Rubber That You Wear
Fluoroelastomers are a special purpose synthetic rubber with a fluorocarbon base.  Fluorocarbon, which is made of a broad family of compounds including fluorine, chlorine and carbon, are added to other synthetics, such as rubber to create many products, spanning from fishing line, to Teflon.  In the case of the development of a fluoroelastomer the combination of the rubber and fluorocarbon, bond together to form a strong chemical, and heat resistant, superior performance product.  Fluoroelastomers are used in many different applications, from general purpose sealing to Aerospace fuel and lubricants.  Yet what has brought this product into the lime light most recently, is Apples release of using fluoroelastomers as their material of choice, for the band of their Apple watch.  Apple made the choice not because of its chemical resistance, but because of its superior elasticity and great texture.
Along with these common applications, here at Stern we also put fluoroelastomers to use.  Stern Rubber chooses to use two different brands of fluoroelastomers, Viton by DuPont and Fluorel by Dyneon.  DuPont’s Viton is considered by their company, to be the most specified fluoroelastomers for fuel systems, seals, hoses and gaskets.  With this being said, the overall goal of the Viton product is to extend maintenance intervals on the products it is used to create, and protect against seal failure.  Along with working with DuPont, here at Stern we also use Dyneon’s Fluorel, to produce some of our products.  It has many of the same properties and capabilities as Viton.  The choice between the two is often the compatibility of the material with our customers’ needs.
With these two great products readily available to our team here at Stern, they are put to great use.  As I said before, fluoroelastomers have a great deal of chemical resistance, and many of the products we make put fluoroelastomers into use for that exact reason.  One product it is applied to is carburetor boots for snowmobiles and ATV’s, since these are areas that are going to have constant contact with gasoline, and high temperatures.  Along with this, the most common use for this type of material here at Stern, is within components for chemical valves.  Now although these are the practical applications for fluoroelastomers at Stern Rubber, there is one unusual product that they are used in, and that product is tubes within hearing aids.  Now although there is no need for chemical resistance within a hearing aid, there is a great need for strong acoustical properties, and after a great deal of testing, fluoroelastomers were shown to be the material that possessed this quality.
Now although this type of material is very effective, we also use multiple other types of rubber to produce our products.  So, remember, Stern Rubber is always available to help with your material selection.  Check out the engineering resources section for more information on materials, which includes a material selection guide.