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Silicone Rubber Facilitates Green Product Design
When choosing a rubber material that will offer superior benefits for green technology products, silicone rubber and fluorosilicone rubber compounds from Reiss Manufacturing's Ronsil division are natural choices.
A number of unique attributes lend green characteristics to silicone and fluorosilicone, not the least of which is silicone's excellent weathering abilities. With a lifespan of up to 50 years, silicone products provide lasting durability, decreasing the need to create additional replacement parts.
Silicone rubber's chemical composition also increases its "green-ness": Silicone is not an oil-based product and, unlike other rubber materials, is not cured by sulfur.
Furthermore, when this biologically inert material finally does begin to decay, it composes into silica (also known as sand).
With so many green products operating outdoors, other silicone rubber benefits only increase the material's usefulness, including:
- Temperature resistance from -70 F to 500 F. Also will not take a compression set or become brittle under temperature extremes and changes.
- Low compression set: Silicone will keep its sealing function, even as other organic rubber types take compression set over time when exposed to outdoor conditions and lose their sealing function.
- Mechanical Characteristics: Ronsil silicone can be formulated with strength and high elongation.
- Flame resistant: Formulated to meet UL and flame-resistant requirements.
- Inert Characteristics: Silicone is no standing.
- Chemical resistance: Silicone and especially fluorosilicone can be formulated to withstand many chemicals, fuels, oils, liquids, gases, and minerals.
- Weathering: Ronsil silicone is not affected by sunlight, ozone, gases salt water, or fresh water.
- Electrical resistance; No conducting with resistance values and exhibits excellent arc and corona properties.
Silicone and fluorosilicone can be custom formulated and manufactured into finished products such as gasketing, seals, o-rings, grommets and a wide variety of other molded parts. Some green products that benefit from silicone in their manufacturing are:
- battery operated cars
- solar panels
- wind turbines
- water turbines
- natural gas engines
- . . . and more!
