Many industries have exacting cleanliness requirements. Our proprietary ETFE 1020™ fluoropolymer coatings meet the specifications of the USP Class VI plastics test when extracted at 50°C for 72 hours with a 7-day implant.
ETFE 1020™ is an electrostatic coating grade of resin developed and produced at Fisher Company in cooperation with a world class fluoropolymer resin supplier. It is the only coating in its class to comply with the United States Pharmacopeia USP Class VI standards and was laboratory tested including our proprietary primer system. Our ETFE is inherently thermally stable requiring no halides or metal salts to prevent thermal degradation during processing and coating. These thermal stabilizers leach into high-purity water and chemical environments, compromising the intended use for which a high-purity coating was specified. In multiple tests performed by Fisher Company and our customers the ETFE 1020™ is the cleanest of any fluoropolymer coating tested. No one else has even been close.
We are able to use ETFE 1020™ to produce seamless, ultra-smooth coatings which allow pharmaceutical producers to work in a nonmetallic-contaminating environment superior to electropolished stainless steel for many applications. The ultra-smooth surface prevents biofilm accumulation and facilitates clean in place (CIP), and steam in place cleaning (SIP).
Polishing Bed
These polishing beds for producing deionized water have to be very clean and non-contaminating. The vessels are carbon steel and are fabricated by a number of approved fabricators throughout the United States. Following the vessel preparation and blasting the coating, up to 2mm in thickness is applied in successive applications in and out of the oven. We have among the largest oven capacity and spray booth of any fluoropolymer coater in North America. Often the process of generating DI water requires treatment of the polishing media inside these vessels to be exposed to either aggressive hydrochloric acid or caustic soda. The coating must withstand the chemical attack of both of these and maintain its high-purity. We invented high-purity coatings for polishing vessels almost twenty years ago.
Product Comparison: Butterfly Valve
Butterfly valves are used by the pharmaceutical industry to contain highly sensitive chemicals. It is imperative that the linings on the valves do not contaminate the chemicals that they contact.
Fisher Coated Valve
- 60 mils thick
- Good adhesion
- No pigments
- Non-permeable
- USP Class VI
Competing Valve
- 10 mils thick FEP
- Poor adhesion
- Chromium oxide pigments in primer and top coat
- Permeable
- Not USP Class VI