🍳How it is made

01 Feedstock

Ore, monomer, fibre, mineral or scrap that can legally become PTFE.

02 Conversion

DuPont 1938 Plunkett

03 Forming

Cast, spin, weave, sinter, foam, laminate or coat — the step that sets anisotropy.

04 Heat / cure

Temper, vulcanise, calcine or dry: skip it and the datasheet is fiction.

05 Finish

Coatings, sizings, facers, galvanizing, anodising, painting.

06 Install

Fasteners, adhesives, DFT, compression, dryness — site quality is a material property.

Primary

Virgin route around United States.

Recycled / secondary

Recycling exists but quality or energy often disappoints.

Specialty

High-spec grades leave the commodity mill.

Site-applied

Coatings, sprays, casts — the factory is sometimes a jobsite.

PTFE process path

Feedstock to installed product.

1. Feed — in
2. Convert — mill
3. Form — shape
4. Finish — coat
5. Install — out
6. Spec — code
7. Scrap loop — rec

PTFE heat & fire

Energy in, class out.

1. Heat — in
2. PTFE — mat
3. λ / char — out
4. Ignition — fire
5. Euroclass — class
6. Assembly — sys

Envelope

Melting/softening ~327 °C; conductivity ~0.25 W/m·K.

Environment

Moisture, UV, chlorides, alkalis or oxygen — pick the one that actually kills PTFE.

Code

Fire class high OI but pyrolysis fumes is a starting letter, not a wall rating.