What is solid silicone rubber and what are the benefits of using solid silicone in a range of industries and environments?
The key factor when choosing a material is the application the silicone will be placed in. These key questions can be asked:
- Where will the material be used?
- What is the purpose?
- What is the function?
- Why is a silicone component needed for that application?
What do we mean by solid silicone?
- Solid silicone is a flexible rubber or elastomer
- Its hardness is measured in Shore A
- Silicone Engineering can produce solid silicone from 30 shore A (very soft) to 80 shore A (hard)
- Perfect for use as a seal or gasket in precision machined applications
- Solid is much stronger than sponge, there are no air bubbles present, which helps it to withstand high torque and pressure forces
Elastomers are used where a degree of flexibility is needed; or a certain amount of ‘give’ is required. Solid silicone rubber, like other rubber, will always feel soft and bendy in contrast to inflexible plastics. Most plastics are rigid in nature and design, but at the same time will work great in certain applications where rubber would not be suitable.
If a sealing gasket is required for a large effluent tank lid, we would not choose a hard rigid plastic as there is no give and it would not conform to the mating surfaces. Silicone (or other rubber) would be the choice for this application. We choose one material in preference to another by comparing the different properties in reaction to the application. The following list highlights different reasons people turn to solid silicone rubber when choosing a material for their project.
Benefits of using solid silicone
Excellent Flexibility
- Solid Silicone rubber has excellent flexibility, it can be modified easily and responds well to a variety of circumstances.
Noise Reduction
- Solid silicone reduces high volume noises passing through.
Vibration Dampening
- The rubber reduces vibration, suitable for mass transit applications.
Sealing
- Solid profiles are mainly used for precision sealing, this format of silicone responds well to sealing tight spaces due to its flexible nature.
Insulation
- Solid silicone rubber is designed to stop the process of heat and electricity from spreading.
Thermal Insulation
- The silicone material stops unwanted heat from entering through to the other side.
Thermal Shielding
- The silicone material acts as a shield from absorbing excessive heat from travelling to it’s centre.
Gasketing
- Solid silicone gaskets sit between two surfaces, generally to prevent leakage into the joined objects while under compression.
Find out more about kSil™ solid silicone sheeting all manufactured by Silicone Engineering.