How is silicone rubber used for sealing and insulation? Silicone has valuable properties, but engineers need rubber to meet specific requirements. If you want to know if silicone rubber seals, gaskets, or insulation materials are suitable for your application, consider some USES for this versatile polymer. The examples you will read are not unique to silicone, but they are representative.

Mobile devices

Manufacturers of mobile devices need sealing and insulating materials that can withstand harsh conditions, such as engine heat, extreme outdoor temperatures, wind, water and mud. Silicone products for mobile devices include shaft seals, spark plug covers, radiator heating hoses, o-rings and roller washers.

Manufacturers of mobile devices also need floor MATS, door and window seals, and insulation and soundproofing.

National defense and aerospace

Defense contractors need rubber for hatch seals and other demanding extreme conditions on military vehicles. Sometimes, military-grade silicone is needed. The aerospace industry also needs silicone gaskets with special properties.

Stainless steel and food equipment

Manufacturers of silicone gasket stainless steel and food equipment need rubber that can withstand high temperatures in commercial ovens and low temperatures in freezers/refrigerators. Silicone can handle these temperatures and resist the frequent cleaning required for food and beverage equipment. Silicone rubber also resists grease, from baking pads to oven seals.

Depending on the application, stainless steel and food equipment manufacturers may need to use rubber products made from fda-approved materials. FDA silicone is nontoxic, unlabeled, and allergy-free. They are also odorless, odorless, and resistant to the natural growth of bacteria. However, not all food-grade silicone is fda-approved, so be careful when choosing silicone-containing compounds.

infrastructure

Skylight sealed infrastructure is a wide range of applications, including buildings and building projects, industrial machinery, electrical equipment and enclosures. In residential and commercial buildings, silicone rubber can be used for window sealing and door sealing. For other types of building structures, silicone rubber is used for expansion joints because these elastomers allow thermal expansion without deformation.

Silicone rubber has strong dielectric properties, can be used for cables and cable terminals, corona resistant insulation tube, keyboard and contact pad. Silica gel filled particles providing EMI shielding are used for conductive seals as metal or metal-coated particles also provide electrical conductivity. UL94 fire-resistant silica gel is used in rubber gaskets for electrical enclosures.