THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES OF RUBBER
Perfluoroelastomer, FFKM - known as the DuPont product Kalrez
The Rubber: |
First introduced to the market by DuPont under the name Kalrez. |
Resistance and properties: |
Has greater heat and chemical resistance and especially acid resistance than fluoroelastomer (up to +320 deg C). Poor machinability, extremely high price and high density (around 2.0), poor mechanical properties at high temperatures, poor resistance to low temperature (around -10 deg C). There are various types of FFKM offering better resistance to high temperatures (+260 to 320 deg C), or respectively better chemical resistance to for example amines or steam. Also resistant to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons, polar solvents (ketones, ethers and esters), organic and inorganic acids. DuPont is no longer the sole manufacturer of FFKM. Currently at least three other manufacturers of FFKM have been added. |
Downsides: |
Not resistant to fluorinated refrigerating agents and perfluorolubricants. |
Applications: |
Frequently used in the chemical and oil industries. |