Nowadays we see products made of silicone rubber in basically many aspects of our lives. This material is used in many industries and is key to them, like electronics, aerospace, medical, food and beverage, automotive, and many more. It has many optimal and unique qualities that make them easy to use in a huge range of applications
Silicone manufacturers use many technologies, that are very complex, to take advantage of the material’s capabilities, being able to create everything, from simple seals to very complex parts. When you are choosing such material as silicone rubber, these are the following advantage that you have to have in mind.
It provides high-quality sealing
Because of its thermal stability, which is by the way, excellent, silicone rubber can withstand the most extreme temperatures, whether they are high or low. When it is facing low temperatures, it will be able to maintain its flexibility. If the applications you’re going to give the material have to deal with extreme temperature environments, then silicone rubber will definitively be the optimal choice.
Besides being resistant to the different temperatures, this material is also resistant to many other materials, such as bases, acids, water, chemicals oils, and also mold, and fungus. Despite these resistant properties, it is non-toxic, which makes it safe to use for medical devices and also consumer products.
It has sterilization abilities
This material is compatible with FDA regulations which makes it capable of undergoing different sterilization methods, like dry heat, ethylene oxide, gamma radiation, electron beams, and steam autoclaving amongst others. Because of this, silicone rubber products are eligible to use in the medical industry and will be known as medical-grade silicone.
It has extreme versatility
This is a material that is very easy to customize and mold, thanks to the silicone overmolding process. If needed and required by the manufacturer’s customer, it can be custom molded to the client’s desired shapes and also their specific applications.
If needed, slight adjustments can be made to the compound’s recipe, and the end results in different resistance properties, like, for example, temperature and water resistance. They also are able to manufacture in any color you want, even translucent and transparent or glow in the dark.
It also tends to be one of the materials chosen by design engineers to test their innovative models. To achieve some of the most complex shapes, then liquid silicone rubber or LSR will be used. And if you’re wondering, what is it, you have to know that liquid silicone rubber is a platinum-cured two-part elastomer that gets to be injected into a mold, and then gets manufactured into the desired part. Many different liquid silicone rubber compounds can offer different and unique benefits, like them being self-lubricating, conductive, self-bonding, medical grade, radio-opaque, and many others.
It is also high-performing
Another advantage and benefit that silicone rubber has it that it can retain its flexibility and its low compression set in extreme cold or heat. It is very durable and of course, it also had very good mechanical properties. As it is a very durable material, it has become very reliable and it can really be trusted to maintain its performance for a really long time.
Besides those advanced capabilities, this material can offer really good electrical insulation, it is also flame repellant and has very low reactivity to chemicals. Because of this and many other advantages, silicone rubber is for sure one of the best sealing materials that can be used in a wide range of industries and also in a wide range of applications. And you can be sure, that manufacturers are going to be able to fulfil all of your needs, even if you think you’re asking for a very complex customization.
