BESPOKE FABRICATIONS

FEP & PFA liners

Adtech manufactures custom FEP and PFA liner tubes and sleeves for applications requiring a chemically resistant, low-friction barrier between the process medium and the surrounding component or assembly.

Liners can be supplied as non-shrinkable tubing, manufactured as heat-shrinkable sleeves for application over process mandrels, or applied by Adtech inside suitable customer components.

Available in a wide range of diameters, including large custom sizes manufactured from fluoropolymer sheet, liners can be supplied for applications including chemical and fluid transfer, pharmaceutical and food processing, and pressure vessel component manufacture.

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Why Use an FEP or PFA Liner?

FEP and PFA liners provide a thin fluoropolymer barrier while allowing the surrounding component to provide the structural strength required by the application.

Their combination of chemical resistance, smooth surface properties and flexibility makes them suitable for use within hoses, pipework and other components where the process medium needs to be isolated from the outer material.

Depending on the application, key properties can include:

Excellent resistance to a wide range of aggressive chemicals
Smooth, low-friction internal surfaces
Non-stick characteristics that can help reduce material build-up
High levels of purity
Flexibility for use within hoses and formed assemblies
Availability in FDA-compliant raw polymer grades where required

Material selection between FEP and PFA will depend on the operating conditions and specification of the application.

Non-Shrinkable FEP & PFA Liners

Adtech can manufacture custom non-shrinkable FEP and PFA liner tubes for integration into hose assemblies and other lined components.

Extruded tubing is available in a wide range of sizes with internal diameters up to approximately 113 mm.

Where larger diameters are required, custom liners can be manufactured from fluoropolymer sheet, allowing us to produce diameters from approximately 170 mm to 1,000 mm and above.

Large-diameter sleeves are manufactured using butt fusion welding to form the sheet into the required tubular profile.

A typical liner thickness is 0.5 mm, although requirements can be reviewed according to the application.

Heat-Shrinkable FEP & PFA Liners

Where the liner needs to be fitted over a process mandrel during manufacture, Adtech can also produce heat-shrinkable FEP and PFA sleeves.

These can be designed with a relatively small recovery ratio, allowing the liner to be positioned over the mandrel before recovering closely to the required diameter.

Extruded heat-shrinkable tubing can be manufactured with expanded internal diameters up to approximately 160 mm.

For larger requirements, heat-shrinkable liners can also be manufactured from welded fluoropolymer sheet in diameters from approximately 170 mm to 1,000 mm and above.

As with non-shrinkable liners, a typical material thickness is 0.5 mm.

When Would You Choose a Welded Sleeve?

Welded FEP and PFA sleeves are used where the diameter required is larger than can practically be produced by conventional tube extrusion.

They are manufactured from fluoropolymer sheet, which is formed into the required tubular shape and joined using butt fusion welding to create a continuous large-diameter liner.

This approach is suited to bespoke applications such as lined pipework, process equipment and pressure vessel components where standard extruded tubing is not available in the required size. Where bonding to the surrounding material is needed, the outside surface can also be chemically etched.

Chemical Etching for Bonding

Where the liner needs to bond to an outer material, Adtech can chemically etch the outside diameter of FEP and PFA liner tubes and sleeves.

Untreated fluoropolymers have naturally low surface energy, which makes conventional bonding difficult. Chemical etching modifies the outer surface so that suitable adhesives or bonding systems can achieve greater adhesion.

The internal surface remains untreated, retaining the smooth, chemically resistant fluoropolymer surface required for contact with the process medium.

Etching can be incorporated into the liner manufacturing process where the final component design requires bonding between the fluoropolymer liner and its surrounding material.

FEP & PFA Lining of Custom Components

Adtech can also apply fluoropolymer linings directly inside suitable customer components.

Using appropriately sized FEP or PFA tubing from our existing range, the liner can be fitted within the component to provide a fluoropolymer contact surface without requiring the complete component to be manufactured from FEP or PFA.

This can be useful where the outer component provides the mechanical or structural properties required by the design, while the liner provides the chemical resistance, purity or surface characteristics needed where the component comes into contact with the process medium.

Our team can review the component geometry, material and operating requirements to determine whether an internally applied fluoropolymer liner is suitable.

FEP & PFA Liner Sizes and Options

Our liner manufacturing capabilities include:

Non-shrinkable extruded liners: internal diameters up to approximately 113 mm
Heat-shrinkable extruded liners: expanded internal diameters up to approximately 160 mm
Large-diameter welded liners: approximately 170 mm to 1,000 mm+
Typical material thickness: 0.5 mm
Materials: FEP and PFA
Optional OD chemical etching for applications requiring bonding
FDA-compliant raw polymer grades available where required
Non-shrinkable and heat-shrinkable constructions
Custom component lining using suitable stock tubing

Exact dimensions, tolerances and material selection will depend on the finished application.

Typical Applications

FEP and PFA liner tubes and sleeves can be incorporated into a range of equipment and assemblies where the process medium needs to be isolated from the surrounding structural material.

Typical applications include:

Chemical and aggressive fluid transfer
Industrial hose assemblies
Pressure vessel components
Pharmaceutical processing equipment
Food processing lines
High-purity fluid handling
Custom lined pipework and component assemblies

Adtech supplies the fluoropolymer liner as part of the wider manufacturing process, working with component, hose and equipment manufacturers that require an FEP or PFA contact surface within their finished assembly.

Custom FEP & PFA Liners

Liner requirements vary considerably according to diameter, component geometry, operating environment and the way the liner will be incorporated into the finished assembly.

Our team can work from drawings, component dimensions or an existing application to determine the most appropriate material, diameter, construction method and whether options such as heat recovery or chemical etching are required.

For a new FEP or PFA lining requirement, send us your specification or drawing and our technical team can assess the most appropriate manufacturing route.