This was an excellent question from a customer wondering how long they could store non-etched Rulon materials.

Rulon and PTFE Shelf Life: Key Factors

When handled and stored properly, Rulon has an unlimited shelf life. But when the material is etched, the answer is not quite as simple.

When stored in normal warehouse conditions, all PTFE and Rulon materials have an unlimited shelf life. In fact, a common industry joke is that, at 85 years and counting, PTFE has “not been around long enough” to determine how long it will last! 

But etched-PTFE and Rulon are a different story. The etching process involves reducing the surface lubricity of the polymer in order to bond it to another material. For best results, etched materials must be stored in a black, UV-blocking bag or else the etch will degrade at about six months. The UV bag also protects Rulon materials from damaging ozone and heat exposure, which is common to a warehouse environment. With this protection, etched materials can last a year.

Rulon/Ptfe Degradation: How Can I Tell If My Material Is Degrading?

To determine if your PTFE/Rulon material has degraded, we recommend two methods:

• Look at the color ― if it has faded to a light brown/tan or has a marbled look, it is no longer a viable manufacturing material.
• Try a droplet test – add a drop of water and if it rolls around in a ball the material is now hydrophobic and the etch has been lost. If it disperses, than the etch is still hydrophilic and the material is good to go!

Still not sure about the shelf-life of your stored Rulon materials? Need a second opinion? Just connect with the official Rulon experts!

Rulon and PTFE have key advantages over traditional materials in a broad array of applications like bearings. You can learn about these advantages (like self-lubrication and friction coefficients) on our Bearings 101 page.

Rulon 142 is an excellent material for high load, high speed linear guideway liners for machine tools.

Commonly used as an inexpensive insurance policy to possible lube failures on machines, Rulon 142 is bonded to the dynamic component on the X-Y-Z tables of some of the world's leading machinery builders.

Rulon 142 is also an excellent material for rebuilding machine tools where the efficiency and tolerances have been lost over time.

Easy to install using CE211 or CE211FC adhesives available from stock. Rulon 142 is commonly used as an cost effective alternate to Turcite B and is fabricated using the same techniques.

For more information, visit our Rulon 142 web page and be sure to check out our Shooting Star Archives for a number of articles on Rulon and more!

Rugged Rulon 1337 for slide pads and rolling element retainers

When a major manufacturer of vacuum chambers required a self-lubricating bearing to replace their failing metal components, we knew Rulon® bearings would fit the bill. Our Engineering Experts took a site visit to the client, and recommended Rulon 1337; a material that is comprised solely of FDA-compliant materials, and offers durability and extended service with most mating surfaces. 

Our client’s vacuum chambers are used in a range of applications from food processing to industrial testing. The systems remove air and gases via a suction pump, which, over time, can impact the structural integrity of chamber components. Rugged Rulon 1337 plastic bearings have promoted superior performance in two areas of this demanding application:

Slide pads provide superior support and service

Vacuum chamber bearings are generally constructed of stainless steel or bronze, which many designers mistakenly believe are superior materials. But Rulon 1337 bearings provide the rigid support and load capacity to excel as slide pads in X, Y, Z linear slides, and they rarely need replacement. Since switching to Rulon, our client notes the bearings have provided longer service in this low-pressure environment. 

Rolling element retainers have self-lubricating design

Our client also needed replacement retainers for their rolling element bearings, with a key requirement for maintenance-free service. Rulon 1337 has delivered again, as it features a self-lubricating design, compatibility with most mating surfaces plus good friction and thermal properties. With exceptional resistance to deformation plus solid construction, Rulon 1337 has solved these vacuum chamber challenges! 

Is Rulon 1337 the right choice for your application? Check out our Rulon Materials Comparison Chart to review exact specifications, or explore new applications in our Rulon Technical White Papers. 

Did you know that TriStar also offers Surface Modification of plastics via vacuum plasma? You can learn more by completing an Application Worksheet. 

You’ve identified the ideal Rulon formula for your application, and now need some advice on achieving the best machining technique to fit your application.Before you start experimenting, here are some of the most-common machining methods.

Rulon can be finished by using the following techniques:

• Cutting
• Sawing
• Centerless Grinding
• Tapping and Threading
• Reaming
• Turning and Machining
• Screw Machining
• Etching

SURFACE SPEED (F.P.M.): 400 for RULON®

As a rule, we recommend a machining surface speed (F.P.M) of 400. A feed rate of .004 to .006 in. per revolution is ideal when working with stock of 0.125 in. diameter or smaller; the bar will have to be supported during forming either through a center hole or on the side opposite the tool. Very small diameter pieces may require a much larger diameter ground rod to form the required diameter just prior to cut-off. Keep in mind that standard screw machines generally limit bar length to 12’.

For more on machining plastics, check out our machinining slide presentation or grab our free machining white paper. 

We can also help you alter the surface of your material to improve adhesion properties of paint or other coatings. Learn more about the advantages of Surface Modification.

I recently had a call about Fluoroloy H from one of our engineering partners. Fluoroloy H is also known as Rulon H, and is one of the leading PTFE-filled products in terms of electrical properties.

The material is a unique combination of both ceramics and PTFE, and was originally developed for UHF heat-sinking applications. It gives a slightly-better dielectric constant compared to standard Teflon, and has about 8x the thermal conductivity of virgin PTFE. It is easy to machine and is available in rod, sheet and tape.

Fluoroloy has high insulative properties, and is widely used in the microwave industry as an alternative to virgin and glass-filled PTFE.

Did you know there are over 300 varieties of Rulon? Download your free copy of our Rulon Whitepaper to learn more about the most-common formulas.

With over 300 different types of Rulon available, this is a question that we hear quite often.  TriStar is the official North American distributor of Rulon, so we have the in-house experts to help you identify and source the right material for your application.

View our video to learn about identifying the three most commonly-used Rulon materials, or download our Rulon white paper now for more information.  At TriStar, we realize the best performance begins with the right material selection.