Stern and Stern Inc.

Teflon^® PTFE fiber is quite suitable for weaving into virtually any pattern imaginable.
The physical properties of Teflon^® PTFE fiber are superior to the properties of a PTFE film, yet a fabric woven of Teflon^® PTFE fibers can be processed to simulate the surface texture of a PTFE film.
Remarkably, despite the non-stick reputation of Teflon^® polymer, certain fabrics woven of Teflon^® PTFE fiber can be bonded to any material using common resins or glues, if suitably designed. Yet it will retain the same non-stick, non-slipstick properties that you expect from Teflon^® polymer.
Fabrics woven of Teflon^® PTFE fiber exhibit none of the cold-flow problems of PTFE films, so they are more stable under extremes of heat and pressure.
A fabric woven of Teflon^® PTFE fiber exhibits higher tensile strength and abrasion resistance than a comparable PTFE film. Moreover, a fabric woven of Teflon^® fiber also exhibits greater chemical and steam resistance than PTFE films.

Self-lubricating bearings incorporate fabric woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber. Such bearing fabrics were first developed and woven by Stern & Stern Industries beginning in the 1950's. Both the static and dynamic coefficients of friction of fabrics woven of 100% Teflon® PTFE fiber are virtually identical, allowing for the elimination of “stick-slip” behavior in self-lubrication bearing applications. Because Teflon® PTFE fibers are processed to a higher degree of molecular orientation than their resin counterparts, the stress-strain properties and resistance to cold flow of fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber are markedly improved over those of PTFE films. Fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber in resin-impregnated or composite bearings are very stable, quiet, and reliable. Because they require no lubrication, they do not contribute to equipment contamination and require less maintenance. Bearings incorporating fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber are commonly used in aerospace and automotive applications, office machines, and off-road equipment.

Fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fluorocarbon fiber are the most chemically resistant of fabrics available across a wide range of chemicals and temperatures. The only known solvents for fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE are perfluorinated organic liquids at temperatures above 570°F (292°C). Fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber not only are virtually chemically inert, but also have thermal properties that permit their use at both high and low temperatures that destroy any other organic fiber based fabric. Adequate toughness and strength are available with fabrics woven of Teflon® PTFE fiber for selected uses at temperatures as low as -450°F (-268°C) and as high as 550°F (288°C).

Fabrics woven of Teflon^® PTFE fiber are also used in electrical cabling because they are excellent electrical insulators. The dielectric constant of fabrics woven of Teflon^® PTFE fiber is 2.1 up to 1 MHz, peak dissipation factor is <0.0004 at 109 Hz, and the dielectric strength is 2 kV/mil (0.8 MV/cm) for a fabric of 10 mil (0.25 mm) thickness.

^® Teflon is a registered trademark of E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company and is used under license by Stern & Stern Industries Inc.