High-Performance Materials for Aerospace
Selecting the right material for aerospace & defence applications is rarely straightforward. The operating environment, mechanical loads, chemical exposure, weight constraints, and qualification requirements all interact, and the wrong choice at the design stage can be costly to correct later.
Fluorocarbon supplies both high-performance fluoropolymers and precision-machined metals for aerospace and defence programmes, providing a single, AS9100-certified source for components that often need to work in close proximity or in the same assembly.
Fluorocarbon’s proprietary FL103 material (glass fibre-filled PTFE) has AIRBUS approval, making us the ONLY UK supplier approved to supply this material in accordance with BS6564-3.
Our materials team works alongside engineers from early design through to production, helping to define what is technically and commercially viable before commitment is made.
How Fluoropolymers Enhance Aerospace Applications
Key Aerospace Materials, Properties & Applications
Materials are selected and supplied with a clear understanding of how they will perform in service, not just at initial design review but throughout the operational life of the programme.
PTFE is widely used fluoropolymer in aerospace sealing, bearing, and wear applications. Its combination of chemical resistance, low friction, and wide operating temperature range makes it suitable for a broad range of systems, but material grade selection is critical, particularly for loaded or wear-intensive applications.
Key Properties:
- Wide operating temperature range: –200°C to +260°C continuous
- Excellent chemical resistance to fuels, oils, and hydraulic fluids
- Very low coefficient of friction, self-lubricating without additives
- Electrically insulating and non-flammable
Typical Aerospace Applications:
Seals & Gaskets, Bearing pads, Guide rings, Thrust washers, Piston rings, Valve seats
PEEK is commonly used where structural strength, dimensional stability, and resistance to elevated temperatures are required simultaneously. It's increasingly specified as a weight-saving replacement for aluminium and stainless steel in structural and semi-structural aerospace assemblies.
Key Properties:
- High strength-to-weight ratio, suitable for metal replacement
- Excellent wear resistance under sustained mechanical loading
- Maintains mechanical properties up to 250°C continuous service
- Resistant to hydrolysis and most aerospace fluids
Typical Aerospace Applications:
Structural brackets, Bearing retainers, Bushings, Impellers, Valve components, Fastener hardware
PFA combines the chemical resistance of PTFE with improved processability, making it suitable for complex geometries and high-purity environments. It is particularly relevant for space applications where outgassing under vacuum conditions must be minimised and structural integrity of the coating or component must be maintained over mission duration.
Key Properties:
- High temperature resistance up to 260°C continuous
- Excellent chemical inertness across a wide range of aggressive media
- Smooth surface finish, suitable for high-purity fluid handling
- Processable into complex geometries and multi-layer coating systems
Typical Aerospace Applications:
Vacuum tribology coatings, High-purity fluid systems, Chemically aggressive interior environments, Space mechanism interfaces
PCTFE is often specified for applications where extremely low moisture absorption, dimensional precision, and barrier performance are critical, particularly in cryogenic and vacuum environments where other fluoropolymers may not meet outgassing or permeability requirements.
Key Properties:
- Lowest moisture absorption of any fluoropolymer
- Excellent dimensional stability across cryogenic temperature ranges
- Very low gas and vapour permeability, making it suitable for vacuum environments
- Excellent barrier properties for liquid oxygen and propellant systems
Typical Aerospace Applications:
Cryogenic seals, Valve seats (LOX systems), Spacecraft interface components, Instrument windows, Barrier films
Case Study: Material Selection in Practice
When a European space technology company requested a PTFE coating for aluminium components in vacuum operation, Fluorocarbon's team challenged the initial brief. Systematic evaluation of outgassing risk, adhesion requirements, and tribological constraints led to a structured PFA-based multi-layer solution rather than the originally specified material.
Precision-Machined Metals for Aerospace
Aerospace assemblies rarely use polymers in isolation. Structural components, fastener hardware, engine parts, and actuation systems frequently combine metallic and polymer elements in the same assembly, and sourcing both from a single qualified supplier reduces programme risk, simplifies documentation, and eliminates the interface gaps that arise when polymer and metal components are produced separately.
Fluorocarbon precision-machines a range of aerospace-grade metals to tight tolerances, supported by the same AS9100-certified quality system, full material traceability, and documentation standards applied across our polymer components.
Structural, fastener & fluid system components
High corrosion resistance and mechanical strength across a wide temperature range. Grades including 316L and 17-4PH are commonly specified for aerospace structural hardware, brackets, fluid connectors, and precision fasteners.
Typical aerospace applications:
- Structural brackets
- Fittings & connectors
- Fastener hardware
- Precision shafts
Lightweight structural & interior components
Exceptional strength-to-weight ratio making it the primary structural material in commercial airframes. Grades including 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 are used across airframe structures, interior components, and non-engine hardware where weight reduction is critical.
Typical aerospace applications:
- Airframe structures
- Interior hardware
- Housings & covers
- Lightweight brackets
High strength-to-weight, engine & structural
Ti-6Al-4V is one of the most widely used aerospace alloys, offering outstanding strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. Used extensively in engine compressor stages, structural attachments, and landing gear components where both weight and performance are critical.
Typical aerospace applications:
- Engine compressor parts
- Structural attachments
- Landing gear components
- Hydraulic system parts
Extreme temperature, engine & defence
Inconel and other nickel-based superalloys maintain mechanical strength and corrosion resistance at temperatures that would cause aluminium and steel to fail. Essential for hot-section engine components, exhaust systems, and defence applications where thermal and chemical exposure is severe.
Typical aerospace applications:
- Hot-section engine parts
- Exhaust systems
- Turbine components
- Defence hardware
Supporting Material Selection & Development
Fluorocarbon works closely with aerospace engineers at all stages of the design and qualification cycle, from initial material feasibility through to production release and legacy support. Our approach is to define what is technically and commercially viable first before committing to a material or process.
This includes supporting teams with:
- Material selection for specific operating environments and qualification regimes
- Replacement of discontinued or obsolete materials within qualification constraints
- DFM (design for manufacture) review to optimise components before tooling
- Technical input on material behaviour under combined loading, thermal cycling, or chemical exposure
- Documentation and traceability support for AS9100, NADCAP, and OEM-specific requirements
Our material expertise is directly integrated with our precision machining and quality teams, so advice given at the design stage is backed by the capability to manufacture and document the result.