About Teflon™ AF
Teflon™ AF is a family of amorphous fluoropolymer materials that offer multiple benefits as high-performance resins. Their unique chemical structure makes them especially versatile compared to other fluoropolymers; refer to the comparison tables below.
Perfluoropolymer Comparison: Performance of Traditional vs. Amorphous
| Similarities | Differences |
Both Traditional and Amorphous:
|
Amorphous only:
|
VICI Metronics provides two grades of material: Teflon™ AF 1600 and Teflon™ AF 2400. Typical molding temperatures for Teflon™ AF 1600 range from 240 - 275 °C (464 - 527 °F) and for Teflon™ AF 2400 from 340 - 360 °C (644 - 680 °F). Both are gas permeable.
Comparison of Properties
| PTFE | FEP | PFA | AF 1600 | AF 2400 | |
|
Appearance |
White | Translucent | Translucent | Clear | Clear |
|
Refractive Index* |
1.34 – 1.35 | 1.35 | 1.31 | 1.21 | |
| Hardness (Shore D) | 55 | 56 | 60 | 77 | 75 |
| Dielectric Constant (K) | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.93 | 1.9 |
| Melting Point | 327° C | 260° C | 305° C | ||
| Glass Transition Temperature | 126° C | 80° C | 90° C | 160° C | 240° C |
| Oxygen Permeability | 420 centi-Barrer** (cB) | 34,000 cB | 99,000 cB |
* For comparison, the refraction Index of water is 1.33
** centiBarrier (cB) = 1/100th of a Barrer
Teflon™ AF Features and Benefits
Teflon™ AF has high thermal, chemical, mechanical and electrical stability. This class of materials offers multiple additional benefits:
- Optical clarity over a wide wavelength range
- Low refractive index—the lowest of any known plastic
- Exceptional UV stability and transmission capability
- High thermal resistance, performing well over a wide temperature range
- Dimensional stability
- Reduced mold shrinkage
- Low dielectric constant (1.89 to 1.93), even at gigahertz frequencies–the lowest of any solid plastic
- Low dissipation factor and moisture sensitivity/moisture absorption
- High compressibility, gas permeability, and perm separability
- Limited solubility in selected perfluorinated solvents