PTFE Micropowder Q&A on Some Application Issues

1,What's the difference between PTFE micropowder and PTFE resin?

PTFE micropowder is a refined product derived from different PTFE resins. They are additives for engineering plastics, paints, inks, etc., all of which are made from PTFE resin. (You can imagine them as being something like wax.) PTFE that has not been specially treated is very prone to agglomeration, making it very difficult to disperse it properly in engineering plastics, lubricants, paints, and inks.

2,What's the purpose of adding PTFE micropowder to the base material?

The main purpose is to reduce the coefficient of friction of the base material products and improve their non-stick and anti-scratch properties. By reducing the coefficient of friction of base materials with added PTFE micropowder, you can expect benefits such as reducing wear, reducing operating torque, preventing scratches, and preventing frictional noise.

3,If PTFE material is added to the base material (including engineering plastics, lubricants, paints or inks), but the viscosity increases, it cannot be formed, or it cannot work, why is that?

This may be due to an incorrect choice of PTFE material. For example:

A. The PTFE used may be molding PTFE resin instead of PTFE intended for addition.
B. The PTFE micropowder used may be a grade intended for thickening greases (i.e., agglomerated material of particles smaller than 1µm).
C. The added PTFE may be untreated (raw) PTFE intended for addition.
Finished PTFE micropowder products require special treatment or heat treatment, and appropriate grades must be selected and evenly dispersed in various base materials (including engineering plastics, paints or inks) to achieve lubrication or other effects.

4,How can PTFE micropowder achieve the best dispersion effect in the base material (including engineering plastics, paints, or inks)?

PTFE micropowder needs to be well dispersed in the base material to function properly. The dispersion method and dispersion time should be selected differently depending on the application field or the base material. For engineering plastics and rubber, screw extrusion or refining is generally required. In lubricants, due to viscosity problems, a three-roll mill is generally used for grinding and dispersion. Depending on the viscosity of the paint and ink, high-speed mixing, sand milling, or three-roll milling equipment may be required.