Flupol’s range comprehensively covers the different customer needs for non stick coatings, from sweet and sour food dough processing, to foul reducing in chemical processing.
The nature of non-stick behavior is related to the surface-energy difference between two different materials and to their chemical reactivity. A low surface-energy surface cannot be wet by any substance of higher surface-energy. Fluoropolymers are among the lowest surface energy materials known as well as the most non-reactive, and this explains their reluctance in being wet by other substances.
In service conditions however, the surface energy of a given substance is changed and further considerations have to be considered in coating engineering. When a low surface energy coating presents pin-holes, cracks, or even a microporous structure, its non-stick properties are bound to be reduced. The contacting materials accumulate in said crevices and provide mechanical anchorage leading to premature failure of non-stick behavior, or even delamination. These defects can be avoided by skilled applicators.
Despite all the fluoropolymers’ amazing properties, they have a well recognized weakness when used in pure form, which is they poor resistance to abrasion. Carefully selected reinforcing agents are typically used to allow extended durability without hampering low surface energy.
An engineered non-stick coating must provide all the benefits of low surface-energy materials, combined with exceptional service life, which demands knowledge in chemistry and industrial processing.
