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Silicone rubber rolls are common materials used in high temperature settings due to its wide operating temperature range. Plastic, vs silicone, is highly susceptible to damage caused by both extreme high and extreme low temperatures. Silicone materials are valued for their strength and durability in abrasive settings involving heavy impacts, extreme temperatures, and environmental factors. Its ability to withstand extreme temperatures and resist tearing make it an excellent material for use in industrial settings. Additionally, silicone sheet material is resistant against damaging environmental factors, making it ideal for commercial and residential weather sealing applications. Furthermore, FDA approved silicone sheets are available for food service applications and are the safer alternative to plastic.
Silicone CG Gray – 50A
Silicone CG Gray – 50A
- Demonstrates an excellent resistance to fungus
- Can be used outdoors thanks to UV and Ozone resistance
- Silicone sheet material is popular for use in laboratory settings
- Rolls come with a slight color variation that goes from lighter to darker gray
Material for Seals and Gaskets: Sheet rubber is regularly used to make different types of seals and gaskets for a variety of uses. This silicone (50 durometer) is available for custom fabrication if needed. Due to it’s lower durometer rating, this silicone sheet material is easier to cut. Fabrication options are available in hand cutting, die cutting, laser cutting, or water-jet cutting. We encourage you to send us a drawing, or blueprint so that we may be able to quoite the exact seal or gasket that you need.
Low Durometer Rubber: Durometer is the unit of measurement that is used to determine how flexible and resistant to physical indentation a particular rubber is. The higher the rating, the more physically durable the material will be. Since this commercial grade silicone rubber has a durometer of 50 Shore A, it is more on the flexible side. Silicone 50 durometer is the most popular of all silicones, due to its economical cost and availability in short lengths.
Why are Silicone Products Better Than Plastic?
Silicone products are better than plastic due to silicone’s durable physical and chemical properties. Silicone rubber rolls are best known for their wide operating temperature range of -103 to +500 degrees Fahrenheit which gives a silicone rubber part excellent strength in abrasive settings. Plastic, vs silicone, has a much narrower operating temperature range – for instance, “PVC melts a between 160 and 210 degrees Celsius (320 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit)” (sciencing.com). Due to its wide operating temperature range, silicone rubber rolls are commonly used to create custom silicone parts for use in any setting whether it be industrial, commercial, or residential. In industrial settings, custom silicone parts are often seen in the form of heat resistant seals and gaskets. Industrial grade silicone is extremely resilient and will not tear or break under heavy pressure or when being stretched. A silicone elastomer sheet will remain intact in these conditions even when exposed to extreme high or low temperatures, making it more reliable than plastic. For example, when exposed to extremely high temperatures, plastic tends to melt, and when exposed to extremely low temperatures, it tends to become brittle (Wikipedia.org). Plastic is easily damaged by high and low temperatures, making it less reliable in heavy-duty applications in any setting. Silicone rubber rolls also retain excellent chemical resistance against solvents, including acetic acids, ammonia gas, and sodium sulfate, allowing it to provide reliable applications in industrial settings involving chemicals.
Silicone CG Red/Orange – 40A
Silicone rubber rolls are also commonly used in commercial and residential settings. In addition to its wide operating temperature range, silicone sheet material can also withstand harsh environmental factors, such as UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and wet weather conditions without suffering damage, making them ideal for use in commercial and residential settings. In commercial and residential settings, silicone materials are often used in electrical and weather sealing applications. Silicone’s wide operating temperature range allows it to remain intact when exposed to hot electrical currents and will allow it to remain flexible in the face of cold weather when used as weather seals in home or vehicle windows. Plastic materials are easily damaged by high and low temperatures, making them unreliable weather seals or electrical insulators. These durable properties of a silicone elastomer sheet make it the better option over plastic for maintaining a secure application.
