Fluid Management
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Fluid Management
For more than 50 years, Zeus has been perfecting our processes and innovative strategies that have made us a global leader in polymer extrusion. This expertise allows us to meet every benchmark of the critical fluid handling industry – from resins and extrusions, purity and quality standards, to technical support and supply security.
Zeus has a portfolio of proven high-purity extrusions specifically for handling highly caustic, corrosive, and sensitive fluids. Our polymer extrusions solutions are tested in advanced analytical laboratories, and production takes place in highly controlled environments. Zeus is ISO certified, and we also offer Class 7 clean room packaging. We are committed to being an innovative collaborative partner with the capability and capacity that our customers demand.
Selected Examples From Zeus Critical Fluid Handling Portfolio
PFA High Purity (HP) Tubing
This tubing offers excellent chemical resistance and surface smoothness. This product is extruded in a controlled environment and meets SEMI F57 standards for purity. The unique molecular structure of PFA HP resin reduces metallic extractables and protects against micro contamination. HP PFA possesses low gas permeability and can be laser marked or striped for identification; this tubing also retains its mechanical strength at high temperatures.
FEP Tubing
Like HP PFA, FEP tubing provides good chemical resistance and has low vapor permeability. FEP is thermoformable with excellent UV transmission and temperature resistance. Applications where FEP tubing is chosen usually require more clarity, flexibility, or a lower heat shrinkable temperature than other fluoropolymers possess.
PEEK Tubing
PEEK is a high performance engineered polymer with amazing strength and heat resistant properties. Thus, PEEK is also an excellent option for applications requiring high burst pressures. These properties together with its superior chemical resistance have made PEEK the gold standard for HPLC analytical science applications. PEEK is also an excellent replacement for stainless steel.
Double Containment Tubing
Double Containment tubing is a product of choice in semiconductor, critical fluid, and other industries requiring low levels of chemical extractables and high continuous service temperatures. Industry Standard Double Containment tubing, also called Dual Containment tubing, has an inner tube of High Purity PFA for transfer of harsh chemicals and an outer tube of FEP as a containment safeguard against hazardous leaks. Double Containment provides the same chemical resistance, mechanical properties, and surface smoothness that PFA HP and FEP are known for combined in a single tubing.
Knowing that demand fluctuates and customers often adjust lead times, Zeus maintains an extensive inventory of extrusions in standard lengths and diameters. This allows us to fill many orders on demand. Finished extrusions are packaged in heat-sealed single or double polybags. Straight lengths are shipped in secure crush-resistant capped tubes. We also offer laser identification to notate lot numbers, dimensions, and other critical information to assist in maintaining product integrity and accountability.
To learn more about how Zeus polymer solutions for fluid management can help you, contact us or call 1-800-526-3842 toll-free in the US. Internationally, please call us at +1-803-268-9500.
- APPLICATIONS
Clear and Highly Flexible Options – Where fluid visualization and the ability to manipulate your tubing into tight spaces or around crowded instrumentation is important, Zeus produces multiple tubing types and styles to match your specific need.
Hazardous Leak Prevention – Working with toxic, noxious, or other potentially unsafe chemicals requires additional precautions which minimize exposure and focus on containment. Zeus offers a dual containment low permeability tubing ideally suited for this need. This tubing is composed of an inner mechanically strong and highly chemically resistant tube surrounded by an outer tube that is highly thermo-resistant with an extremely low absorption of solvents.
High Burst Pressure and Tensile Strength Requirements – For added protection from fluid system failure, Zeus offers high-performance engineered polymers with specific advantages to guard against tubing fatigue, degradation, impacts, and high temperatures. In many cases, our polymer tubings are an excellent replacement for other material such as aluminum, steel, glass, and even other polymers.
High Continuous Service Temperatures – Where high temperatures are your primary concern, we provide highly lubricious and chemically resistant tubing capable of sustained operating temperatures of 500° F (260 °C).
High-Purity Requirements – For sensitive processes that demand minimal exposure to contaminants and a high degree of environmental integrity, Zeus provides multiple fluid transfer options based on your specific application.
High Surface Smoothness – For maximum lubricity and minimum surface friction, Zeus provides tubing that also excels where elevated operating temperatures and chemical resistance are required. These tubings are likewise an attractive option because they exhibit superior strength.
HPLC Analytical Science – For sophisticated chromatography applications, your system’s flow path is of critical importance. We provide tubing that can stand up to the pressures, temperatures, and chemical exposures for your application and help move your science forward.
Minimal or No Chemical Reactivity – Beyond merely transferring fluids for purposes such as heating and cooling or direct interface for manufacturing and analyses, many fluid transfer components can slowly degrade over time due to their continual interaction with the fluids that they carry. To fill this critical function, we provide a diverse span of chemically resistant and chemically inert tubing options.
Thermoformable Applications – For some uses, ordinary over-the-counter tubing simply is not adequate for your equipment or instrumentation due to confined spaces, difficult corner bends, inflexibility of the tubing, or difficult change-out or replacement procedures. Zeus thermoformable tubing allows you to custom-create a rigid or flexible fluid carrying route for the exact space and configuration you need. Our thermoformable products are also a good solution when requiring retractable hoses (such as for air-fed hoses for pneumatic production tools).
Semiconductor Manufacturing – Production of semiconductors, also called integrated circuits (IC’s) or “chips”, is an extensive multi-step process requiring superior purity and temperature endurance properties for critical fluid transfer tubing. Zeus extrudes resins specialized for this area which also meet SEMI F-57 specifications.
