Silicone is a popular material for producing sealing elements due to its flexibility and resistance to extreme temperatures, chemicals, and environmental exposure. Solid and fluid sealing variants are available, including gasket type, cord seals, and flowable sealing agents. They are suitable for internal compression sealing applications and a variety of industrial and domestic uses.
Silicone is one of the most commonly used materials for the production of sealing elements. This popularity is, in large part, due to the material’s excellent flexibility and processing characteristics. Silicone gaskets can be made from various grades of silicone including rubber, foam, and the ubiquitous silicone gel sealants. Solid silicone gaskets can be flat, gasket type, or extruded as continuous beads. Silicone gel sealing agents are usually available in tubs or tubes.
The efficiency of silicone gaskets can be attributed to the many beneficial properties of silicone in general. These include excellent resistance to extreme temperatures, good elongation, compression and shear strength, and resistance to a wide range of chemicals and environmental exposure. These characteristics make silicone gaskets ideal for applications characterized by aggressive environmental conditions, exposure to chemicals and high pressures. They are particularly suitable for internal sealing applications where seal integrity is achieved through compression.
Different types of silicone based materials are used in the production of silicone gaskets. These can be classified as solid or fluid sealing variants. Solid silicone gaskets are usually made from silicone rubber and foam. These products are molded or extruded into flat sheets or round shapes. Gasket type gaskets are a good example of flat sheet type gaskets. These can be custom molded into their final shape or cut from stock sheets to suit the application. These gaskets are usually compressed between two mating parts to prevent gas or fluid leakage.
Cord seals are also produced in finished product form or in stock lengths. They can be solid or hollow and are available in a variety of cross section profiles. Good examples of this type of sealing are O-rings and door seals. These products can also be made from silicone rubber or foam. Cable silicone gaskets are primarily used in internal compression sealing applications.
Flowable silicone sealing agents are usually available as viscous gel solutions in tubs or tubes. These are among the most widely used general purpose sealants for industrial and domestic applications. These include the sealing of medical garments, electrical equipment, pipes and a wide variety of caulking applications. Gel-type silicone gaskets can be used as a compression seal between mating parts or as a surface sealant. Many grades of fluids are available for a variety of specific applications, but most are heat, chemical and mold resistant.
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