Silicone rubber sheet is an inorganic synthetic elastomer made from a crosslinked silicon-based polymer. Silicone’s ability to remain elastic and rubbery makes this product highly valued in many industries. It offers a unique combination of chemical and mechanical properties organic to elastomers a like, like gum rubber, or inorganic elastomers, like neoprene rubber, can’t match. These properties make silicone sheeting the material of choice for applications ranging from cooking sheets to racecar hoses.
Silicone CG Gray – 50A
When made in to gaskets, silicon rubber sheets are mechanical seals used to prevent leakage between two surfaces (http://EzineArticles.com/2463548). Depending on the application, these products come in a variety of different design specifications that are based upon industrial usage, chemical contact, physical parameters, and budget requirements. These factors should always be taken into consideration when planning to cut silicone rubber sheets to fit a custom project.
Silicone sheeting has many versatile properties that make it ideal for a wide range of applications. Temperature resistance, moisture resistance, chemical resistance, and compression resistance are reasons this elastomer will make a practical and cost-effective choice for any project.
Silicone CG Black – 50A
- A hard to find black silicone sheet rubber
- Resistant to fungus and some chemicals
- This black silicone material can resist UV and ozone
- Stocked in popular gauges: 1/32″, 1/16″, 1/8″, and 1/4″
- Flexible silicone sheets are meant for commercial grade applications
Flexible Rubber Sheet: This silicone (50 Durometer) elastomer is well suited for use in applications that require a more flexible material instead of a rigid one. A low durometer rating indicates that the rubber is less resistant to physical indentation, but much more pliable for the purposes of flexibility. Additionally, a lower durometer elastomer is less dense and more pliable that has a high durometer.
High Temperature Material: Silicone rubber is the go-to elastomer for any applications that involve extreme temperatures. This particular black silicone sheet has an operating temperature range of -103 F to 450 F. You can employ this flexible silicone sheet in very cold settings and very hot settings without having to worry about it suffering from immediate damage.
Silicone – Commercial Grade Red/Orange – 50A – 3/16″ x 36″
Industrial Usage: silicone rubber sheets can assume many forms to meet the unique demands of various types of markets including the automotive, plumbing, electronics, construction, aerospace, food, and medical industries. Each of these industries has their own (purpose when it comes to the use of custom silicone rubber parts). For example, in the construction industry silicone sheeting can be used for fire protection and glazing seals while in the automotive industry it could be needed for external gaskets and trims.
Chemical Contact: In applications that may require chemical resistance, silicone sheeting can definitely fill the task. With a high resistance to ammonia gas, corn oil, fish oil, sulfur, ozone, vinegar, and many more, a silicone rubber gasket would be the perfect choice. In the automotive industry this product is highly sought out and considered incredibly valuable for this very reason!
Physical Parameters: Whatever the specifications for your application may be, there are many ways to prepare silicone to fit your needs. Cutting silicone to fit an application is an easy process which only requires knowledge of the project to determine which process would be best suited. Some of the techniques to choose from include hand cutting, die cutting, water jet cutting, and laser cutting, each of which comes with its own precision and budgeting limitations.
Budget Requirements: The more precise you need your custom silicone rubber product to be, the more expensive the cost for manufacturing will be. The budget you may have for any particular project will determine many decisions to be made. The most cost-effective and budget friendly method would be hand cutting, which is also ideal for larger or thicker materials that can’t be accommodated by other methods. Hand cutting would be a cheaper method and provide a quick turnaround time if your project is on a deadline. This fabrication method is ideal for silicone rubber products with less critical tolerances (1/16 inch – ¼ inch tolerances). If your project needs a higher critical tolerance, one of the other fabrication methods such as water jet cutting or laser cutting, may need to be used.
Silicone – Commercial Grade Red/Orange – 70A – 3/32″ x 36″
- Comes in a red/orange color
- Good resistance to materials like fungus
- Also available in lower durometer options
- Hard silicone rubber with a smooth surface texture
- Rolls of this sheet silicone are 25′ or 50′ depending on gauge
Hard Silicone Rubber: A rating of 70A indicates one of our most durable elastomers in stock. It is very important for to have a longer lasting wear part, even for the more commercial mid-grade types of applications. Solid silicone fights permanent physical indentation better than softer versions of this product. This hard silicone rubber’s durability can also be enhanced by the material’s thickness gauges, which come in options ranging from 1/16″ to 3/8″. Please keep in mind that this material is not recommended if you are looking for sheet rubber with good flexibility.
High Temperature Materials: Silicone is known to be one of the most heat resistant elastomers currently available. People regularly employ silicone for a wide range of heat related applications, such as laboratory and automotive activity. This sheet silicone rubber can withstand temperatures reaching up to 450 F. At the same time, these high temperature materials are also comfortable in cold settings, specifically to -103 F.
Silicone – Premium Grade – Black – 60A
Here are a few reasons why silicone rubber sheet is the preferred elastomer in high temperature and high purity applications:
1. Excellent work-life when used in unfavorable conditions
2. Other sheet rubber products become brittle and crack when used outdoors
3. Temperature resistance up to 550F (intermittently to 300 Celsius)
4. Neoprene, EPDM and Nitrile, all deteriorate when used in applications whose temperature exceeds 200F
5. Excellent life when exposed to outdoor conditions
6. Retains its natural flexibility and resilience (resists compression set) across a wide temperature range
7. A very good rubber for sealing
8. Inert (no taste or smell)
9. Available off the shelf from a soft 40 Durometer option to hard 70 Shore A varieties
10. When cutting silicone it is easy to fabricate to spec, can be die-cut, waterjet or hand-cut
11. One of the few rubber products available in a translucent color
12. Available in a variety of colors: white, black, red, blue, brown, translucent
13. Excellent electrical insulation qualities
A silicone rubber sheet can be used to cover a wide range of purposes across many different markets. Silicone sheeting can meet and fulfill many industrial application needs; such as in the automotive industry as an external gasket or in the medical industry when increased aeration is needed. Cutting silicone to fit your application is something here at Rubber-Cal, Inc. we would be more than happy to accommodate. Our custom silicone rubber products are offered in a variety of commercial grade, FDA approved, translucent, and premium grade options.
Silicone CG Blue – 60A
- Color variation comes from regular blue to light blue
- Also available in a lower silicone shore hardness of 50A
- Can be exposed to UV and ozone due to resistance factors
- Features a great level of resistance to fungus and certain chemicals
60A Silicone Shore Hardness: Thanks to a 60A durometer rating, this commercial silicone is durable enough to be used in applications that may involve physical abrasions. A rating of 60A gives the material a better ability to resist physical indentation on its body. This helps to ensure that the blue silicone sheets last for longer periods of time. This material is meant to favor physical durability over flexibility, so use it in application that require some more rigidity from your rubber parts.
Temperature Resistant Rubber: In most cases, extreme temperature conditions can damage a rubber. That is not the case with silicone rubber. This high quality commercial silicone rubber can operate in temperatures that range from -103 F to 450 F. Silicone is regularly used in a wide variety of applications that involve either very cold or very hot temperatures. These blue silicone sheets will help you identify parts based on their chemical compound. Since most other rubbr sheets (e.g. neoprene, epdm) are not blue, your staff can easily pick out material based on color.
