Sumitomo Electric Industries Co., Ltd. has developed "Cross-linked fluororesin FEX tape" (FEX tape), which has about 1,000 times the abrasion resistance of conventional fluororesin (PTFE*-1) tapes. After the sample shipment is scheduled to start in December 2021, sales will begin in April 2022.

Fluoro Ethylene Crosslinking FEX*-2 (Fluoro Ethylene Crosslinking) was developed by Sumitomo Electric in 2012 by making full use of the two key technologies of fluorine processing technology and electron beam irradiation technology. *-3 Utilizing its characteristics, for example, the wear resistance of FEX is 1,000 times that of traditional PTFE, which enhances adhesion to the substrate and improves durability. FEX has been used to coat various products beyond the application range of traditional fluororesin. , Such as automobiles, office equipment,

Semiconductor and medical products since its release.

As a new product form of FEX, our company has developed FEX tape. Users can easily take advantage of FEX's high abrasion resistance by simply sticking it on an object, and are ready for mass production.

The equipment uses FEX tape without frequent replacement of parts and tapes. Because of wear and peeling, this product is expected to bring various advantages over traditional fluororesin tapes, such as extending service life and reducing equipment maintenance frequency, improving processability, and Prevent equipment scratches. In addition, the product has excellent slip and abrasion resistance, helps reduce load, and is therefore not harmful to the environment.

They are equipment and wear debris.

FEX tape cross-linked fluorine resin FEX tape

In order to reduce the burden on the environment, there is an increasing need for tape products with more functions. FEX tape can be widely and effectively used as a substitute for traditional fluororesin tape. Although Sumitomo Electric expects annual sales in 2023 to be approximately 100 million yen, due to the increasing environmental requirements of today's society, it is expected that FEX tape will have more and more useful applications. Sumitomo Electric will continue to support manufacturing industries around the world to meet social needs with its unique materials and application development technologies through the following methods.

PTFE stands for polytetrafluoroethylene, a linear polymer of fluorine (F) and carbon. Due to the strong and stable bonding force between C and F, it has very high slip (the lowest level of friction among solids), non-stickiness, heat resistance, chemical resistance and weather resistance. In addition, because its electronegativity and polarity are the lowest among macromolecules, it is difficult for foreign molecules to attach, and the bonding between fluorine molecules is weak and easy to wear.

The cross-linked fluororesin FEX cross-links PTFE (see *3) to overcome the weakness described in *1, while maintaining the original excellent performance, and its wear resistance has been increased by about 1,000 times.

A technique for irradiating polymer materials with electron beams. Sumitomo Electric introduced Japan's first commercial electron beam accelerator in 1964, and began production and sales of heat-shrinkable tubes "SUMITUBE", heat-resistant tubes "IRRAX TUBE" and modified engineering plastics "TERALINK". This time, by irradiating PTFE with an electron beam under special conditions to produce a cross-linking reaction, a "bridge" is formed between the molecular chains and a very strong covalent bond is formed. Therefore, various properties, such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, and abrasion resistance, have been improved.

(C) 2021 electronic news publication, source ENP Newswire