Special Seals for painting technology
Application technology for paints, coatings, and adhesives is, in most cases, characterized by the handling of solvents. With the exception of highly fluorinated elastomers such as FKM (FPM, Viton®, Viton Extreme®, FFKM), all other rubber compounds consistently fail under these conditions. They swell, degrade, and often contain substances that interfere with paint wetting. Although a PTFE seal would be chemically resistant, its abrasion raises concerns that it may not be free of paint-wetting impairment substances (PWIS).
Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene is considered particularly suitable for sealing aggressive solvents, high-viscosity adhesives, and pigmented coatings, as its chemical structure provides virtually universal resistance to solvents. In addition, it offers high elastic recovery and exceptional wear resistance, even in its unfilled state. The high purity of PE 1000 also makes it a PWIS-free material.
In addition to UHMW-PE, PEEK, PVDF, and PTFE compounds are also used.
