PTFE and BioFlex PP-R are both used as non-metal body jewellery, but they are fundamentally different polymers with different processing constraints. PTFE cannot be injection-moulded. It must be extruded as rod. Decorative ends threaded onto PTFE rod rotate freely in wear, facing the wrong direction within days. BioFlex is injection-moulded as a single piece: no rotation axis, no misaligned crystals, no orientation problem.
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PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and BioFlex PP-R are both radiolucent, non-metallic, and used in body piercing, but they are fundamentally different polymers with different processing limitations.
PTFE cannot be injection-moulded, it must be extruded as rod stock. This means PTFE body jewellery is limited to straight rods with separately threaded ends that rotate freely.
Freely rotating ends on PTFE bars mean jewels and decorative elements face unpredictable directions, a crystal that was facing forward migrates to the side or backward during normal wear.
BioFlex PP-R is injection-moulded, complex three-dimensional geometry is achievable in a single piece. Orientation of decorative elements is fixed in the mould.
The practical consequence: BioFlex is used for navel bars, curved barbells, labrets, and industrial bars with specific geometries. PTFE is used almost exclusively for straight bars where orientation is irrelevant.
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First published on poliinternational.com. This is a summary of the original engineering article.
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