Cable Components Group, LLC

Kenneth R Boyle

Charles A Glew

Bradley Lane Kent

Jeffrey A Hrivnak

Charles A Cable Components Group Llc Glew

The present invention relates generally to a method for manufacturing a foamed article, which comprises providing a composition comprising a melt-processable perfluoropolymer and talc, said perfluoropolymer comprising at least 50 percent by weight of said composition and said talc comprising about 2 percent to 3 percent by weight of said composition; wherein said melt-processable perfluoropolymer is selected from the group consisting of tetrafluoroethylent/perfluoromethylvinyl ether copolymer (MFA), hexafluoropropylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (FEP), and perfluroralkoxy (PFA) and any blend thereof. The composition is heated to a processing temperature of at least 600&#xb0; F. at which talc functions as a foaming agent, thereby causing the foaming of said composition at a foaming rate in a range from 20% to 50% so as to form a foamed article. The talc is the only foaming agent in said composition and the foaming is achieved without gas injection. Further, hydrogen-containing fluoropolymers are absent from the composition.

Compositions for compounding, extrusion and melt processing of foamable and cellular fluoropolymers

The present invention relates generally to the use of talc as a chemical foaming agent in perfluoropolymers to form foamable and foamed compositions. For example, in one aspect, a foamable composition is disclosed, which comprises (i) one or more base perfluoropolymers comprising at least 50 percent by weight of the composition, and (ii) talc blended with the one or more base perfluoropolymers, where the talc comprises 3 percent to about 15 percent by weight of the composition. Each of the perfluoropolymers is selected from the group consisting of tetrafluoroethylene/perfluoromethylvinyl ether copolymer (MFA), hexafluoropropylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (FEP) and perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) and any blend thereof, where hydrogen-containing fluoropolymers are absent from the composition. The one or more base perfluoropolymers are melt-processable at one or more elevated processing temperatures of at least about 600&#xb0; F. at which the talc functions as a chemical foaming agent for extrusion or mold processing of the composition into a foamed article having uniform cell structures.

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Freehold, NJ, United States of America

Kenneth R Boyle