December 2004
Chemplast Marc Etter achieve breakthrough in PTFE Thin Film Technology.
Have you ever tried to move a heavy piece of furniture, like a piano, over a wooden floor without breaking your back or scratching the floor? It's almost impossible. Now Chemplast Marc Etter have developed a technical solution.
The technology is called thin-film fluoropolymer and plastic composite moulding technology (TFFT). It allows nonstick plastics like PTFE - or Teflon as it is commonly known - to bond to other forms of plastic. "Bonding PTFE on to anything is difficult and labour-intensive," says Chemplast technical marketing manager Carolyn Kellock. "Our innovation makes it possible to bond melt-flow polymers to the face of PTFE during injection moulding. Because only a thin layer of PTFE is used on the contact surface it becomes possible to produce products cost-effectively.
Chemplast's technology means that PTFE can be used economically in applications that exploit its properties, which include its corrosion resistance and low friction, its nonstick nature and its ability to act as an electrical barrier.
One of the first product applications developed using the technology is Smooth-Move, a floor slide which allows heavy furniture or appliances to slide easily over a variety of floor surfaces without damaging the floor or the furniture. "The slide itself is not a new concept," says Kellock, "but the method of producing it makes it superior."
The technology and its application were recognised by judges as the winners in a new category to reward the "Most Outstanding Innovation for Women" which is sponsored by the national department of science & technology. According to Dr Shaidah Asmall, director of the science, gender & disability unit within the department, women make up 52% of the population, but the traditional, unisex approach to product and service design often neglects women's needs.
Chemplast Marc Etter has developed two types of slides: a carpet slide for moving appliances on hard surfaces such as tiles or wooden surfaces; and a composite PTFE slide for moving heavy appliances on carpet surfaces.