Is your industrial equipment not lasting as long as it should? A custom fluoropolymer can make a huge difference in the longevity of your equipment. These substances can reduce downtime and labor costs by having longer times between breakdowns. They can also extend maintenance intervals for certain parts.
Keep reading to learn how to choose the right custom fluoropolymers for your application. We’d be happy to help coat your equipment with the correct formulation.
What Are Custom Fluoropolymers?
Custom fluoropolymers are specialized, high-performance coatings that contain fluorine atoms. They’re tailored for specific applications requiring exceptional chemical resistance, thermal stability, and low friction.
These materials are engineered to meet precise industry needs by modifying their molecular structure, composition, or processing methods. Our team applies these coatings to your industrial equipment to get the best possible outcomes for your processes.
Why Choose Custom Fluoropolymers?
The main reason for choosing a custom fluoropolymer is that we can tailor our formula to meet your exact specifications. They can be matched with specific substrates, functions, and more.
For example, lining pipes or tanks with a custom fluoropolymer can improve resistance to harsh chemicals. Medical implants or components needing high biocompatibility can be coated with custom fluoropolymers. They can also work with electrical wiring to insulate certain materials.
Benefits of Custom Fluoropolymers
Custom fluoropolymers offer several advantages versus items that are not coated with the correct materials.
Tolerate High Heat Thresholds
PTFE, perhaps the most common fluoropolymer on the planet, has a heat threshold of around 500°F (260°C). Some custom fluoropolymers can exceed this limit while maintaining structural integrity, performance, and protective properties in extreme temperatures. This is an advantage over other materials that would degrade, melt, or lose effectiveness.
Handle Extreme Pressure
Reinforced fluoropolymers have low deformation under prolonged pressure, reducing or eliminating cold flow or creep. This is crucial for seals, gaskets, and bearings in hydraulic systems, aerospace engines, drill pipes, and industrial machinery.
Reduce Friction Against Parts
Substances like PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PFA (perfluoroalkoxy), and FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) have some of the lowest coefficients of friction for solid materials.
The result is a surface that minimizes resistance between moving parts, reducing mechanical wear and improving machine efficiency. Custom fluoropolymers also don’t need constant reapplication like grease.
Exotic Material Coating, Including Precious Metals
Custom fluoropolymers represent some of the top coatings for exotic substrates and materials, including precious metals.
1. Titanium & Titanium Alloys
- Why Coat Them? Titanium is strong and corrosion-resistant but can suffer from galling (metal adhesion) and high friction.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Reduces wear, enhances lubrication, and improves chemical resistance.
- Applications: Aerospace components, medical implants, and high-performance industrial parts.
2. Carbon Fiber & Composites
- Why Coat Them? Carbon fiber is lightweight and strong but can be brittle and reactive to certain chemicals.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Adds durability, chemical resistance, and moisture protection.
- Applications: High-end automotive parts, aerospace structures, and sporting equipment.
3. Inconel & Superalloys
- Why Coat Them? Inconel withstands extreme heat and pressure but can suffer from oxidation and friction wear.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Provides heat resistance, reduces surface wear, and prevents oxidation.
- Applications: Jet engines, nuclear reactors, and chemical processing equipment.
4. Zirconium & Hafnium
- Why Coat Them? These metals are highly resistant to corrosion but can benefit from additional lubrication.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Improves friction performance and prevents material degradation.
- Applications: Nuclear reactors, aerospace coatings, and medical implants.
5. Tungsten & Tungsten Carbide
- Why Coat Them? Tungsten is extremely hard but prone to oxidation and galling in high-friction environments.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Adds non-stick properties, enhances wear resistance, and prevents corrosion.
- Applications: Cutting tools, high-pressure bearings, and industrial drill bits.
6. Ceramic & Glass Surfaces
- Why Coat Them? Ceramics and glass are brittle and prone to surface wear in high-stress environments.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Reduces friction, improves impact resistance, and enhances chemical resistance.
- Applications: Optical lenses, semiconductor wafers, and high-temperature insulators.
