PTFE History

PTFE was invented accidentally by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals in 1938. While Plunkett was attempting to make a new CFC refrigerant, the perfluorethylene polymerized in its pressurized storage container. (In this original chemical reaction, iron from the inside of the container acted as a catalyst.) Kinetic Chemicals patented it in 1941 and registered the Teflon trademark in 1944. The original patent number is US2,230,654.

Teflon was first sold commercially in 1946. By 1950, DuPont had acquired full interest in Kinetic Chemicals and was producing over a million pounds (450 t) per year in Parkersburg, West Virginia. In 1954, French engineer Marc Grégoire created the first pan coated with Teflon non-stick resin under the brandname of Tefal after his wife urged him to try the material, that he'd been using on fishing tackle, on her cooking pans.

In the United States Kansas City, Missouri resident Marion A. Trozzolo, who had been using the substance on scientific utensils, marketed the first frying pan "The Happy Pan" in 1961.

An early advanced use was in the Manhattan Project as a material to coat valves and seals in the pipes holding highly reactive uranium hexafluoride in the vast uranium enrichment plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, when it was known as K416.

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Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)

Polytetrafluoroethylene

In chemistry, poly (tetrafluoroethene) or poly (tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer which finds numerous applications. PTFE's most well known trademark in the industry is the DuPont brand name Teflon.

Water and water-containing substances like most foods do not wet PTFE, therefore adhesion to PTFE surfaces is inhibited. Due to this property PTFE is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals. Where used as a lubricant, PTFE reduces friction, wear and energy consumption of machinery.

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Treadmill Belt Care And Maintenance

Regardless of the type of belt you have on your treadmill, the most important aspect of any belt is how well you take care of the belt. Many factories have decided to put warnings in their manuals to not lubricate a walking belt. The reason many do this is because of all the crazy things that people use to lube the belt. I've seen people use everything from motor oil to WD-40 to Crisco in order to lube the belt and you should only use a commercially available treadmill belt lube on a treadmill belt.

Many other products like WD-40 or most commercially available spray silicone lubricants will ruin the backing of your walking belt. Some of these lighter lubricants can actually cause the belt to create more friction on the treadmill deck than not using any lubricant at all.

Finding a lubricant that is designed just for your machine can be difficult. Most commercially available lubricants for treadmills are composed of food grade liquid silicone which has as much in common with spray silicones as a fish has with a bicycle. Other treadmill lubricants use a synthetic polymer and others use products such as Teflon or something as simple as wax. The key is to make sure you use a product that is designed to work with your treadmill and has been designed to work exclusively with treadmills.

Another important point is to make sure to keep the top of the belt clean. Dirt can have its own insulating effect on the walking belt. What we suggest is buy a new pair of shoes for each person that will be using the treadmill and only use them when walking on the treadmill. This keeps dirt, road grime, sand, etc. off the top of the belt. It is surprising just how much trash can build up on a belt just from people carrying dirt on to it from their shoes. We also suggest cleaning the top of the walking belt at least once a quarter. It is easy to do and any treadmill belt cleaner along with a clean nylon bristle brush works great to keep the belt clean and running at as low a temperature as possible.

Many people don't realize the need to maintain the most important part of their treadmill. The dealers are sometimes only concerned with making the sale and getting the product out the door. Maintenance will always be a necessary part of using your treadmill and the belt is the most important part to maintain. If you maintain your belt well and keep it properly lubricated it will not only make your belt last longer, but also keep your treadmill running better for longer. It is relatively low effort and considerably cheaper than the alternative, in short, it just makes sense. So keep up with your maintenance otherwise you could have much bigger problems than you expect.