What caused the TFE and Kynar long lead times
Within the last year, the industry has experienced more allocations than I have come across inside my 3 decades experience. In the past I have seen sharp price increases, and I have seen several shortages, and delivery problems because of plastic resin allocations through plastic resin manufacturers. This is actually the very first occasion I have seen all these issues at one time. Polytetraflouroethylene (TFE) and Kynar both are on allocation. This pair of resins are in short supply. The PTFE Sheet product PTFE (TFE) along with PVDF manufacturing requires a mineral called Fluorspar which is mined in Mongolia and China. The world demand for this mineral has risen significantly, as well as supply has tightened. PTFE materials have high heat resistance, excellent chemical resistance and incredibly low co-efficient of friction (slippery) and is used within dozens of applications from non-stick fry pans to ptfe tape for use at home. This particular mineral is the crucial raw materials...