What is PTFE Insulation, Its Application and Advantage

The wires and cable industry must withstand rising demands by industries and bring innovative products to meet their dynamic and adverse working environment. PTFE-insulated wires and cables are one of the significant value-adds in the world of wires and cables, with excellent mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties.

PTFE-coated wires and cables have excellent resistance properties to chemicals, temperature, dampness, and power, which make them demanding in industries like engineering, automotive, medical, etc.

The fire, smoke, and chemical resistance properties of PTFE materials make them suitable for cable insulation. And its thin and non-stick feature brings benefits to wires and cables. PTFE is primarily used for Coaxial cables and insulated cables for sensors, cars, chemical tanks, etc.

Gloster Cables manufactures PTFE-insulated cables for various applications in different industries.

What is PTFE and Why We Need PTFE Insulation

PTFE, Polytetrafluoroethylene, is a robust fluorocarbon polymer or plastic material commonly used for cable insulation and improves their performance for several applications.

PTFE is a very stable material. If we place it in a vacuum, there is a low loss of residue, and it does not release any gas that could potentially transfer to other instruments. PTFE is also preferable for things like medical implants – as it does not decompose or give off nasty chemicals when placed inside the body.

The exceptional insulation and mechanical properties of PTFE, like chemical inertness, weather resistance, non-flammability, and zero moisture absorption, make it usable in extreme environments and applications and electronic components. PTFE-insulated wires and cables can operate in a temperature range from -90ºC to +260ºC. It also helps to protect these cables from heat, chemical corrosion, abrasion, and moisture.

Filled PTFE

Pure PTFE can deform under a load, but the use of fillers can increase its strength and abrasion resistance and add electrical conductivity. However, fillers can reduce some of the advantageous properties of PTFE, such as chemical resistance.

The Need for PTFE Insulation

PFTE is a resilient and reliable material and gets preferred as an insulation material for wires and cables for the following reasons.

PTFE’s strength of carbon-fluoride bonds is incredibly flexible and non-reactive.

PTFE has excellent fire, smoke, and chemical resistance properties.

It offers high flexural strength, even in low temperatures.

It has a melting point of around 327°C, and pure PTFE is thermally stable enough to get used between-200°C &+260°C without degrading.

PTFE’s density is also very high, at 2200 kg/m3.

The hydrophobic property of PTFE ensures water and water-containing substances do not react with PTFE-insulated wires.

Features of PTFE Insulated Wires and Cables

PTFE-coated wires and cables can get designed according to our required performance and provide reliability. These wires work effectively under extreme conditions like high temperatures and adverse environments.

Let us see some excellent features of PTFE-insulated wires and cables.

PTFE-insulated wires cannot get cross-linked and are not subject to memory or creeping. It ensures bending, flexing, or stressing these wires does not move or deform the PTFE coating.

PTFE-insulated wires provide extremely reliable dielectric properties. It makes miniature PTFE insulated wires preferable for PCB applications and an alternative to polyethylene because of temperature resistance, being more effective, and high performance.

These wires are resistant to UV radiation, stress and mold, and chemicals resistant.

We can use silver-plated conductors or conductors of our choice with PTFE-insulated cables.

PTFE-insulated wires have a low dissipation factor. And they can operate under high operating temperatures.

We can use PTFE-insulated wires for a wide range of frequencies.

Application and Advantage of PTFE Insulated Wires and Cables

PTFE insulated wires or Teflon wires are available in standard sizes and a range of micro and miniature sizes for an extensive range of industries. Few industries where PTFE-coated wires and cables are in the application are

Medical Applications

PTFE-insulated wires and cables fulfill the requirement of medical devices, i.e., a smooth coating that is thin, precise, chemically inert, and capable of withstanding a wide variety of conditions. The non-flaking finish of these cables makes the insulation finish quality paramount for aesthetics and regulatory specifications.

Automotive Applications

The automotive industry demands wires capable of performing in corrosive chemicals, extreme temperatures, and friction. Their wiring application list includes air conditioning systems, navigation, power steering, battery applications, heated seats, and many more. The microminiature PTFE-coated automotive wires support automotive manufacturers and meet their exact performance specifications, irrespective of space constraints.

Oil and Gas Applications

The oil and gas industry faces the challenge of protecting its significant instrumentation from temperature extremes, corrosive chemicals, and pressure. PTFE-coated wires address the oil and gas industries' complex wiring needs for drilling operations and instrumentation, even in extreme conditions. PTFE wires provide the industry's need for electrical, temperature, and corrosion resistance wires and offer essential protection against the gas diffusion, pressure, and corrosion typically encountered in downhole drilling.

General Electrical Applications

The ability of PTFE to insulate to 500 volts per mil with unyielding reliability in even the most strenuous applications makes PTFE wires and cables frequently used in electrical components. The application of these wires and cables ranges from mobile devices to advanced and high-tech machinery.

PTFE wires get used as a separator on the conductive surfaces in capacitors and in a limitless range of electrical applications where components get expected to withstand the elements. The demand for cost-effective PTFE-coated wires and cables is rising as modern electronic manufacturers are continuously creating smaller and more portable advanced electronics.

Other Industrial Usage

The other industrial application of PTFE insulated wires includes retail, computers, veterinary medicine, the food industry, communications, the art community, robotics, marine sciences, space exploration, bioengineering, chemical sciences, and many more.

Advantages of PTFE Insulated Wires and Cables

The versatility of PTFE insulated wires and cables application across products and industries brings numerous benefits. Some of the advantages are

PTFE wires and cables have lower dielectric constant compared to other electric wires. So, these wires can transfer more current more effectively than ordinary wires.

With excellent dielectric strength, you can get maximum out of a PTFE cable and continue to transfer current.

The high-temperature resistance of these cables allows you to use them for outdoor purposes where there is high temperature in the daytime.

As these cables are chemically inert, we can line these cables along with pipes made of reactive agents.

We can use PTFE wires in diverse weather conditions, as the wire boasts zero moisture.

Best Performing PTFE Wires and Cables by Gloster Cables

Gloster Cables is a well-known wire and cable manufacturer catering to the need of power utilities and various industries through its range product spectrum.

Gloster manufactures PTFE wires and cables in different sizes and designs to meet the growing demand across several industries. Our PTFE-insulated wires and cables come in several standards, like standard coaxial cables, reformable coaxial cables, single wires, flexible power cables, and many more. Gloster’s stringent quality check policy ensures best performing PTFE wires and cables in diverse and extreme conditions.