Electronic cigarettes, as a mouth-puff electronic product that imitates traditional cigarettes, are mainly composed of batteries, atomizers and plastic parts.
Inspection standards for electronic cigarette materials
The electronic cigarette turns liquid smoke into steam through the atomizer, and reaches ultra-high temperature in an instant. If the selected material is not safe, toxic substances will continue to be released during the repeated heating process. For this reason, the contact parts between electronic cigarettes and the human body generally require the use of medical food grade materials.
Requirements for food grade materials
Generally speaking, products that are in direct contact with food or in contact with human body will not change their characteristics under high temperature or harsh environment, nor will they decompose and release substances harmful to human body, such materials can be called food-grade materials.
Food contact packaging materials and products need to be tested and certified in accordance with testing standards, and various regions in the world have different regulatory requirements for the testing of food-grade materials;
For example, domestic GB 4806 food grade testing
US FDA food grade testing
French DGCCRDF food grade testing
German LFGB testing
EU food grade testing EU 1935/2004/EC
FDA
FDA is the abbreviation of U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is an international medical review authority. It is authorized by the U.S. Congress, the federal government. The government’s health control monitoring agency, FDA-certified food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices are safe and effective for the human body.
Products tested and registered by FDA can be roughly divided into the following categories: medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, laser products, and testing of food-contact materials (ie, food-grade testing) for all direct contact with food and beverages, or direct contact with The utensils, materials, etc. that come into contact with the human tongue must pass the FDA standard testing and certification before they can enter the US market.
What are e-cigarette materials made of?
Mainstream plastics (PCTG, PPSU, PP, PC, PEEK, transparent nylon, etc.) material information:
01.PCTG
PCTG has the advantages of glass-like transparency and close to glass density, no bisphenol A, and excellent food hygiene and flame retardancy. It was used in cosmetic packaging and plastic water cups earlier. At present, it is used in most of the e-cigarette’s e-liquid storage, cigarette holder, cigarette rod shell, etc., and the demand is huge.
PET resin is a linear homopolyester formed by the polycondensation of dihydric alcohol (ethylene glycol, EG) and dibasic acid (terephthalic acid, PTA), while copolyester is a polyester modified with alcohol or acid , PETG, PCTG and PCTA and degradable copolyesters. PCTG is an amorphous copolyester. During its production, a certain amount of ethylene glycol is replaced by 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM), which prevents crystallization, thereby improving manufacturing and transparency.
At present, well-known brands of electronic cigarettes are using PCTG materials, which are mainly used in cigarette holders, e-liquid tanks and even shells.
02.PPSU
PPSU is a new type of non-crystalline thermoplastic engineering plastic with light weight, high strength, good smell at high temperature, no bisphenol A, no denaturation under repeated heating, good sterilization, and can be used for a long time. water contact. And one of its typical applications is baby bottles, so it is also called “bottle feed”.
Polyphenylene sulfone PPSU is synthesized from 4,4′-biphenol and 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulfone through the steps of salification and polycondensation. The molecular structure is as follows:
03.PEEK
PEEK is a thermoplastic special engineering plastic, which is FDA certified due to its good mechanical properties, high melting point and biocompatibility. Polyetheretherketone (English name polyetheretherketone, PEEK for short) refers to a linear aromatic semi-crystalline polymer whose macromolecular main chain is composed of aryl groups, ketone bonds and ether bonds, and is a polymer family of “aromatic polyketones”.
PEEK is currently used in the field of heat not burn electronic cigarettes in the shell of heat not burn electronic cigarettes, the base of the heating plate, the atomization chamber and other parts. In addition to the PEEK material for the shell and heating base of IQOS, the QOQ of Yanfrog Technology and the CIGRIG of Cigrign are also made of PEEK material.
04.Transparent nylon
Excellent transparency (transparency even exceeds PC, close to PMMA), on the other hand, it is more resistant than ordinary transparent polymer materials (such as PS, PC, PMMA, etc. etc.) are more superior. Common transparent nylon types are PA MACM12, PA 12/MACMI, PA 6I/X and so on.
05.PP
Polypropylene is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic. It has high impact resistance, strong and tough mechanical properties, and is resistant to various organic solvents and acid and alkali corrosion. Good performance, PP is the only plastic that can be put in the microwave, has high strength and flex resistance (50,000 times), will not break at -20°C.
06.PEI
The scientific name of PEI is polyetherimide. It is an amorphous thermoplastic with high mechanical strength and stiffness. It has very high creep resistance in a wide temperature range and long-term high working temperature. In addition, there are very good hydrolysis resistance and dimensional stability. The disadvantage is that the price is slightly higher.
PEI is mainly used in medium and high-end atomizer cigarette holders.
07.POM
Polyoxymethylene POM, commonly known as “Super Steel” or “Saigang”, is a smooth, shiny, hard and dense material with a pale yellow or white appearance. It is an engineering plastic with excellent comprehensive properties after polyamide PI. One of the general engineering plastics.
POM has good mechanical properties and rigidity, and can be combined with metal materials; POM has excellent fatigue resistance and creep resistance; good wear resistance, self-lubrication and friction resistance; At present, it is widely used in electronic cigarette holder materials. many.
08.PC
PC material has transparency, good impact resistance and good dimensional stability, and is used in electronic cigarette chambers and cigarette holders. It is understood that the transparent cigarette holder of E-hose electronic hookah uses PC plastic cigarette holder, and some electronic cigarette brands also have pod shells made of PC material.
09.Silicone
Food grade silicone is a non-toxic, odorless, high transparency and non-yellowing; soft, elastic, kink resistant and non-deformable; no cracking, long service life, cold and high temperature resistance; its tear strength and excellent electrical properties ; It has the advantages of high transparency, no odor, no yellowing, no frosting, etc.
10.Silicone cover for electronic cigarette holder
At present, the most commonly used silicone sleeves for electronic cigarette mouthpieces, seals and electronic cigarette shells.
In addition to the medical and food-grade plastic materials introduced above, there are also many materials that are under development or will be applied to the cigarette holder of the electronic cigarette, even the part of the atomization chamber, the heating base and other accessories.
From research and development to production of electronic cigarette products, the use of highly safe and secure materials is conducive to the healthy and orderly sustainable development of products. With the strengthening of electronic cigarette quality control, the industry will enter a new stage of development.
