Venting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434742-B2
Application number	US-201615042529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A venting apparatus is disclosed herein. The venting apparatus comprises a substrate, such as a metal substrate or a specialty plastic substrate, having an opening therein and a fluoropolymer membrane, such as ePTFE, disposed over said opening and thermally bonded using a thermoplastic material to said substrate. This allows the fluoropolymer membrane to be directly bonded to the said substrate without using an adhesive layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
(a) a substrate having an opening therein;
(b) a fluoropolymer membrane disposed over said opening; and
(c) a thermoplastic material provided between said fluoropolymer membrane and said substrate;
wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material selected from the group consisting of glass filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); polypthalamides (PPA); acetal homopolymers; thermoset epoxies; and combinations thereof; and
wherein the fluoropolymer membrane is thermally bonded to the substrate by the thermoplastic material.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said fluoropolymer membrane is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylenepropylene, and perfluoroalkoxy polymer.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said fluoropolymer membrane is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said apparatus does not comprise an adhesive layer between said substrate and said fluoropolymer membrane.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoropropylene (EFEP), tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene vinylidene fluoride (THV), poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-hexafluoro-propylene) (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), ethylene tetratfluorothethylene (ETFE), and blends of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and nitrile rubber.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material is at least partially wetted into said fluoropolymer membrane.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material comprises a colorant.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material comprises an opening that is aligned with the opening of the substrate.

9. A method of assembling a venting apparatus comprising:
providing a thermoplastic material between a fluoropolymer membrane and a substrate having an opening therein; and
thermally bonding said fluoropolymer membrane to said substrate by heating said thermoplastic material at a temperature from 250° C. to 500° C.
wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material selected from the group consisting of glass filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS); polypthalamides (PPA); acetal homopolymers; thermoset epoxies; and combinations thereof.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 , wherein the thermally bonding step is not greater than 15 seconds.

Assignees

• Gore & Ass

Inventors

• Bacino John E

Classifications

• B32B2309/04

  Time · CPC title

• B32B27/322

  comprising halogenated polyolefins, e.g. PTFE · CPC title

• B29L2031/755

  Membranes, diaphragms · CPC title

• B29K2627/18

  PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluoroethylene {, e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluoroethylene} · CPC title

• B32B2327/18

  PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluoroethylene · CPC title