Process for producing shaped articles of tetrafluoroethylene polymers

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF FORMING SHAPED ARTICLES OF TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE POLYMERS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A MIXTURE COMPRISING FROM ABOUT 45% TO ABOUT 85% BY WEIGHT OF DISPERSED PARTICLES OF A TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE POLYMER, FROM ABOUT 2% TO ABOUT 20% BY WEIGHT OF A DISPERSING AGENT, LESS THAN ABOUT 45% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER SOLUBLE ORGANIC THICKNESS COMPRISING ONE OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYALCOHOLS, MONOETHERS OF WATER SOLUBLE POLYALCOHOLS, AND MONOESTERS OF WATER SOLUBLE POLYALCOHOLS, AND MONOESTERS OF WATER DROXY GROUPS, HYDROXYALKYL AMINES, POLYHYDROXYALKYL ANIMES, CARBOHYDRATES AND BIS(OMEG - AMINO - ALKYL) AMINES, SAID MIXTURE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A TOTAL ORGANIC MATERIAL CONTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 70%, THE REMAINING PROPORTION BEING WATER, AND EXTRUDING THIS MIXTURE UNDER SHEAR AT LEAST AS HIGH AS THE SHEAR EXTENDED ON THE MIXTURE WHEN IT IS EXTRUDED THROUGH AN ORIFICE HAVING A DIAMETER OF 15 MILS AND A SHAFT LENGTH OF 0.25 INCHES AT A PRESSURE OF 1000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH AND A POLYMER TEMPERATURE OF 50*C.