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On this page, you will find:
  1. Advantages of PTFE insulation
  2. Applications of PTFE insulated Wires & Cables
  3. PTFE Insulated Special Equipment Wires
  4. Special Features -- Quality Assurance, Test Voltages
  5. Caution

1. ADVANTAGES OF PTFE INSULATION

PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL

• Inert to practically all chemicals even at elevated temperatures
• Excellent Resistance to Ultra-Violet radiation and stress-cracking
• Non-contaminating, Non-toxic and bio-compatible
• Resistant to fungus and mould growth

• Excellent thermal stability -- suitable for use from -200°C to +260°C
• Fire (flame) proof
• Soldering iron resistant and suitable for high density wiring

• Suitable for very wide frequency range (DC to above 10,000 MHz) over wide temperature range
• Lowest dielectric constant (2.1)
• Lowest dissipation factor (below 0.0003)
• Highest volume and surface resistivities (in Teraohms)
• Corona Resistance is fair (CR PTFE is available for severe corona conditions)

• Smaller size, lighter weight and much higher reliability
• Cold-flow and cut-through resistance -- fair (good mechanical strength)
• Excellent flex-life

• Electronic Test Equipment
• Communication Equipment (mobile and manpack wireless sets)
• Equipment for Aircraft, Radar, Navigation, Electro-mechanical applications, Satellites, Research Equipment for Aerospace, Navy & Meteorology
• Control Equipment for Atomic Energy, Satellite Launching, Ground Control, Reactors and Process Control, Telephone Exchange, Lifts
• Computers, Flight simulators
• High performance motors, transformers and rectifiers
• Infra-red sensing equipment
• Thermo-couple and compensating cables
• Air-field lighting equipment
• High temperature lighting fittings (sodium lamps etc.)
• Refrigeration equipment
• Load cells and pressure transducers
• Electro-medical/Neuro-surgical equipment
• High temperature control valves
• Furnace and oven wiring

Please refer to table for commonly available sizes.  Within the normal range, larger number of strands are available to improve flexibility and flex-life; 19 strands up to AWG 30, 37 strands up to AWG 20 and 60 strands for AWG 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.  In the two larger sizes AWG 6 and 8, compact 61 strands true concentric constructions (compared to Rope lay 19 x 7) are about 15% lower in OD, weight and cost, although slightly stiffer.

We offer finer sizes, having thin-wall PTFE insulation, highly flexible (with flex-life) constructions using Silver Plated High Strength Copper Alloy (SPHSCA).  Sizes as small as AWG 37/7/45 (0.43 mm).  Even such fine sizes are 100% tested.

For Wire-Wrap wire, advantages of PTFE insulation are now available in single strand size up to AWG 36 (OD 0.43 mm), and multi-strand 3607 or 3707 with OD 0.38 mm.

4. SPECIAL FEATURES -- QUALITY ASSURANCE

• 100% Physical and Electrical testing (see below for test voltages )
• A minimum of 3 layers of PTFE tape, wrapped and sintered, provides balanced bi-axially oriented, concentrically placed insulation (for more details about advantages of TWS method, click here)
• Minimum shrinkage/deformation and no `run-away' problem at soldering-iron temperatures
• Surface as good as extruded wire without the disadvantages of extruded PTFE insulation in fine-gauge thin-wall types
• Certified minimum BREAK DOWN VOLTAGE (on samples) to ensure higher, uniform and predictable performance
• Controlled tigher tolerance on weight, PTFE density and conductor resistance
• Test voltages for the three common working voltages are:

 

Type	Working Voltage  AC RMS	Dielectric Test  Voltage for 1 minute	Spark Test Voltage for for 1 second
ET	250	1500	2500
E	600	2000	3400
EE	1000	3000	5000

• Thin-wall insulation is not recommended for higher soldering iron temperatures and for gauges larger than AWG 20
• Stripping of Tape-Wrapped-Sintered (TWS) PTFE insulation is generally difficult on automatic high-speed machines, more so, for thin-wall finer sizes

               For Free Design Service, Contact: mukul@druflon.com; druflon@gmail.com; nkrishna@druflon.com