The etching process consists in a chemical surface treatment on virgin or filled PTFE. It allows PTFE to be glued on to surfaces of various materials, such as rubber, metal, plastics, etc.
Industrial Plastics & Machine owns the most updated technologies devoted to the etching process on semifinished (sheets, tapes, tubes, bars) and finished PTFE products, virgin or compounded.
The etching process of Industrial Plastics & Machine is capable of providing uniformly reactive surfaces.
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Machined products:
Rings, bushes, parts and other designed products can be etched according to the end use partially or on the total surface.
Quality of etching:
Industrial Plastics & Machine can guarantee the quality of etching by the control of process parameters and by evaluating the extent of etching itself through a wettability test (Contact Angle Method), and an adhesion test (ref. ASTM D903).Contact angle method:
It is based on the measure of the angle between the tangent to a distilled water drop and the PTFE surface (ie, the contact angle).
In Figure 1 two examples of contact angle are illustrated - on unetched surface (poor wetting) and on etched surface (good wetting), respectively.
The relationship in terms of performance between contact angle and etching is shown in Figure 2.
Contact angle and surface energy of etched PTFE are related by the following formula:
where:
Es = surface energy (dynes/cm)
The graph in Figure 3 shows contact angle vs. surface energy.
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Fig.2
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Maceplast Spain together with Guarniflon Spa are attending the MetalMadrid exhibition these days, expecting more than 10.000 visitors.
Read moreWe are pleased to announce that Maceplast UK Ltd has successfully acquired VAC Innovation, effective 21 June 2024.
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