Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape

Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape is made of 100% expanded PTFE. For this reason, it is completely flexible, conformable and resistant to most industrial chemicals.

In the article we have prepared, we want to give you more details about the benefits of using expanded PTFE and, specifically, the Gloster-flon® adhesive tape marketed by Epidor Seals and Rubber Technologies.

What is the expanded PTFE?

PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene and is commonly known as teflon. Expanded PTFE is a variant made of 100 % virgin PTFE, i.e. without fillers, and has ideal characteristics in applications where the material is required to be spongy/expanded. The spongy character is due to the distribution of the PTFE fibers that form a microporous structure.

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The flange sealing with many surface irregularities poses a problem in addition to that of sealing the process fluid itself. In this case, spongy PTFE is much better suited to the flange surface than, for example, a gasket made of compressed fibers.

Another example would be the use for low-torque bolted connections such as plastic, glass, enameled or glass fiber reinforced plastic flanges. The use of expanded PTFE allows sealing with a lower torque than that required by a gasket made of compressed fibers.

Differences between PTFE and expanded PTFE

You are probably wondering what the differences are between conventional PTFE and expanded PTFE.

Both materials share similar properties that are optimal for industrial applications. However, expanded PTFE has a superior versatility than PTFE and, consequently, it can be manufactured in different sizes, densities and thicknesses.

Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape

This time we are going to present the Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape. Normally, expanded PTFE can be found as a sheet or as a cut gasket for flanges, covers or machine bodies.

However, sometimes and due to the geometry to be sealed, a cut gasket may not be the best solution in the sense that its manufacture can be more laborious than one might think.

In these situations we can use the Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE adhesive tape, which adapts perfectly to the perimeter to be sealed, both in its shape and with the irregularities that the sealing surface may have.

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The Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape has excellent chemical and thermal stability that makes it applicable on stainless steel, glass and plastic surfaces, among other materials. It does not age, is resistant to ultraviolet radiation (UV), is extremely flexible and has an unlimited shelf life. In addition, it generates no waste of any kind.

In the case of the Gloster-flon® tape, we speak of expanded PTFE because it stretches in one direction only and acquires a higher mechanical strength in the longitudinal direction of the tape.

The Gloster-flon® tape is available in reel format in variable lengths, as required, and in rectangular geometry with tape widths from 3,0 mm up to 40,0 mm. Thicknesses range from 1,5 mm up to 7,0 mm (other thicknesses and sizes on request).

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Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape technical specs

The following are the most important technical specifications of the Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape:

• White color.
• Almost universal chemical resistance: inert to most acids, bases, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, lubricants and fuels, among other substances.
• pH range: from 0 to 14.
• Service temperature range: from -240 ºC to +290 ºC.

Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape homologations

The Gloster-flon® expanded PTFE tape has a number of certifications of particular interest to certain industry sectors:

• FDA CFR 21 section 177.1550, for PTFE articles in contact with food products.
• European Regulation (EC) No. 1935 / 2004.
• Migration testing for metals according to European Regulation (EC) No. 10 / 2011.
• Migration tests with food simulants A, B and D2 according to BSS EN 1186-3.
• Oxygen gas test at 60 °C and 16 bar by the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and found suitable for this service.
• Tested according to DVGW G 260 for gasses other than liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at 50 °C and 16 bar by the German Gas and Water Association (DVGW) and found suitable for this service.

Finally, we must emphasize how easy it is to install Gloster-flon® adhesive tape.

Its installation is as simple as cleaning the area to be sealed, which must be free of grease and dust; unrolling the necessary amount; presenting the tape and removing the protection from the self-adhesive side. In the case of closing a perimeter, we recommend overlapping the ends of the tape by approximately 2 cm.

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We hope this article has been of interest to you. If you still have any doubts, contact our sealing team experts. They will advise you in the best possible way.