Tealon™ restructured PTFE sheet produces a superior quality gasket
Often, gaskets are perceived as commodity-type items where the gaskets from one manufacturer are seen to be as good as those from another. Nothing could be further from the truth! The key to achieving effective seals and zero leaks is to use gaskets that have been manufactured from the highest quality sheet materials, using the most advanced fabrication processes.
At Canada Rubber Group Inc. (CRGI), we know our customers value quality and reliability in the final product. That is why we use only the highest-quality materials when fabricating gaskets. Among the materials we use to produce gaskets are sheet materials supplied by Teadit® North America. In addition to using these fine materials, we also employ the latest fabrication methods to ensure that every gasket we make is precision-cut to the tightest specifications and tolerances.
Teadit® North America manufactures a variety of sheet materials to support gasket fabrication. In this blog, I will talk about one particular Teadit sheet gasket material – Tealon™ restructured PTFE sheet. I will highlight the special characteristics of Tealon™ that makes it a preferred material from which to produce PTFE gaskets.
Tealon™ is the brand name for restructured PTFE gasket sheet material manufactured by Teadit® North America, a leading producer of sealing materials. Tealon™ sheet is manufactured using a unique process which provides a high fibrillation level to offset the creep relaxation and cold flow problems typically associated with PTFE gaskets. In the manufacturing process, the sheet is subjected to a lamination process before sintering, creating a highly uniform, bi-directional sheet. In addition, a select choice of fillers is employed which reduces material creep at both ambient and extreme temperatures. To meet chemical service requirements, the fillers used are barite, mineral silica, and hollow glass microspheres.
CRGI uses Tealon™ sheet to manufacture PTFE gaskets for our customers. Using Tealon™ sheet allows CRGI to manufacture PTFE gaskets that exhibit the highest quality and performance, yet are cost-effective. Advantages of PTFE gaskets which CRGI fabricates from Tealon™ sheet include the following:
Superior quality, consistent performance. Unlike some other manufacturers who buy their resin on the spot market where resin quality can be variable, Tealon™ sheet is always made with 100 per cent DuPont resin. The result: with Tealon™ sheet, CRGI can produce premium-quality gaskets whose performance never varies.
Superior ability to hold tolerances. Tealon™ sheet is trimmed larger than the typical industry standard. The result: with the oversize Tealon™ sheet, CRGI can achieve the tightest specifications and tolerances in our gaskets, meaning you get a better fit and seal every time.
First-in-class flatness. Tealon™ sheet is the only sheet manufactured using an enhanced HSIO process. This unique process produces the flattest sheet available on the market today. The result: the flatter Tealon sheet allows CRGI to produce gaskets that offer a superior seal with easier installation.
Availability. The supply of DuPont resin used in Tealon™ sheet is assured and not subject to shortages. The result: your supply of CRGI gaskets is never interrupted due to material shortages.
There are three different styles of Tealon™ sheet currently available. Each style has its own unique properties which suit particular applications in the field. When ordering PTFE gaskets, care should be taken to specify the material which best suits the application in question.
Tealon™ 1570 sheet should be used in fragile or lined flange applications. Tealon™ 1580 sheet is recommended for strong and hot caustic service applications. Tealon™ 1590 sheet is recommended for applications involving strong acids. For those customers seeking gaskets for food grade applications, both Tealon™ 1570 and 1580 sheets conform to FDA requirements, Method 21 CFR177.2260.
When sourcing restructured PTFE sheet, buyers should beware of lower quality copies of premium quality sheets like Tealon™. These imitations look like the real thing, but the use of substandard ingredients and manufacturing methods results in a sheet whose properties and performance characteristics are far inferior to Tealon™. Only gaskets manufactured from sheet which uses the highest quality resin, such as that produced by DuPont, should be considered safe and acceptable to use with total confidence.
CRGI can supply precision-cut PTFE gaskets manufactured from Tealon™ sheet. We can custom manufacture gaskets from prototype and no order is too big or too small – we are equipped to handle mass production runs or small-lot orders equally well, and can provide rapid turnaround on urgent needs or emergency service.
To find out how we can service your PTFE gasket needs, contact our sales department today at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.