Forming PTFE tubing

[boottmills]

So I am not very familiar with PTFE tubing, but I have an application that requires the use of PTFE tubing and since it is not very flexible, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a way to possibly form it using heat (bath vs heat gun) and what to possibly look out for (besides Teflon Flu).

thanks!



~Boottmills

 

[Demon3]

Teflon is a tradename for more than one polymer from DuPont but assuming you mean the PTFE kind you can heat it up and it will become transparent at I think 220C. As a complete guess that could be a good temperature to form it.

Dr. Chris DeArmitt

Plastics consultant to the Fortune 500:

http://www.phantomplastics.com

Webinars on plastics, fillers & impact modification:

http://www.plastictraining.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

PTFE tube can be heat formed, but it's slow and skill-intensive.

Better to buy it with a heavy wall, wrestle it into the shape you want, and mechanically restrain it there.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[btrueblood]

Chris,

Are you thinking of PFA tubing, which is translucent, but becomes nearly transparent near its softening point? I've made useful objects from such tubing using a hot air gun and glass-blowing techniques.

For PTFE (white, opaque) tubing, Mike has the right idea. Heat in boiling water and then drop it onto a forming jig, clamp in place and let it sit for a day. Or put the whole jig into a 250 deg. F oven. Usually it will spring back a bit, so you have to over-bend a little.

 

[Demon3]

I'm thinking of PTFE. It's white but when heated to around 220C it becomes transparent. Found that out in my PhD days when friends heated their stirrer bars in a super hot oven to dry off water (to make polymers by GTP).

There's a reference to that behaviour here:

http://polyfluoroltd.blogspot.se/2011/04/ptfe-myths-busted.html

"It attains what is referred to as a "gel state" - where the material goes from being opaque-white to transparent, but retains its shape even in this state. While in gel state, PTFE is soft, but still not completely pliable - making it very difficult to handle."

Dr. Chris DeArmitt

Plastics consultant to the Fortune 500:

http://www.phantomplastics.com

Webinars on plastics, fillers & impact modification:

http://www.plastictraining.com