Solvay Tecnoflon FFKM (Pefluoroelastomer)

Perfluoroelastomer (FFKM) is a high-performance synthetic rubber that is widely used as a sealing and gasket material in a variety of extreme environments due to its unique chemical and thermal stability.

Chemical stability: Perfluoroether rubber is extremely resistant to almost all chemicals, including strong acids, bases, oxidizers and organic solvents. This makes it an ideal sealing material in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical and semiconductor manufacturing.

Thermal stability: Perfluoroether rubber can maintain its performance at extreme temperatures and can typically be used in temperatures ranging from -20°C to +300°C (and beyond), making it suitable for use in high-temperature environments such as aerospace and automotive engines.

Aging resistance: PFE rubber has excellent aging resistance and maintains its elasticity and sealing properties even after long-term exposure to UV light, ozone and high temperatures.

Electrical insulation: Perfluoroethersulfone rubber has good electrical insulation properties, suitable for sealing electrical and electronic equipment.

Low permeability: Perfluoroethersulfone rubber has very low permeability to gases and liquids, which makes it ideal for high purity applications and vacuum systems.

Mechanical Properties: Despite its higher cost, perfluoroether rubber offers excellent mechanical properties, including good tensile strength, tear strength and abrasion resistance.

Compatibility: Perfluoroether rubber is compatible with a wide range of metals and other materials, facilitating the manufacture of seals with composite structures.

Application environment: Understand and evaluate the environment in which the rubber is going to be used, including temperature, pressure, exposure to chemicals, whether exposed to UV or ozone, etc.

Performance requirements: Define the required performance indicators, such as chemical resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance, mechanical strength, electrical insulation, abrasion resistance, aging resistance, etc.

Cost budget: Considering the high cost of PFE rubber, it is necessary to evaluate whether the price is acceptable according to the budget and weigh the relationship between performance and cost.

Regulations and standards: Ensure that the selected perfluoroether rubber material complies with relevant regulations and industry standards, especially in areas such as food contact, medical devices and aerospace.

Environmental impact: Evaluate the environmental impact of the material, including energy consumption and emissions during production, and how the product is disposed of after use and disposal.

FFKM and Viton are both high-performance elastomers, and they each have unique performance advantages for different application scenarios. The following is a comparative description between them.

High temperature resistance: FFKM is more resistant to high temperature than Viton. Under high temperature conditions, FFKM is able to maintain the elastic characteristics of rubber, while the deformation rate of Viton rubber increases sharply with time. FFKM Perfluoroether rubber can still maintain the elastic characteristics of rubber at a high temperature of 330°C, while the deformation rate of Viton rises sharply with time under 240°C conditions.

Chemical resistance: FFKM excels in chemical resistance and has excellent resistance to almost all chemicals. It is resistant to attack by up to 1600 chemicals, and after 6 months of immersion in a mixture of toluene, acetone and methylene chloride, FFKM rubber O-rings show almost no volume change, while other Rubber has been seriously deformed.

In contrast, Viton although also chemically stable, may not be as durable as FFKM in some extreme chemical environments.

Applications: Both FFKM and Viton are widely used in applications requiring high performance seals and corrosion resistance, such as the aerospace, aviation, chemical, petroleum, and nuclear energy industrial sectors. FFKM rubber is especially suitable for high temperature, high pressure and strong corrosive working environment due to its excellent high temperature and chemical resistance. Viton on the other hand, is also widely used in automotive, petrochemical and other fields due to its good oil resistance and certain high temperature resistance.

Cost and Availability: FFKM rubber is usually more expensive and relatively costly to make, but its long life and excellent performance can significantly reduce maintenance costs and downtime, thus improving production efficiency. In contrast, Viton may be more cost-effective in some applications due to their wider availability and relatively lower cost