Fluor-TEP Technology
Fluor-TEP technology is a Piltec development resulting from a dedicated R & D programme. Control cable liners can now be manufactured from technicallly advanced fluorinated polymer compounds. Because of the exceptional characteristics of these materials special attention to their rheology was necessary involving customization of extruder screw and tool designs. These modifications enable us to maintain liner tolerances of 0.05mm on inner and outer diameters, a level of accuracy and consistency not easily achieved with thermosets such as PTFE. Fluor-TEP liners offer a significant reduction in cost compared to similar products manufactured from PTFE.
C-TEP liners In another development programme lasting almost 6 years we have now introduced C-TEP Liners, a new product featuring lateral corrugations on the internal surface of the liner with a smooth outer skin. The lateral corrugations result in a reduction in the area of contact with the core cable and, thereby, lower friction and sliding resistance. Another feature of the corrugated internal bore is that it provides reservoirs for lubricant in the voids between corrugations throughout the entire length of the cable - the smooth bore liners currently in use suffer from the problem of lubricant migration to the ends of the cable reducing service life and performance. Both of the unique characteristics of C-TEP liners, reduced sliding resistance and lubricant retention, ensure that the control cables have a longer and more reliable service life. Our investment in this technology has been protected by a patent application.
The exhaustive tests we have carried out on the C-TEP range of liners indicate that they closely match the performance of PTFE liners in terms of sliding resistance but have significantly better durability.
C-TEP liners are manufactured from specially formulated engineering polymer blends and fluorinated modifiers can be incorporated to further improve sliding resistance when this is considered necessary