What’s the Differences Between ETFE Film and PTFE Film?

ETFE’s chemical name is ethylene - tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, which is a fluorine containing polymer thermoplastic material, is artificial high strength fluoropolymer. ETFE film material has good durability, easy cleaning and stability, is a typical non-fabric film material, which is the most advanced film material in the world. PTFE sheet film’s chemical name is polytetrafluoroethylene, a kind of chemical inert material. Ptfe teflon film is based on glass fiber as the substrate. Ptfe thin film also has the advantages of excellent durability, ease of cleaning and stability.

 

The characteristics of PTFE membrane material

1. The biggest feature of quality PTFE membrane is high strength. The thickness of medium-strength PTFE membrane is only 0.8mm, but its tensile strength has reached the level of steel. Moreover, its elastic modulus is low, which is conducive to the formation of complex curved surfaces of the film material.

 

2. The use temperature range is wide, and it can be used in the temperature range of -70℃～230℃.

 

3. It has a high transmittance of 13%, a reflectivity of 73% to thermal energy, and a small amount of heat absorption.

 

4. Self-cleaning is good, the rain can wash off the surface of the attachment.

 

 

The characteristics of ETFE membrane material

"ETFE" is abbreviation for Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene. ETFE film has high tensile strength, impact strength and tear resistance. The thickness of ETFE film is usually 0.05 to 0.25 mm. As the thickness increases, the hardness of the film will increase, and at the same time it will be more brittle, increasing the difficulty of processing. The typical use of ETFE materials is to "weld" two or three layers of membrane material together and transport them to the site, then inflate them.

 

1. It is made of fluoroplastics, can also apply pretension as well as fabric membrane materials.

2. It can resist temperature change, can be directly exposed to -200℃ - 150℃ temperature.

 

3. The light transmittance of ETFE film can be up to 95%. The material does not block the transmission of ultraviolet light, so as to ensure the natural light inside the building. The semi-transparency of the material can be further reduced to 50% by surface printing

 

4. ETFE membrane is completely recyclable material, which can be reused to produce new membrane materials, or to produce other ETFE products after separating impurities.

 

In comparison, ETFE membrane has higher transmittance and better chemical resistance than expanded ptfe membrane, and can resist most acids and bases. ETFE film has strong resistance to natural aging and good processability and mechanical properties. Because ETFE film is directly made of plastic film, there is no substrate, so its tensile strength and tear resistance are not as good as PTFE sheet film. Besides, ETPE’s one-time investment is high, the maintenance costs a lot.