7. Graphene & Carbon Nanotubes
- Why Coat Them? These advanced materials have excellent strength and conductivity but can be reactive in certain environments.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Provides moisture protection, enhances durability, and prevents oxidation.
- Applications: Flexible electronics, aerospace coatings, and advanced lubricants.
8. Magnesium & Magnesium Alloys
- Why Coat Them? Magnesium is lightweight but highly reactive, leading to corrosion.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: It creates a corrosion-resistant barrier and improves surface hardness.
- Applications: Automotive and aerospace lightweight components.
9. Precious Metals (Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium)
- Why Coat Them? Silver tarnishes quickly, gold and platinum can wear over time, and palladium might need non-stick properties.
- Fluoropolymer Benefits: Repelling dirt and chemicals, making surfaces easier to clean while resisting corrosion for electronic parts.
- Applications: Jewelry, luxury goods, electronics, semiconductors, medical devices, aerospace, and defense.
Release and Non-Stick Properties
Much like non-stick pans in the kitchen, custom fluoropolymers offer outstanding release properties that keep items from adhering. This comes from the unique molecular structure of fluoropolymers. They have low surface energy and rarely react with other substances.
Custom fluoropolymers are ideal for applications with sticky, viscous, or reactive substances. So, think chemical processing, food and beverage production, pharmaceutical production, adhesive manufacturing, molten plastics handling, and rubber production. Custom fluoropolymers can also foster fast mold releases in high-temperature settings.
Static Bleed
Most fluoropolymers are excellent electrical insulators, so they prevent static bleed by dissipating a static charge buildup. Custom fluoropolymers can be engineered with conductive fillers like carbon, graphite, or metal particles to safely dissipate electric charges.
Use these coatings for electronics, aerospace, medical, chemical processing, fuel handling, and material handling. Static buildup can produce dangerous problems, so it’s important to use quality materials.
Corrosion Protection
The custom fluoropolymers incorporate one of the most stable chemical bonds known to science and engineering. This makes them nearly impervious to corrosion from chemicals, acids, alkalis, and solvents. Fluoropolymers also create a hydrophobic barrier against water and oxidation.
Anti-Galling and Anti-Aging Properties
The low friction, self-lubrication, non-stick, and anti-adhesion properties of these substances help prevent galling. In this process, two metal parts rub together and start to wear out. Fasteners, bearings, and sliding components are often susceptible to galling.
Fluoropolymers also form a barrier against UV rays and weather. If you have components that operate outdoors, applying custom fluoropolymers can help them last longer. These items might include sporting goods, outdoor furniture, tools, and equipment.
Dielectric and RFI Shielding
Fluoropolymers are ideal for electrical components when insulation is crucial. Coating things like wiring insulation, capacitors, and connectors in power systems can prevent failures because custom fluoropolymers are inert.
You can also use these coatings for radio frequency interference (RFI) shielding. This is done when custom fluoropolymers are combined with conductive fillers like carbon-filled PTFE or FEP. Consider this application for aerospace, automotive systems, and industrial control panels.
What Materials Can Be Coated With Custom Fluoropolymers?
We’re well-known for coating rubber O-rings with PTFE. However, custom fluoropolymers work with several different substrates.
Metals
One of the most common applications for fluoropolymers is in metals. The common metals we see include:
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum
- Aluminum alloys
- Copper
- Carbon steel
- Titanium
- Inconel
- Superalloys
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Nickel
- Lead
Ceramics
Ceramics already have a high tolerance for temperatures and chemicals. However, custom fluoropolymers can help your ceramics last even longer and work more effectively.
