Rulon (plastic)


Rulon is the trade name for a family of PTFE plastics produced by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. Rulon plastics are known for their low coefficient of friction, excellent abrasion resistance, wide range of operating temperatures, and chemical inertness. Common applications for Rulon include seals, piston rings, bearings, and electrical insulation.

History

Rulon, not to be confused with Mulon, was produced by Dixon Industries Corporation in 1952 and named after its then President, Robert Rulon-Miller. This first type of Rulon was dubbed "Rulon A". Dixon was then bought by the Furon company. Furon was purchased by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.

Properties and types

There are many different types of Rulon produced for specific applications. These include:
Rulon A has a 1000 fold increase in wear resistance as compared to PTFE. However, it machines much like PTFE. It can also be moulded, extruded, skived, stamped, and hot and cold formed. Below is a table of properties pertaining to Rulon AR, but note that the other types of Rulon have similar properties.
PropertiesTest procedure usedUnits Value
Specific gravityASTM D792n/a2.22
HardnessASTM D2240Shore D60 - 75
Water absorptionASTM D570%0
Tensile strengthASTM D4894psi 2,000
ElongationASTM D4894%175
Deformation under load 1500 psi, 24 hr, RTASTM D621%5.0
Izod impact strengthn/aft-lb/in 6.0
Thermal conductivityASTM D2214BTU·in/ 2.3
Operating temperature rangen/a°F -400 to 550
FlammabilityASTM D635in/min non-flammable
Maximum pressure n/apsi 1,000
Maximum velocity with no pressure n/aft/min 400
Maximum PVn/apsi x ft/min 10,000
Minimum mating surface hardnessn/aRC35