How Has ETFE Evolved Over The Years - Tuflite Polymers

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ETFE is going publically popular, and is being
used to construct world famous structures like
Beijing National Aquatics Center, Germany Allianz
Arena, Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, Mexico
Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Newport Railway Station, and
many others. So, what is the reason behind such
popularity?
Qualities of ETFE ETFE has a multitude of great
qualities including transparency, durability,
lightweight (only 1 the weight of glass),
brilliant appearance, flexibility (ability to
stretch to three times its length), puncture
resistance, fire resistance, and energy
efficiency all clubbed into one. Moreover, it
is available as both thin sheets and inflated
cushions. Furthermore, using ETFE can reduce
project costs from 10 to 60, making the
material highly cost-effective! Because of all
these properties and many other qualities, ETFE
has been leaving behind other traditional
transparent materials like glass, fiberglass, and
acrylic. Invented in the 1970s, this material
has come a long way, and today stands as a highly
competitive building material in the
construction industry. Let us see how it was
invented and how it slowly and gradually reached
the heights that it is at today.
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History of ETFE It all began when DuPont first
synthesized Teflon PTFE in 1938, which had very
low friction characteristics and outstanding
chemical resistance. This PTFE paved the way for
the development of ETFE. Later, in the early
1970s, DuPont and Hoechst introduced the first
commercially extruded ETFE foils under the brand
names Tefzel and Hostaflon. Simultaneously,
German-based Stefan Lehnert came across this
material, and realized that the resin of this
material could be spun into a durable thin film,
with the ability to contract and expands. He
then started experimenting with the material. In
1982, Lehnert founded Vector Foiltec to bring
the technology of ETFE into the building material
arena. Applications of ETFE This material was
first used in a pavilion roof of a Holland zoo,
and a decade later, ETFE was used in other
roofing applications in England and Germany too.
But, it was only in the year 2000 that the Eden
Project brought attention to ETFEs engineering
potential. Ever since, this material has only
been expanding in usage across the globe, and
today, the world is catching on the
possibilities of ETFE. Today, Vector Foiltec has
12 locations around the world, and is working on
more than 100 projects with ETFE as the building
material. And, taking advantage of this, Tuflite
Polymers, who has been one of the leading
polycarbonate suppliers in India today,
partnered with the company to provide the Indian
subcontinent with the finest quality ETFE foils
and ETFE cushions. Hence, if you are looking to
build your structures with ETFE, you can
approach Tuflite Polymers to provide you with the
finest quality material. Today, ETFE can be used
to build a variety of constructions like
aquariums, sports facilities, arenas, as well as
indoor water parks and indoor rain forests.
Because it is available in a variety of shapes,
sizes, colors, finishes, and patterns, it is
being seen as the most versatile material by
designers and architects alike.