- Alumina
- Zirconia
- Silicon carbide
- Titania
- Silica
- Magnesium oxide
- Boron nitride
- Barium titanate
- Calcium carbonate
- Alumina zirconia composites
Glass
Custom fluoropolymers are quite common in glass applications to improve durability in structures where broken glass might pose a hazard, such as hospitals and laboratories. Consider these glass items for custom fluoropolymers to improve their performance:
- Laboratory glassware
- Light bulbs
- Lenses and prisms in optical equipment
Composites
Do you need to enhance your composites with improved chemical resistance, wear resistance, and thermal stability? Fluoropolymers can work with many composite materials:
- Carbon fiber
- Glass fiber
- Aramid fiber (Kevlar)
- Metal matrix composites (MMCs)
- Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs)
- Polymer matrix composites (PMCs)
- Sandwich composites
- Hybrid composites (mixed fiber reinforced composites)
Applications here include aerospace, automotive, marine, construction, wind energy, sporting goods, and industrial.
Plastics
Plastics offer lightweight and sturdy materials, but they can be susceptible to scratches, chemicals, and surface wear. Plastics coated with custom fluoropolymers can last longer versus ones that aren’t. Even fluoroplastics can be coated with custom fluoropolymers to further optimize their performance.
- Polycarbonate
- Polyethylene
- High-density polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
- Polystyrene
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polysulfone (PSU)
- Polyimide
- Nylon
- Fluoroplastics
Rubber
Many types of rubber, particularly those found in O-rings, can be coated with custom fluoropolymers. Talk to us about your requirements for enhancing the surfaces of these types of rubber:
- Nitrile rubber
- Fluoroelastomers like FKM and Viton®
- Silicon rubber
- EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer)
- Neoprene
- Natural rubber
- Butyl rubber
- Styrene-butadiene rubber
- Perfluoroelastomers (FFKM)
Different Coating Techniques for Custom Fluoropolymers
There are four main ways we can coat your items with custom fluoropolymers, depending on the substrate, size, and shape of your items.
Wet Spray
We use a wet spray method for various substrates.
- We prepare the surface by cleaning it and priming it, depending on the substrate.
- Then we dilute the concentrated coating so it can work with an atomizer for uniform surface coverage.
- Our team performs multiple passes over the surface using thin, controlled layers to avoid defects.
- Finally, we flash-dry and cure each part to ensure the coating bonds properly to the substrate.
Electrostatic Powder
Electrostatic powder application works much like a wet spray to achieve an even coat. It is highly efficient.
- Our team prepares the surfaces by cleaning them. Some hard surfaces, like metals or ceramics, may need abrasive blasting for better adhesion. Other substrates may need preheating to improve the powder’s uniformity.
- Next, we apply the electrostatic powder through a specialized spray gun that gives the powder an electrostatic charge. This helps the powder adhere to the substrate. We might use multiple passes to ensure full coverage.
- Then, items go into a curing oven to melt the powder to the surface. This process also fuses the fluoropolymer particles together, making a singular layer. Curing temperatures range from 500°F to 800°F (260°C to 427°C). The exact limit depends on the specific fluoropolymer formulation.
Fluidized Bed Powder
A fluidized bed is another way to apply an electrostatic powder. Rather than a spray gun, we use a specialized container where air or gas makes the powder behave like a fluid. Then, we dip the preheated substrate into the fluidized powder, causing the fluoropolymer particles to melt to the surface. We might do this a few times for thicker surface coatings. Then, the items are cured in an oven for the final finish.
Dip-Spin Coating
Dip-spin coating applies an even coat for fasteners, springs, bearings, and items with complex geometries.
- We clean the surfaces fully, sometimes priming them or using abrasive blasting.
- Our team loads parts into a mesh basket or perforated drum.
- The basket is then submerged in a bath of liquid fluoropolymer coating.
- We lift the basket before spinning it rapidly, using centrifugal force to remove any excess coating. This creates a thin, uniform layer over the entire surface of the part.
- Finally, we place the items in an oven to flash-dry and cure the coating to the substrate.
Choose Professional Coating Services From Coating Systems
Need more reasons to coat your items with custom fluoropolymers? Our process is repeatable (especially for threaded parts) to ensure full coverage. We can process batches individually or in bulk. Coatings will also differentiate your product specs from those of your competitors.
Coating Systems, located in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, can coat your items with custom fluoropolymers to meet your requirements. Talk to us about your needs by calling 513-367-5600 or contacting us online.
