Silicone tubing is a versatile product made from silicone rubber, available in different grades for various industries. It has excellent thermal qualities, low toxicity, and exceptional flexibility. Medical and food grade tubing is non-toxic, tasteless, odorless, and can be sterilized. High-pressure tubing is reinforced with polyester or metal braid. Disadvantages include low vapor resistance and low tensile strength.
Silicone rubber is a versatile material with a myriad of industrial, home and hobby applications. Silicone tubing is one of the products made from silicone rubber and is used in a wide variety of industries including automotive, medical and food. Silicone tubing is available in a selection of different grades and structures from three broad groups: general purpose, medical/food grade and high pressure. All of the many types of silicone tubing, however, exhibit the basic silicone characteristics of excellent thermal qualities, low toxicity, and exceptional flexibility.
The compounds used in the production of silicone tubing all possess the basic spectrum of beneficial characteristics inherent in silicone rubber. These include outstanding resistance to extreme temperatures, zero taste and odor emissions, no toxicity, and excellent flexibility. When enhanced with additional features such as chemical additives and reinforcing braids, silicone tubing has many other benefits beyond the latent qualities of silicone rubber. These make silicone tubing an excellent option for applications such as in the automotive industry, highly regulated medical and food industries, and some chemical manufacturing processes. These tube products are also suitable for a wide selection of general purpose uses such as in household, automotive and hobby applications.
General purpose silicone tubing is suitable for uses that do not require high pressure tubing or high levels of compound purity. The excellent thermal and flexibility qualities of silicone rubber mean that silicone hoses can be used on most household appliances, workshop or hobby applications. When sterile, non-reactive tubing is required in the medical and food processing industries, medical grade tubing is used. These types of silicone tubing feature compound compositions that make the rubber completely non-toxic, tasteless and odorless, and with no tendency to support the growth of bacteria. The purity of medical grade tubing is often improved by processes such as platinum curing of the rubber compound prior to manufacturing.
Medical and food grade tubes do not react in any way with sensitive drugs, food ingredients or body tissues and fluids and can be sterilized in standard autoclaves. It also has surface qualities that resist the buildup of material carried inside. Hoses for vacuum or high pressure applications are reinforced with polyester or metal braid that resists flattening or expansion. These grades of silicone tubing are ideal for applications where pressurized gases or suction are used. Silicone tubing has some disadvantages which include low vapor resistance and low tensile strength which make the tubing prone to tearing when used with sharp edged clamps or fittings.
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