The unique characteristics of silicone rubber make it the preferred choice for many industries over organic rubber. It can be used in several industries, such as aerospace, automotive, medical, and electronics, to name a few. It can hold out against temperatures ranging from -50°C to 350°C.
If you use silicone rubber in your industrial processes, you must ensure that you source it from a reliable silicone distributor. Having said that, the following are the qualities that make silicone rubber an excellent choice for industrial purposes.
Sealing without Leaking
Its ability to withstand extreme temperatures makes silicon rubber an excellent sealing material. It retains its flexibility when exposed to extreme temperatures and other materials like acid, chemicals, water, oil, and fungus. Its non-toxic properties make it the sealing material of choice in the food and beverage and medical industries.
Easily Sterilized
Industrial processes have various methods of sterilization. Some use dry heat or steam autoclaving, while others use ethylene oxide, gamma radiation, and electron beams. Silicone rubber from any reputable silicone distributor is compatible with all these sterilization processes. This makes it a viable product in many industries.
In the medical industry, it serves as an ingredient in medical pumps, feeding devices, implant material, and sealing dialyzers. Its medical-grade quality can be customized as per the industrial requirements.
Versatile In Nature
Silicon rubber has silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. This compound recipe can be adjusted based on the use of the end product. For example, its properties can be tweaked to make it water and temperature resistant. It can get any color, shape, form, and depth. All these make it so versatile and the most favored industrial use material.
Self-Bonding
Promoters are added to liquid silicone rubber (LSR) to add adhesive properties to it. This process makes it adhere to various materials like stainless steel, aluminum, glass, and polysulfones. It can act as a composite seal between two mating components.
LSR can reduce product life-cycle by curing fast. By adding controlled amounts of functional groups at the cure site material, silicone rubber can cure quickly to reduce the production time in mass production.
Excellent Insulation Properties
It is the material of choice when it comes to insulating high voltage transmission lines. It is a primary insulating material with low smoke emission properties. Its low conductivity makes it widely acceptable in the manufacturing of wires and cables.
It also offers a degree of tension, flexibility, compression, and elongation that is beyond what organic rubber can provide. These properties make it even more compatible with the manufacturing of electric wires and cables.
FDA-Grade
Due to its inert properties, it is an FDA-compliant material widely used in the food and medical industry. FDA has strict standards when it comes to materials used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. Since it is tasteless, odorless, and non-toxic, silicone rubber automatically meets these standards. It is used in cooking utensils, adhesives, sealants, syringes, tubing, and other such devices.
The uses of silicone rubber are unlimited. Since its invention, the material has seeped into almost every industry imaginable. An experienced silicone distributor can supply it to medical device and equipment manufacturers, the food industry, the wires and cables industry, and many more as required.