PLAST'06 Wacker Unveils New Genaration of Silicone Foams
December 26 , 2005
MUNICH -- At the PLAST'06 International Exhibition for Plastics and Rubber Industries in Milano, Italy, WACKER will unveil new solid silicone foams. These combine low density with excellent compression set. Further product highlights are new liquid silicone and fluorosilicone liquid rubber grades. Next year's PLAST'06 takes place from February 14 to 18.
The salient characteristics of the new solid silicone foams from WACKER SILICONES are ease of processing, suitability for use in the food sector, and versatility. The foams are produced with additives specially developed for ELASTOSIL® silicone rubber, which can be extruded, injection molded and added to peroxide-curing and platinum-curing silicones. All grades and durometer hardnesses of the ELASTOSIL® R and ELASTOSIL® R plus series can be foamed: from tear resistant to highly crosslinked, from 10 Shore A to 90 Shore A.
The new unveilings at PLAST'06 will include WACKER's two solid silicone grades ELASTOSIL® R 401/10 and ELASTOSIL® R plus 43057/90 and highly transparent silicone prototypes of medium durometer hardness that have been developed specifically for extrusion. ELASTOSIL® R 401/10 is the world's first bubble-free extrudable 10 Shore A silicone. It is suitable for food and medical applications as well as for molding articles. ELASTOSIL® plus 4305/90 is a genuine 90 Shore A silicone that does not suffer the friability usually encountered in the upper Shore A range. ELASTOSIL® plus 4305/90 is impressive for its thermoplastic-like hardness, transparency and surface. What is more, its excellent silicone properties, such as enormous heat and aging resistance, are not compromised in any way.
ELASTOSIL® LR for Manufacturing Composites
A further product highlight is the self-adhesive liquid silicone rubbers. ELASTOSIL® LR liquid silicone rubbers are pasty, easily pigmented two-component blends that cure extremely quickly. Obviating the need for priming, they exhibit excellent adhesion on a large number of materials, ranging from thermoplastics and thermosets to metals and glass. They are therefore eminently suitable for the production of composites.
In addition, self-adhesive ELASTOSIL® LR grades feature outstanding mechanical and electrical properties. Processing by injection molding and at elevated temperatures is a cinch. Multi-component parts, such as shower heads and steering wheel keypads, can be produced in one pass. Applications for this new product family are extremely varied, and range from medical technology, electronics and electrical engineering through to the household, sanitary and babycare sectors.
ELASTOSIL® FLR Fluorosilicone Liquid Rubbers
ELASTOSIL® FLR fluorosilicone liquid rubbers, which WACKER SILICONES is also presenting at PLAST'06, are the answer to hostile conditions under the hood. Temperatures as high as 180°C and aggressive media, such as gasoline and engine oil, cause gaskets to fail. Relative to conventional gaskets, O-rings made from ELASTOSIL® FLR even offer outstanding resistance to hot engine oils. Tests have shown that the swelling which they undergo in gasoline is just one tenth that of standard products. This performance stems from the high proportion of fluorine in the polymer. Because they do not adhere to the molds, they are very readily processed.
To further optimize the sealing properties, WACKER SILICONES has also developed specialty oil-exuding fluorosilicone rubbers. These step up the sealing effect even further. ELASTOSIL® FLR fluorosilicone rubbers are colorless, but can be pigmented upon request in any arbitrary or mandated color.
