What Makes Silicone Rubber Such A Key Material in Many Industries?
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December 9, 2019
If you are looking for a rubber product that is versatile, durable and suitable for multiple applications, silicone rubber should always belong in the conversation. Due to its many advantageous properties, silicone rubber is a mainstay in a wide range of industrial sectors, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical and even...
If you are looking for a rubber product that is versatile, durable and suitable for multiple applications, silicone rubber should always belong in the conversation. Due to its many advantageous properties, silicone rubber is a mainstay in a wide range of industrial sectors, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical and even food and drink production.
Let’s talk through some of the properties that make silicone rubber such a highly sought-after material.
Excellent resistant properties
One of the major benefits of silicone is that it maintains a high level of flexibility and low compression set even when subjected to extreme low and high temperatures. It also exhibits fantastic resistance to UV and ozone, making it an ideal material for applications in harsh outdoor environments.
It’s important to consider that silicone rubber is also highly resistant towards water, acids, bases, chemicals, oils and fungus.
As a result of these many resistant properties, silicone rubber can be trusted to be reliable for a long time, maintaining its durability and performance, even when in contact with extreme conditions.
Sealing abilities
As a result of the above properties, solid silicone is a high-quality sealing material for a wide range of applications. Silicone rubber gaskets are commonly used for engineering applications such as:
- Sealing gaskets
- Window and door seals
- Oven door gaskets
- Sound and vibration dampening gaskets
- Wire and cable jacketing
- Electrical insulation seals
Many silicone grades also have strong fire and smoke resistant qualities, making them useful for gasket applications within the rail industry. All CB Frost silicone rubber gaskets comply with the European standard for fire safety in the rail and mass transit industry (EN45545-2).
Sterilisation properties
Silicone rubber is odourless, tasteless and non-toxic, is compatible with FDA regulations, and can be sterilised in a number of different ways. As a result, silicone rubber materials are suitable for food preparation, water purification and medical industry applications.
Common medical applications for FDA solid silicone include feeding devices, implant materials, medical pumps, and seals for dialysis machines.
Versatility
Silicone rubber is highly mouldable, making it an ideal material to mould, extrude and cut into shapes to fit the specific requirements of different applications.
As well as being versatile in terms of shape, silicone rubber material can also be supplied in shore AQ hardness ranging from 30-80, in a range of colours (white, translucent, blue or black as standard, or colour matched for an extra cost), and in a range of thicknesses.
For more detailed information on rubber materials and gaskets for different applications, please contact our sales team by calling +44 (0) 121 773 8494. We will be happy to assist you.
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