Silicone CG Red/Orange – 50A
- Popular Silicone 50 Shore A
- Resistant to UV rays and ozone
- Exhibits a moderate level of chemical resistance
- Available for custom fabrication into seals and gaskets
- Rolls available in either 25ft or 50ft lengths depending on thickness
- This red silicone sheet rubber is available in a wide variety of thicknesses
High Temperature Sheet Material: This would not be a proper silicone sheet rubber if it were not able to endure harsh temperature conditions. You can expose this red silicone material to temperatures that reach as high as 450 F. At the same time, it is also able to operate in extremely cold temperatures, with a specific minimum temperature limit of -103 F.
50 Durometer Rubber: In order to help people determine how hard and physically durable an elastomer is against physical indentation, sheet rubber is often accompanied by a durometer rating. The higher the rating, the more resistant the body of the rubber will be against physically demanding objects. As this rating goes lower, the rubber becomes more flexible and pliable. A durometer rating of Silicone 50 shore indicates that the rubber is not that hard and is more pliable in nature. That is why we recommend this silicone 50 shore for commercial grade applications where physical properties are not crucial to have.
Is Silicone Safer than Plastic for Food?
Silicone is safer than plastic for food as it can withstand a wider range of temperatures without leaching dangerous chemicals into the food material. Silicone rubber rolls are available in commercial grade, premium grade, and FDA grade variations, allowing them to be used in a wide range of applications in any setting. FDA approved silicone is safe to use in food and medical grade applications and will not leach harmful byproducts or chemicals when heated. Case in point, “Health Canada states: “There are no known health hazards associated with use of silicone cookware. Silicone rubber does not react with food or beverages or produce any hazardous fumes” (mindbodygreen.com). Silicone rubber rolls are highly temperature stable materials that can stand up well against extreme high and low temperatures without suffering damage or leaching toxins into the food. Plastic, vs silicone, is not as safe to use in food or medical grade applications as they can leach harmful toxins when heated. For example, “Studies have found that certain chemicals in plastic can leach out of the plastic and into the food and beverages we eat. This leaching can occur even faster and to a greater degree when plastic is exposed to heat” (health.harvard.edu). FDA approved silicone can withstand temperatures as high as +500 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing it to remain safe and intact when used in food grade applications.
Custom silicone parts are extremely durable and reliable products that are commonly used in industrial, commercial, and residential settings. A silicone elastomer sheet is a synthetic rubber material that is favored in industrial settings due to its wide operating temperature range. At temperatures as high as +500 degrees Fahrenheit, silicone sheet material will not melt, and at temperatures as low as -103 degrees Fahrenheit, it will remain flexible and resist embrittlement. Silicone rubber rolls are also available in an FDA approved variation, making it safer to use in food grade applications than plastic. On the other hand, plastic, vs silicone, does not retain as wide of an operating temperature range as silicone. Plastic is easily damaged by extreme temperatures and can leach toxic materials into food applications. Overall, silicone rubber rolls are superior to plastic as they can provide long-lasting applications in any setting without worry of damage.
Silicone CG White – 50A
- White silicone sheet rubber features a smooth surface texture
- Has a good level of resistance against fungus
- Can be used outdoors thanks to durability against UV and ozone
- If you need a custom seal or gasket made out of this white silicone rubber, we encourage you to send in a drawing of the parts needed
Non-Marking, Professional Aesthetic: While other rubbers often come in a standard black, we offer a white colored alternative. White nitrile is meant to give an application a sleek, modern, and professional appearance while functioning the way a proper nitrile elastomer is supposed to. Even more importantly, a white elastomer is a non-marking material that will not leave any marks or stains on the objects it comes into contact with. The white colored nitrile is suitable for use in cosmetics, grocery stores, and medical applications where white is better suited for aesthetics than black.
Oil-Resistant Rubber: Nitrile, or Buna-N rubber as it was originally known, was developed to be an oil-resistant alternative to natural rubber back in the years after World War I. Nitrile material is still used today whenever good oil and grease resistance is needed. White nitrile can resist organic and synthetic oils. While other types of elastomers can degrade when exposed to oils and greases, nitrile rubber can keep its form and integrity, making sure that it does its part to keep your application functioning.
