originally rated thermal efficiency. Over time, this results in target temperatures not being achieved and in poor temperature control.

Some exotic alloys such as Columbium, Titanium and Tantalum offer high but selective corrosion resistance, unlike fluoropolymers which have nearly universal resistance to chemical attack (resistance to most chemicals).

Fluorotherm conductive tubing is formulated specifically to address the above problems. This tubing has been used successfully since 1996, and is available in FEP and PFA. The non-stick, and low friction coefficient properties of FEP and PFA make them highly preferred materials over metals and metal alloys. Besides the traditional applications, newer ones include electric batteries, solar power and plant greenhouses. The need for Fluorotherms conductive tubing is driven in these cases by the requirement for chemical resistance, ease of fabrication, non-stick property, and useful life.

Manufacturing industries utilize this product for safety reasons where dust can be a hazard or for process reasons where particulate control and precipitation are required. The ultra smooth tubing surface and non-stick characteristics help impede the undesirable build up of particles. The mechanical strength and high temperature capability of this tubing makes it the material of choice for transporting hot fluids, including water and steam.

ETFE is a fluoropolymer that is chemically and structurally similar to polyolefins such as polyethylene, thus providing a higher abrasion, impact, and crush resistance than its fully fluorinated (perfluoropolymer) counterparts -PTFE, FEP, and PFA.

ETFE tubing is commonly used in wiring harnesses, in exterior film applications where weathering resistance is desirable, and as a liner in tanks where specific chemical and wear resistance is required. Its high tensile strength at 25 C also leads to a higher working pressure at that temperature. ETFEs mechanical and chemical properties were (and still are) so strong that it was chosen as a material for the Olympics! The Beijing National Aquatic Centre, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is the largest building made of ETFE laminate film.

Combining the best of PTFE and FEP, PFA was developed in the late 1960's in response to a need for a resin with chemical and use temperatures closer to PTFE, yet a resin that would retain the conventional melt processability of FEP.

While slightly more expensive, PFA tubing carries a number of improvements over other types of fluoropolymer tubing. The modifier used in PFA resins results in the same maximum use temperature and chemical inertness as PTFE (500 F). PFA tubing also has higher working pressures than FEP and PTFE.

And unlike FEP, PFA chemistry lends itself to very low off-gassing, resulting in high purity that's suitable for pharmaceutical, laboratory, and sampling applications; ultra-high purity grades are suitable for semiconductor applications. In very aggressive industrial environments, such as hydrofluoric and nitric acids at 250 F, PFA tubing is preferred and has proven to provide a long service life.