- PRODUCTS
Co-Extrusions – Zeus commonly manufacturers co-extruded tubing containing two or three (tri-extrusion) different layers. Tailored to your specific needs, co-extrusions allow the manipulation of properties such as gas or fluid permeability, flexibility, different conductive layers, chemical resistance, lubricity of inside and outside diameters, mechanical requirements, and even cost reduction.
Convoluted Tubing – Zeus convoluted tubing offers low friction, abrasion protection, flexibility, and is manufactured to Military Specifications (MIL SPEC) AS81914 variants 1-6, also known as product callout M81914, in both standard and extra flex convoluted options. Custom sizes and configurations are also available in a variety of resins.
Custom Extrusions – If we do not make what you need already, we can. We specialize in extruding customized tubing and special profiles. Tubing variations are boundless with a wide variety of additives and secondary services available. Extrusion specifications can include special resins, straightness, certification and testing, packaging, cutting, etching, inspection protocols, and much more.
Double Containment Tubing – In addition to our state-of-the-art conventional tubing, Zeus offers Industry Standard Double Containment tubing (also called Dual Containment tubing). This high-purity tubing has gained widespread use in the semiconductor and other leading industries. This product has an inner tube of High Purity PFA surrounded by an outer tube of FEP for protection from hazardous fluid leaks. This tubing offers low gas permeability, provides high mechanical strength at elevated temperatures, and is resistant to nearly all common solvents.
Dual Tube™ – Our superior, easy handling fluoropolymer tubing is used for water monitoring and other critical fluid management applications. Dual-Tube™ is produced as a single unit of two independent tubes of similar or variable sizes which stay together until separation is required. Zeus Dual-Tubes™ can be made from FEP and polyethylene in a variety of configurations.
Heavy Construction Tubing – Ideal for automotive, chemical, mechanical applications, as well as laboratory use, this tubing is used where very high levels of strength, reliability, durability, and easy handling are a must. Our line of Heavy Construction Tubing maintains all of the important attributes of fluoropolymers including low coefficient of friction, high heat resistance, abrasion resistance, chemical inertness, stability, and much more.
Standard Formed Tubing – Our tubing portfolio provides an extended range of physical and mechanical properties and ordering options. Excellent resistance to chemicals; high surface smoothness, UV ray transmission, burst pressure, and tensile strength; low gas permeability and low metallic extractable traits are just a few of the characteristics that our customers focus on when choosing the option that works best for them. Our formed tubing is available in most melt processed resins and is available in retractable coils (such as for air-fed hoses) and customs sizes and colors.
- MATERIALS
ETFE – A copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene, this tubing affords excellent resistance to impact, abrasion, and stress cracking. ETFE possesses superior toughness, stiffness, and durability all while being chemically inert. This polymer material can be extruded in multiple forms including flexible convoluted tubing that meets Mil Spec 81914 certification. ETFE can operate in temperatures ranging from -238 °F (-150 °C) to 302 °F (150 °C), has low water absorption, and performs well with ETO, autoclave, and gamma sterilizations.
FEP – This thermostable material is a preferred choice when needing higher clarity and flexibility but has a lower heat shrinkable temperature than similar fluoropolymers. This melt processable fluoropolymer allows for long, continuous lengths and has several distinct advantages over PTFE. FEP can be made into heat shrink and convoluted products that meet 23053/11 and 81914 Mil Spec certifications, respectively. This chemically inert material has low gas permeability, possesses an excellent UV transmission rating and dielectric strength; and is gamma, ETO, e-beam, and autoclave sterilizable. FEP can operate in sustained temperatures from -328 °F (-200 °C) to 400 °F (204 °C).
PEEK – This high-performance engineered polymer has excellent endurance to heat with one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any thermoplastic. This material can be used as an alternative to materials such as metal conduit and glass. PEEK tubing is lightweight and able to withstand operating temperatures of 500 ºF (260 ºC). PEEK tolerates high burst pressures and possesses exceptional torsion stability. PEEK is also thermoformable and resistant to gamma radiation, wear, and impact.
PFA / PFA High Purity – The unique molecular structure of PFA HP resin reduces metallic extractables and protects against micro contamination. PFA HP is non-reactive with almost all chemicals. This tubing also displays exceptional surface smoothness and meets or exceeds SEMI F57 purity standards. PFA HP has low gas permeability and maintains its mechanical strength even at elevated temperatures. PFA HP is ideally suited for laser or striped ID coding and can withstand temperatures from -328 °F (-200 °C) to 500 °F (260 °C).
PTFE– This material offers the lowest coefficient of friction of any fluoropolymer. PTFE has become the gold standard for tubing applications requiring the ultimate in lubricity, high and low temperature utilization, chemical resistance, and precision extruded tolerances. This diverse polymer is manufactured into heat shrinks and convoluted tubing that are 23053/12 and 81914 Mil Spec certified, respectively, because of the material’s inherent properties. Zeus provides PTFE in many forms including extruded tubing, Sub-Lite-Wall® tubing, special profiles, monofilament, and multi-lumen tubing.
PVDF – This polymer delivers high performance at a competitive cost. Also known as Kynar®, Hylar®, Solef®, and other names, PVDF is characterized by low permeability as well as strong abrasion and chemical resistance. This tubing possesses a host of properties that make it useful in a variety of applications that need flexibility without sacrificing performance. PVDF tubing has a working temperature of -4 °F (-20 °C) to 302 °F (150 °C), is resistant to nuclear radiation, has low smoke and flame properties, is resistant to bacterial and fungal growth, and has excellent dielectric properties.