Silicones are a household of excessive-performance materials whose unique molecular structure imply that they will come in many different forms, together with liquids, solids, semi-viscous pastes, oils, greases and Discuss rubber. We use this versatile rubber material in a range of settings, from visible, highly aesthetic elements to meals-grade kitchen utensils. In this article, Martin’s Rubber explains the advantages and disadvantages of silicone rubber.

What's silicone rubber?

Silicone is a exceptional material. This semi-organic artificial rubber (not to be confused with the chemical ingredient silicon) consists of a sequence of silicon and oxygen atoms, as opposed to the carbon and hydrogen atoms prevalent in most other kinds of rubber.

This molecular structure is a combined blessing in terms of silicone’s properties.

On the one hand, this backbone of siloxane bonds offers silicone its low thermal conductivity, resulting in an especially heat resistant and thermally stable materials. Then again, whilst stable and versatile, silicone’s chain is weak, which implies it tears easily.

Let’s look at the benefits and disadvantages of silicone rubber in greater element.

Advantages of silicone rubber

Listed below are simply some of the main advantages of silicone rubber:

Heat resistant

Considered one of the principle benefits of silicone rubber is its heat resistance. It offers excellent high-temperature resistance, with some compounds capable of withstand temperatures as much as 305 °C. Silicone’s thermal stability means it retains its structure and properties over a large temperature range. This extends to low temperatures too, which implies this artificial rubber can maintain its flexibility even at -100°C.

Hygienic

Have you ever wondered why so many kitchen utensils are made of silicone? Nicely, silicone gadget that’s because one other benefit of silicone rubber is its non-porous nature. This makes it resistant to bacterial build-up, making silicone significantly useful in meals and beverage applications, where food-grade compounds can present complete peace of mind. Silicone can be non-toxic, water-repellent and recyclable at specialised plants.

Disadvantages of silicone rubber

Here are a number of the disadvantages of silicone mold rubber:

Tear energy

One in all the main disadvantages of silicone rubber is its poor tear power. This can be improved with the addition of different elements, however it doesn’t naturally supply power or abrasion resistance, so the appliance must be carefully assessed for discuss the suitability of silicone as a solution.

Value

Another drawback of silicone elastomers is that as a premium product they can include a equally premium value tag compared to another rubber supplies. Nevertheless, this initial outlay is commonly offset by improvements in uptime and high quality control. Once more, talking to a specialist like Martin’s Rubber will allow you to gain a clearer understanding of silicone’s ROI almost about your specific utility.

Like all materials, silicone has its advantages and shortcomings. Despite some of its extra spectacular qualities, it actually isn’t applicable for every application. To search out out more about the advantages of silicone or to discuss how our rubber moulding providers can support your software necessities in additional element, communicate to one in all our friendly and knowledgeable experts right here at Martin’s Rubber. They will be solely too glad to supply their advice and steerage.