1938
Plunkett cylinder
Frozen TFE polymerised spontaneously in a DuPont cylinder.
Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.
- Plunkett cylinder
- Manhattan seals
- Teflon trademark
- Green pan lore
- Gore-Tex ePTFE
- Thread seal tape
- PFOA debate
- GenX / alternatives
- Medical ePTFE
- PFAS umbrella
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength22
Heat resistance74
Fire performance58
Insulation32
Workability35
Circularity24
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is PTFE non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: high OI but pyrolysis fumes. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does PTFE insulate?
Thermal mark 32/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~0.25 W/m·K.
What is the density band?
~2.2 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: DuPont 1938 Plunkett (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 24/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
~327 °C
heat 74 · fire 58
PTFE did not arrive as a finished commodity. DuPont 1938 Plunkett around United States still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
DuPont 1938 PlunkettUnited States
Timeline
1938Plunkett cylinder
Frozen TFE polymerised spontaneously in a DuPont cylinder.
1940sManhattan seals
UF6-resistant gaskets.
1945Teflon trademark
Civilian brand after the war.
1960sGreen pan lore
Consumer non-stick; overheating warnings later.
1969Gore-Tex ePTFE
Bob Gore expanded PTFE into breathable membranes.
1970sThread seal tape
Plumber’s PTFE tape.
1990sPFOA debate
Processing aids, not the polymer backbone, drove much regulation.
2000sGenX / alternatives
Fluorochemical aid substitutions.
2010sMedical ePTFE
Grafts and patches.
2020sPFAS umbrella
PTFE sits inside a wider policy fight.
The eras
1945
Teflon trademark
Civilian brand after the war.
1969
Gore-Tex ePTFE
Bob Gore expanded PTFE into breathable membranes.
1990s
PFOA debate
Processing aids, not the polymer backbone, drove much regulation.
2010s
Medical ePTFE
Grafts and patches.
Milestones
Green pan lore
1960sConsumer non-stick; overheating warnings later.
PFOA debate
1990sProcessing aids, not the polymer backbone, drove much regulation.
PFAS umbrella
2020sPTFE sits inside a wider policy fight.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating PTFE as timeless.
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