Polytetrafluoroethylene

“For over 20 years PTFE has been used as an implantable material for various conditions including vocal cord defects, arterial grafts, orthopaedic joint implants, and facial plastic surgery. More recently, advances in its manufacture have seen an increase in use of ePTFE in facial augmentation, either for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes. ePTFE is more commonly known by the brand names Gore-Tex® and SoftForm®.”[1] PFTE is not as hard as silicon and much less hard than TiN. PFTE molecules are ideally less than 100 microns in diameter during the coating process.

Coating Procedure Conventional coating of a substrate with PTFE involves the atomization of PFTE by infusing liquid PFTE with compressed air, forcing the liquid into tiny droplets which coat the surface of the substrate. [2] Electrostatic spray guns are used for this process.

References [1] [http://www.dermnetnz.org/procedures/polytetrafluoroethylene.html DermNet] [2] [http://www.fluoroprecision.co.uk/ptfe/ptfe-technical-information/ptfe-coating-process PFTE Coating Process]