| Main characteristics of synthetic meshes: Synthetic meshes: unlike wire mesh qualities, they do not suffer from vibration and fatigue and suffer no problems of corrosion. They are equally uniform and precise but rather more pleasant to handle than wire mesh which can be sharp and injurious especially in the coarser grades produced. Nylon: offers the widest range of mesh sizes from 1-5000mu sizes and thicknesses available and is widely used for sieving and filtration purposes. It is very strong and offers good abrasion resistance and unaffected by most alkalis. It is also resistant to most solvents and has a working temperature up to 115°C. Polyester: meshes are available in a slightly more restricted range of mesh sizes, thickness and widths. Similar to nylon they also offer good abrasion resistance but are less affected in the presence of acids than nylon. Again they are stable in most solvents but offer a rather higher working temperature at up to 150°C. Polypropylene: meshes are manufactured in a much smaller range of mesh sizes but have the unique property of being resistant to most acids, alkalis and solvents. However they do have a lower working temperature at 100°C. Polyethylene: meshes are only available from 255-2000mu and exhibit both a reduced abrasion resistance compared to nylon and polyester and a lower working temperature at up to 90ºC. As such it tends to be used for less stringent filtration applications. PVDC: meshes are only available between 400-1200mu aperture sizes and tend to be used for difficult chemical filtrations. They offer a unique resistance to oxidising chemicals which are damaging to many other synthetic fabrics. They are however rather limited in working temperature to below 80ºC. Fluorocarbon: meshes are produced in 70-2000mu apertures and offer an excellent temperature and chemical filtration. They are however relatively expensive and only tend to be employed in applications that demand stability in aggressive conditions. Antistatic nylon and polyester: meshes are also available in a limited range and offer a more conductive mesh. These are intended for use where static charges can present an obstacle to a free running sieving operation or can present a risk of explosion. They contain a carbonised yarn component which improves the conductivity of the mesh fabric. | 