Silicone Rubber – Turbocharger Hoses to Food Storage
Silicone rubber differs from all the other rubbers, in that it is an inorganic, synthetic elastomer, rather than an organic elastomer like all other rubber elastomers. Silicone is made from a crosslinked silicon based polymer, reinforced with fillers. Silicone is virtually unaffected by weather such as rain, snow, humidity, ozone, or UV rays for many years, and is resistant to extreme environments and temperatures from -100° C to +300° C, while still maintaining its useful properties.
Due to its resistance to extreme environments, and its ease of manufacturing, silicone rubber can be found in a wide variety of products, for automotive applications such as turbocharger hoses and spark plug boots, cooking, baking, food storage, apparel, footwear, electronics, medical devices and implants, and in home repair products.
Silicone also has inherently good electrical insulating qualities that do not change significantly under exposure to severe environments, retains is natural flexibility and resilience across a wide temperature range, and has excellent sealing properties. It is also basically inert (no taste or smell), so it is used in many food contact applications.
The first silicone elastomers were developed in the search for better insulating materials for electric motors and generators. At the time, resin-impregnated glass fibers were normally used. The glass was very heat resistant, but the resins would not withstand the higher temperatures that were being encountered with the new smaller electric motors. Chemists at Corning Glass, and General Electric were investigating heat-resistant materials, when they developed the first silicone polymers, and found a method to produce it commercially.
Corning Glass, in a joint venture with Dow Chemical, formed Dow Corning in 1943, to produce this new class of materials. GE opened its own plant to produce silicones in 1947, and is now known as Momentive Performance Materials. Wacker Chemie also started production of silicones in Europe in 1947. Shin-Etsu Chemical, a Japanese company, began to produce silicone in 1953. These four companies are now the main competitors in this market.
Silicone can be extruded into tubes, strips, solid cord, or custom profiles. Cord can be joined to make o-rings and extruded profiles can be joined to make seals. Silicone can also be molded into custom shapes and designs. Silicone is becoming more and more common at the consumer level, and can virtually be found in every room in a typical home, especially in many cooking and baking applications.
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.
So, next time you are in your kitchen, look around and see how many parts you can find that are made from silicone!