Halar® 558 Solvay Specialty Polyethylene, Chlorotrifluoroethylene

Product Description

Halar 558 fluoropolymer is a resin grade for foam extrusion applications, including primary insulations, coaxialcable cores, cross-webs, fire alarm cable, jackets, and foam tubing. Like other grades of Halar resin, this grade of resin offers broad use temperature capability, from cryogenic temperatures to 150°C, and excellent chemical resistance to a wide variety of acids, bases and organic solvents. Cables incorporating Halar 558 have met the fire performance requirements called out in NFPA 90a ("Standard for Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems"). To meet these requirements they must pass NFPA 262 Standard Method of Test for Flame Travel and Smoke of Wire and Cables.

In addition Halar 558 resin has excellent mechanical properties even in thin walls. The resin melts at 242°C and has predominantly 1:1 alternating units of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene in its polymer chains.

Halar ECTFE can be machined on most standard metal working machines. Since heat may be generated due to the material's low thermal conductivity, coolants may be advisable to prevent softening of the part during machining.

General

Material Status

Commercial: Active

Availability

Africa & Middle East

Asia Pacific

Europe

North America

South America

Additive

Blowing Agent

Nucleating Agent

Processing Aid

Features

Acid Resistant

Base Resistant

Good Chemical Resistance

Nucleated

Solvent Resistant

Uses

Cable Jacketing

Electronic Insulation

Foam

Tubing

Agency Ratings

Forms

Pellets

Processing Method

Foam Extrusion

Physical	Nominal Value	Unit	Test Method
Specific Gravity			ASTM D792
Melt Mass-Flow Rate (MFR)		g/10 min	ASTM D3275
Water Absorption (Equilibrium)		%	ASTM D570
Thermal	Nominal Value	Unit	Test Method
Melting Temperature		°F	DSC
Flammability	Nominal Value	Unit	Test Method
Flame Rating - UL			UL 94
Oxygen Index (0.0630 in)		%	ASTM D2863
Additional Information
Color Master Batches In common with all other grades of Halar resins, Halar 558 can be easily pigmented with commercially available color concentrates. When coloring primary insulation with color concentrates it is highly recommended that the percentage used less than 1% by weight. This is due to the fact that color concentrates will affect the electrical properties of the primary insulation. Safe Handling and Use Processing of Halar 558 fluoropolymer at temperatures above 572°F (300°C) is not recommended. Thermal degradation can occur at significant rates. When degradation occurs Halar 558 liberated hydrochloric acid (HCL) and hydrofluoric acid (HF) which are irritating, corrosive, and toxic gases at relatively low concentrations. Please refer to the Safe Handling of Fluoropolymer Resins published by the Society of Plastics Industry. To avoid inhalation of decomposition products, it is recommended that adequate local ventilation in the form of hoods or flexible duct be utilized to remove extrusion fumes. If handled inappropriately Halar 558 may release harmful toxic chemicals.
Related Terminology
Product names can be difficult to match. You may have searched any one of these terms to find this product: Halar® 558, Halar 558, Halar® , Halar, Halar558, 558, Polyethylene, Chlorotrifluoroethylene, Polyethylene Chlorotrifluoroethylene, ECTFE, Polyethylene, PE, Solvay Specialty, PolyethyleneChlorotrifluoroethylene
Features
Features may also be described by the following terms: Good Chemical Resistance, Chemical Resistant.
Uses
Uses may also be described by the following terms: Electronic Insulation, Tubing, Tube.
Agency Ratings
This plastic material has 2 certifications from the following agencies (the number in parentheses shows the number of certifications for that agency): NFPA (1), UL (1).

Extrusion	Nominal Value	Unit
Cylinder Zone 1 Temp.		°F
Cylinder Zone 2 Temp.		°F
Cylinder Zone 3 Temp.		°F
Cylinder Zone 4 Temp.		°F
Flange Temperature
Flange 1		°F
Flange 2		°F
Throat Temperature		°F
Crosshead Temperature		°F
Die Holder Temperature		°F
Die Temperature		°F
Extrusion Notes
Halar 558 resin is a completely pre-compounded fluoropolymer which contains a nucleating agent, a chemical blowing agent that decomposes when the resin is extruded and a processing aid. There is no need to inject nitrogen gas into the system. The closed cell voids may be controlled from 0-70% by adjusting processing conditions such as melt temperature, head pressure and quench rates. If it is desired to reduce void content through reduction of blowing agent Halar 558 may be blended with Halar 500. Halar 558 has been processed successfully with a number of different screw designs including a standard fluoropolymer design, with or without a pineapple mixing head including 3:1 compression ratio with 12/5/9 flights of feed/transition/compression respectively. Specific screws to avoid are rapid (1-2 flight) transition and Maddox mixing head designs. Equipment/Tooling Recommendations Extruder Size: 1in to 2.5in Extruder L/D: 24:1 Screens: 40 / 60 Crosshead Type: Fixed or Adjustable Cone Length: 0.25in to 0.75in Line Speed: Up to 1700 fpm Tooling Set: Pressure Blow Up Ratio: 1.75 to 2.75

Notes

¹Typical properties: these are not to be construed as specifications.

Halar® 558

Chlorotrifluoroethylene Polyethylene

Supplied by Solvay Specialty Polymers