Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) has become increasingly popular for a variety of industrial uses, thanks to an impressive array of material properties. High chemical resistance, heat tolerance, and elasticity all make liquid silicone rubber an effective choice for applications that depend on performance and versatility. We will explore the key characteristics of liquid silicone rubber, how it’s used in high-performance industrial applications, and RD Rubber’s custom rubber molding capabilities.
What is Liquid Silicone Rubber?
Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is comprised of a catalyst and specially treated silica. This makes it extremely versatile and easy to shape through a variety of rubber molding processes, including silicone injection molding and silicone compression molding. Its distinctive properties set it apart from high-consistency rubber and thermoplastic injection molding.
RD Rubber Technology utilizes liquid silicone rubber for its numerous material properties:
- High elasticity: Liquid silicone rubber is capable of stretching and changing shape without breaking.
- Low compression set: It maintains its shape, even after extensive compression.
- Chemical resistance: Liquid silicone rubber resists a wide range of chemicals, solvents, and oil-based compounds.
- High heat tolerance: It can withstand high temperatures without degrading.
- Biocompatibility: Many LSR formulations are safe to use in medical applications.
Applications of Liquid Silicone Rubber in High-Performance Industries
RD Rubber molds parts from liquid silicone rubber to deliver quality consumer and industrial products for high-performance applications such as:
- Medical devices: LSR-molded O-rings, gaskets, and other sealing devices from RD Rubber keep medical devices free from leaks and contaminants.
- Electronics: Various electrical devices also depend on our liquid silicone rubber seals to protect components from dust, moisture, and contaminants.
- Food and Dairy Processing: We can also custom-mold liquid silicone rubber grommets designed to create reliable fastening, support or reinforcement for food, dairy, and water processing equipment.
- Aerospace and Defense: LSR-molded valves, covers, boots, and switches are utilized to protect sensitive electronics and avionics equipment in commercial and military aircraft.
The team at RD Rubber can custom-mold rubber parts to meet various application-specific requirements.
Advantages of Using Liquid Silicone Rubber in Precision Manufacturing
With a host of advantageous material properties, our liquid silicone rubber molding process offers many important benefits. Precision manufacturing engineers across a wide range of industries can benefit from the following:
- Faster curing times: Liquid silicone rubber cures relatively quickly compared to injection molding of high consistency rubber, helping to boost production rates for larger volume orders.
- High Purity: LSR molding utilizes a closed system of molding, so the uncured raw material never comes into human contact. This molding process is ideal for high purity applications such as in the medical, biopharmaceutical, food processing, dairy, and semiconductor industries.
- Improved product performance: The liquid injection molding/liquid silicone rubber molding process is ideal for producing complexly designed parts such as three-dimensional configurations, parts with multiple thicknesses, undercuts, and high-volume overmolding.
Liquid Silicone Rubber Products From RD Rubber Technology
RD Rubber Technology Corp. is at the forefront of advanced rubber molding technology. Our technicians use their deep knowledge and experience in LSR molding to supply robust, flexible rubber materials capable of withstanding intense operating conditions. We work to ensure the highest purity and the closest tolerances, with ISO 9001 and AS 9100 certifications to back the quality of our silicone rubber products.
Our extensive LSR rubber molding capabilities allow us to support high-volume manufacturing, as well as the needs of high-purity applications like food processing, medical devices, semiconductors, and biopharmaceuticals. To learn more about our silicone rubber molding capacities and how liquid silicone rubber can support your product design goals, contact us or request a quote today.