This is the fourth and final part of our blog series covering the plastics our engineers and technicians work with in the MultiSource Manufacturing LLC network. Parts 1-3 cover CPVC, PVC, and polypropylene. In this final section, we’ll talk about perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA), including its properties and uses in the industrial world.

Plastic fabrication is a heavily used process for a broad range of industries, and our manufacturing technicians are capable of performing multiple operations, including welding, bending, and forming. Quality plastic fabrication results require skill and precision because the process often involves a high level of understanding of the chemical reactions that happen when heat and pressure are applied to any given type of plastic. At MultiSource Manufacturing, our plastic fabrication processes are high quality, precise, and utilize comprehensive operational capabilities.

As one of the primary plastics we use in fabrication processes, PFA is a hardy polymer. Because of its extremely high resistance to harsh chemicals, PFA is an ideal plastic to use in a broad range of industrial and commercial settings.

Properties: PFA has a smaller chain length on a molecular level than many other fluoropolymers. This, in addition to an oxygen atom at its branches, make it more translucent with greater thermal stability (effective in a range of -200ºC to 260ºC). Because of this, PFA is resistant to thermal, chemical, and physical stresses. With strong stability at high temperatures, PFA has crack and stress resistance with a low coefficient of friction. PFA is also UV resistant, has antistick properties, and is molecularly stable, even when exposed to almost all other chemicals. PFA is a strong plastic that resists chemical exposure, temperature changes, and repeated bending better than almost any other fluoropolymer.

Uses: Because of its resistance to chemicals, temperature changes, and physical stresses, PFA is typically used in piping, tubing, and as the lining in vessels that will carry caustic chemicals. Medical and laboratory-grade tubing is commonly made with PFA. PFA is also key in fabricating various fittings and lining in components used in corrosive settings such as heat exchangers, valve liners, baskets for semiconductors, nozzles, insulator brushes, pumps, and electrical insulation. PFA is often used in fabricating gas scrubbers and reactors, as well as many areas in crude gas, coal, nuclear, and other types of industrial power plants. On geochemical or environmental analytical chemistry field sites, PFA is often used in sampling equipment as an inert material to help avoid trace levels of metallic ion contamination. MultiSource technicians use PFA in a broad range of applications, from the manufacturing of medical devices to semiconductor components.

To learn more about our uses of PFA, CPVC, PVC, and polypropylene in plastic fabrication processes, contact MultiSource Manufacturing LLC at (952) 456-5500. Request more information, or request a quote to get started with us today.