WHY PTFE?

PTFE – The Optimum Choice for Hose Linings

PTFE, or Polytetrafluoroethylene, comprises of long-chain molecules of carbon atoms, each linked to two fluorine atoms.

The fluorine atoms provide a helical spiral which surrounds the carbon chain and protects it.

It is this structure which creates the unique properties for which PTFE is well-known.

Excellent Chemical Resistance 

PTFE is renowned as the most chemically resistant material known. Only a very few, very unusual substances and conditions can affect it, like Fluorine gas at high temperature and pressure and liquid, boiling sodium metal.

PTFE lined hoses can therefore be used for a wider variety of chemicals than any other hose type, making it the ideal choice for very corrosive chemical applications and multiproduct applications.

Non-Stick Surface

The use of PTFE as a surface for cookware products has demonstrated to the world how easily cleanable PTFE surfaces are.

This means that PTFE lined hoses can be purged 100% clean more quickly, easily and reliably than any other type of hose.

Excellent Temperature Range

The cookware application also demonstrates another of PTFE’s many attributes – temperature resistance. PTFE itself can be used as a hose liner at temperatures from -150˚C up to +260˚C, dependent upon the hose design and the application conditions.

This is the widest temperature range of any rubber or plastic hose lining material.

Very High Electrical Resistance

Most aerospace electrical wiring has a PTFE cover, due to the excellent electrical resistance of PTFE. This property is however, a disadvantage in some hose applications where there is a risk of developing an electrostatic charge inside the hose bore. Aflex Hose have developed a non-contaminant, FDA and USP Class VI compliant solution to this problem.

Hose Design

The only issue with PTFE as a hose lining material is the best way it can be integrated in to the hose design. This is where Aflex Hose have a proven record of success over the last 40 years.

Section from a PTFE Molecule, 16 Angstrom Units long