New Platinum-Cured Silicone Compounds from Dow Corning offer Improved Performance Over Peroxide-Cured Rubber
Silastic® brand Rapid Cure Products Feature Peroxide-Free Ready-To-Use Compounds For Extrusion Applications
A new line of platinum-cured silicone rubber compounds offering improved mechanical performance and more accurate cure rates than peroxide-cured rubber is available from Dow Corning.
“Silastic® brand Rapid Cure” silicone compounds are ready-to-use High-Consistency Rubber (HCR) products offering 33% enhanced elongation and 60% greater tear resistance in extrusion applications, nice, non-sticky surfaces when cured, improved accuracy in cure rates, and a shelf life similar to that of typical peroxide cured materials. These silicone rubber products are particularly suited for extrusion applications since they eliminate pre-mixing steps associated with alternative two-part platinum cured materials.
The improved performance of Silasticbrand Rapid Cure compounds is due to a new platinum-complex curing system, which acts as a catalyst that cures the compounds quickly even at room temperature. It features proprietary stechiometric addition-curing technology designed to ensure an accurate, consistent cure speed, an inhibitor that makes the compounds stable and manageable at room temperature, and an active ingredient to initiate very fast cross-linking. The platinum catalyst reduces bubbles in deep-section profiles and eliminates blooming on non post-cured products, which cuts out a secondary manufacturing step to bake off any un-reacted peroxide on the surface of the finished product.
Silasticbrand Rapid Cure products are environmentally friendly due to the absence of peroxide in the formulation, which prevents the development of peroxide by-products and unpleasant odors during processing. And unlike two-part platinum cured rubber compounds, which have a typical shelf life of ten days after mixing, Dow Corning will guarantee the usable life of Rapid Cure compounds for up to three months after the date of manufacture—when stored at or below 32°C in the original unopened containers.
Silasticbrand Rapid Cure products provide outstanding electrical insulating properties and are unaffected by many fluids, extreme weather conditions, ultraviolet light radiation and ozone. They are typically used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products for industrial, automotive, appliance and electrical applications. Rapid Cure ready to use compounds are made by blending special high-consistency rubber bases with fillers, modifiers, and pigment masterbatches to make custom compounds that help shorten development and/or production cycle time.
Silasticbrand Rapid Cure products are available as ready-to-use compounds for extrusion in different colors and preforms, with a hardness ranging from 50 to 70 Shore A.
The line of Silasticbrand Rapid Cure products is part of a broad family of silicone-based elastomers from Dow Corning that includes fluorosilicone rubber bases and compounds, liquid silicone rubber and high- consistency silicone rubber bases and compounds marketed under the Silastic® brand trade name.
For more information about the line of Silasticbrand Rapid Cure high-consistency rubber compounds from Dow Corning, or the complete line of Silastic silicone rubber products, contact the company at www.dowcorning.com/rubber.
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