If you’re looking for the best powder coating for your next project, our Teflon and fluoropolymer coatings are the right choice.
Our Teflon coatings provide superior temperature, chemical, friction, and abrasion resistance as well as lubrication. We also have several fluoropolymer powder coating options that allow for a greater deposition to be applied, after just one coat.
Learn how Teflon coatings (and a powder coating) can help protect your industrial machinery from premature breakdown — saving you time, energy and thousands of dollars in costly repairs.
What is a Teflon Coating?
Teflon is actually the brand name of a chemical compound called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and was trademarked by a company called DuPont.
A man by the name of Roy J. Plunkett worked for DuPont and accidentally discovered PTFE in 1938. He quickly realized this new chemical compound that consisted wholly of carbon and fluorine was hydrophobic: neither water nor water-containing substances could wet PTFE. Not only that, it had one of the lowest coefficients of friction of any solid substance.
Plunkett and DuPont realized how beneficial this could be for companies around the world and slapped the Teflon trademark on it in 1945.
What Are Teflon Coatings Used For?
You probably know that Teflon is used as a coating in non-stick cookware products such as pots and pans. Used like this, Teflon creates a low-friction cooking surface that stops food from sticking to the cookware and makes cleaning a lot easier.
However, there are a million other uses of industrial Teflon coatings outside of the kitchen that can provide major benefits including smooth, lubricated surfaces and protective barriers, chemical resistance, dielectric strength and more.
Teflon Coating Possibilities Are (Nearly) Endless!
Teflon coatings have been used in a number of scenarios and come in a full range of powder and liquid forms.
Uses of Teflon Coatings for Industrial Purposes
These are just some of the many ways you can use a Teflon coating to protect and improve the efficiency of the parts and components in your vital equipment.
- Food & Beverage: improve equipment used in everyday home and commercial kitchens
- Oil & Gas: stops the galling of metal surfaces and fasteners that slide against each other which helps companies avoid project delays and expensive repairs to major parts and equipment.
- Chemical: creates a mechanical bond, enhances corrosion resistance, and reduces friction for parts used in plastics.
- Manufacturing: improves the insulation of wiring used in tech and other electronics through low friction properties.
- Energy: protects against corrosion and reduces the friction of parts exposed to intense conditions through the non-stick properties.
- Automotive: reduces the friction of various automotive parts to enhance lubricity, performance, longevity, and durability.
- Aerospace: creates thermal stability and resistance to radiation for aerospace vehicles that are exposed to potentially harmful environments outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
- Aviation: protects electrical systems by enhancing cable insulation in aircraft through the low coefficient of friction.
- Medical Devices: increases the chemical and friction resistance of medical devices and surgical tools in compliance with FDA regulations.
- Maritime: enhances the longevity of O-rings used to secure and seal critical components of vessels when subjected to prolonged water exposure and temperature changes.
There are no limits to the surfaces Teflon can coat either. This includes carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel, steel alloys, brass and magnesium as well as non-metallics such as glass, fibreglass, some rubber and plastics.
Teflon Coating Product Options
DuPont has perfected its PTFE industrial coatings line so that no matter what type of finish you are looking forn it can be achieved with the right combination of properties.
At IPC, we have a wide range of PTFE industrial coatings and ensure excellent results when applying your coating.
Also Read: Electroless Nickel Coating For Oil & Gas Industries
PTFE Coating (IPC System 3)
PTFE coatings are two-coat (primer/topcoat) systems that have years of successful application as non-stick coatings. These products have the lowest coefficient of friction & highest temperature resistance at 500°F and a melting point of 627°F. They also offer great abrasion & chemical resistance and can be applied to aluminum, carbon steel and stainless steel. This coating is usually applied to a thickness of 1-3 mils.
FEP Coating (IPC System 3M)
FEP coatings melt and flow during baking to provide nonporous films that have a maximum operating temperature of (204◦ C/400◦ F). These industrial coatings have excellent nonstick coating properties. They also have a low coefficient of friction with the ability to uniformly coat various complex shapes with thick or thin films.
They provide excellent chemical resistance and have high dielectric strength. The molecular weight (MW) of the powder influences the resistance to mechanical and/or thermal properties. Higher the MW the higher the resistance to fatigue stress cracking. Melt Flow Rate (MFR) – higher the MFR the better the flow & smoother the film.
PFA Coating (IPC System 5)
PFA is a resin very similar to FEP in use, but PFA can be used at even higher continuous use temperatures (500°F), can be applied thicker, and has greater toughness than PTFE & FEP. The paper industry uses it to improve the efficiency of paper mills, pulp mills and other paper-converting industries. PFA coating prevents fibres from sticking to process equipment which can cause quality problems.
ETFE Coating (IPC System 10)
Tefzel® ETFE has excellent chemical resistance & can be applied as thick as PFA but is tougher. It is often used to coat the interior surfaces of stainless steel fume exhaust ducts as it is a tough polymer that can withstand rough handling during installation. Its strong adhesion also allows for field modifications such as various taps or cutting ducts to specific lengths.
Multi-Coat Blend
A two or three-coat system of PTFE, FEP, & PFA Teflon® to optimize performance in the form of superior abrasion resistance & extended service life
The following characteristics are common to ALL Teflon industrial coatings in varying degrees:
- Non-stick
- Low Coefficient of Friction
- Heat Resistance
- Cryogenic Stability
- Chemical Resistance
- Corrosion Resistance
- Non-Wetting
- Anti-Fouling
- Noise Reduction
- Unique Electrical Properties
- Abrasion Resistance
- FDA –Conforming
Teflon Coating Process
Cleaning: parts are cleaned to remove all oil, grease & other substances. Cast parts are de-gassed.
Pretreatment: parts are pretreated (thermal cleaning and sandblasting) to ensure proper adhesion.
Material Preparation: Teflon is rolled at 30 rpm for 30 minutes to ensure the coating has been adequately mixed.
Application: the coating is sprayed onto the item manually.
Cure/Bake: depending on the coating used the part is cured in an oven at a temperature from 320°F to 720°F.
Inspection: parts are inspected to ensure proper application
Advantages of Using a Teflon Powder Coating
There are numerous advantages to using a powder coating for your next project. One of the biggest is that it allows for a greater deposition to be applied. Even after just one coat.
Powder coatings can be gradually applied several times. However, you need to be careful of the thickness of the coating. At IPC, we make sure not to inhibit the ability of the primer or the surface profile to perform each function to keep the adhesion of the applied system.
The method of applying a powder coating is a lot different than a liquid. We use specific equipment that adds an electric charge to the powder coating while adding a negative charge to the component itself. This ensures that the charged powder coating particles will be attracted to the negatively charged surface areas.
Our special coating equipment also allows us to access small bores by specifying how many times we apply the coating and the level of charge we give the powder.
Find the Right Teflon Powder Coating for Your Needs
Teflon offers some of the best powder coating applications on the planet! They can be used in a wide variety of ways in different industries and equipment. Powder coatings are the best at controlling and minimizing damage caused by extreme temperature, chemicals, friction, and abrasion.
We listed 10 ways that Teflon can protect your equipment. However, there are countless other ways to use these coatings to suit your project.
Contact us today to inquire about utilizing our Teflon coatings or a specific powder coating for your parts and components. Reach out directly or to speak to one of our on-site engineering experts, click here.
