Awards
LFP™, a 100% PTFE material, was a winner of a 1995 Dupont
Plunkett Award and Chemical Processing's Vaaler Award. Learn more
about these great TCI achievements below.
Unreinforced sheeting material offers strength, chemical resistance
 Amherst,
New Hampshire. - October 14, 1995 -The ability of this
multiple-application structural sheeting Teflon® polytetrafluoroethylene
(PTFE) material to function in severe chemical and mechanical
environments at extreme temperatures garnered it a 1995 Chemical
Processing Award.
The 100% Teflon PTFE resin yields sheeting with high levels of
tear and tensile strength and a flex life that allows it to be
used without additional support. The resin provides chemical resistance,
maximum flex resistance, heat sealability, simple fabrication
and rugged construction.
The panel of Vaaler judges awarded high marks to the resin in
terms of its significance to the industry as well as its breadth
of application.
A 50-ft diameter sheeting material is used in a refinery as
a secondary containment liner. The sheeting provides chemical
inertness, flexibility and high tear strength. |
"For all of its near-perfect chemical inertness/corrosion
resistance, the family of fluoroplastic materials and their resultant
manufactured products, are inherently mechanically weak. Thus,
they have not been used for structural applications unless made
into a reinforced composite material," notes one Vaaler judge.
"As a result of innovative processing techniques, this company
has developed a series of 100% PTFE Teflon resins, unreinforced
structural products, with 360º mechanical-strength orientation,
easily seam-joined without loss of chemical or mechanical properties
and improved permeation resistance, even in very thin sheets,"
he says.
The absence of reinforcing material means that no mechanical
limitations can result due to the presence of fragile products.
The elimination of a reinforcement/polymer interface has made the
heat sealed joints produced in the products virtually impossible
to separate.
Additionally, because the resin does not contain any non-Teflon
components, the material possesses the chemical capabilities of
Teflon PTFE resin, a material that is considered inert.
Temperatures to 500ºF
The material functions in temperatures to 500ºF and the
process for manufacturing the resin yields rolls as wide as 56
in and as long as 50 LY. The sheeting material is available in
a variety of thicknesses and colors and can be fabricated in an
unlimited number of shapes or forms.
"The success of this multiple-application, durable Teflon-containing
fabric, including the many applications, rests with knowledge
of the applications and marketability of the material," notes
another judge.
The sheeting material has found use in the chemical industry
in applications such as chemical tank covers, droping tank liners,
flue gas barriers in non-metallic expansion joints, gasketing,
pump diaphragms, insulation jacketing and pipe lagging, protective
suiting materials, inflatable liners for chemical service, heat-sealed
insulation jackets for several chemical service and many others.
Concludes one judge, "This is the first major improvement
in the fluoroplastic industry since its introduction some 40-odd
years ago."
CASE STUDY
Albion, a manufacturer of gasketing and high-temperature
materials, required a flexible duct system for its operation
which employed hydrofluoric gases at temperatures near
400ºF.
The Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based company installed
the 100% PTFE Teflon resin material, because of its flexibility
and ability to handle high temperatures in harsh chemical
applications.
Says Jocelyn Vachon, product manager of Albion, "The
chemical and temperature resistance, as well as the mechanical
strength and flexibility, make the resin an obvious choice
where Teflon-coated fiberglass has failed."
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Tough, Strong Sheet From TCI Aims for Structural Uses
 Amherst,
New Hampshire.- October 12, 1995 - Textiles Coated International
of Amherst has received the Dupont Plunkett Award for its LFP
structural sheeting material.
The award recognizes innovative use of Teflon, the PTFE fluoropolymer
resin made by DuPont.
TCI's LFP structural sheeting material is made entirely of Teflon
and is resistant to most chemicals and solvents at temperatures
up to 500 degrees.
It is used as protective jacket for thermal insulation in chemical
processing plants, loose liners for etching tanks, flue duct expansion
joints and cell covers for chlorine and aluminum plants.
LFP sheeting is avaliable in thicknesses from 0.012 to 0.060
in. (0.3 to 1.5 mm) and widths up to 56 in. (142 cm). It can be
joined by thermal bonding or stitching. (LFP is a trademark of
Textiles Coated Inc.)
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Textiles Coated International (TCI)