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What is Silicone Rubber?
Silicone rubber is a type of synthetic rubber that is made from silicone. It has a high level of flexibility, durability and resistance to chemicals and extreme temperatures. Because of this, it is very widely used in automotive parts, medical devices, kitchenware and electronics.
To view our range of silicone rubber based products, click here.
Material Characteristics of Silicone Rubber
| Temperature Resistance | Silicone rubber has a very high resistance to extreme temperatures which ranges from -55°C – 300°C. |
| Flexibility | Silicone rubber is highly flexible and it remains flexible even in extreme temperatures and environments. |
| Chemical Resistance | Silicone rubber is resistant to chemicals, including acids. This means it is useful in harsh environments and doesn’t corrode easily. |
| Electrical and Thermal Insulation | Silicone rubber is a great electrical and thermal insulator and is very useful as a high voltage insulator. It maintains its insulation in water so it can be used wherever necessary. |
| Durability | Silicone rubber is highly resistant to aging, weathering and corrosion. It is also resistant to UV radiation. It can last up to 500 years making it an essential product. |
| Toxicity | Silicone rubber is normally non-toxic making it safe for medical applications. Many silicone rubber products are also food safe so can be very useful for applications where it may encounter food. |
| Transparency | Some silicone rubber can be transparent which is useful for many applications because it is much lighter than glass and more flexible than other plastics. This means it is commonly used for O-rings and packaging. |
Silicone Rubber Chemical Resistance
Silicone rubber is known for its excellent resistance to a wide range of chemicals. Below is a brief overview of its chemical resistance:
- Excellent Resistance: Water, alcohols, dilute acids, and alkalis.
- Good Resistance: Vegetable oils, animal oils, and some solvents.
- Fair Resistance: Concentrated acids and alkalis.
- Poor Resistance: Aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, and oils with high aromatic content.
Popular Silicone Products
Silicone Washers
Silicone Ribbed Plugs
Silicone Tapered Plugs
Silicone Cone Caps
Frequently Asked Questions
Food-grade silicone is completely safe for contact with food as it does not contain any chemicals. Silicone rubber also has non-stick properties which reduces chance of contamination. However not all silicone products are food safe, and some manufacturers are not awarded the ‘food-grade’ label and therefore their products are not suitable for use with food.
Custom moulding silicone rubber has 2 main processes:
Liquid Silicone Injection Moulding (LIM)
This is also known as liquid silicone rubber molding (LSR) and is useful for creating very high tolerance parts that last a long time and have a very small amount of contamination. LIM is commonly used for producing high-precision parts such as seals, gaskets, medical devices and electronic components. Good for high precision and high volume production.
Compression Moulding
This process is useful for larger, simpler parts where a small number of parts are required for molding. Compression molding can be done using a variety of materials but it tends to have a longer curing time compared to LIM.
If you would like to view our custom moulding services, click HERE.
Guest Author
This blog was written by Oscar during his work experience in the Technical Team. Oscar spent a week with us learning about the industry, gaining an understanding about our brand and product range and creating content for the website.
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