From aerospace and military to medical and electronics, silicone products bring many benefits to all industries. Here, we will go over each market we serve and how each one might use silicone applications.

Aerospace

Silicone has excellent thermal stability and can withstand extreme temperatures while still remaining flexible. This is why it’s such a great material for the aerospace industry. It also: 

• Can resist acids, bases, oils, chemicals, water, fungi
• Has low outgassing
• Can repel flames
• Has low chemical reactivity
• Has electrical insulation
• Is easily molded into custom shapes

Silicone seals are needed in all aspects of aircraft, such as main cabins, cockpits, engines and windows. You’ll find them as part of:

• The Cockpit: instrumental seals and electrical equipment
• Cabin: Window seals, lighting, overhead bins
• Molded seals, engine gaskets, gas turbine seals
• Cargo, doors and outer windows
• Hydraulic seals, tail, wings, sealant hydraulic

Aircraft must be able to handle high speeds and altitudes as well as landing impacts and high vibrations. Silicone can address all these demands and more.

Industrial

Silicone can be used in a variety of industrial applications, such as food manufacture and electrical work, thanks to its foam control, heat resistance, durability, adhesion, discharge safety, UV stability, gloss, flexibility, transparent nature, and radiation resistance. It’s often used in food and beverage, where seals and gaskets have to be sterilized to ensure food quality.

Silicone is used in everything from lubricants and anti-foaming agents to paper production and industrial coatings, and can easily withstand high pressure, temperature and corrosion.

Industrial uses include:

• Computers and electronics
• Architecture
• Automotive
• Textiles
• Healthcare products
• Construction
• Household products
• Beauty products
• Electrical
• Circuit boards/computer chips
• Medical field

Medical and Laboratory

Rubber molding for keypad design is great for anything from portable medical devices to stationary controls within a lab, hospital, or doctor’s office. Silicone can protect the medical device’s surface, so it has to be durable with the ability to conform to specific dimensions.

Rubber keypads can easily be molded, and this is why it’s great for gaskets, for example, that have to fit securely around a blood pressure monitor case. Medical rubber molding can be used indoors or outdoors, protecting portable medical appliances, for example, such as home blood pressure monitors.

Plus, the medical liquid injection molding process gives devices a hard outer shell that can keep fragile components safe on the inside. Thus, portable devices, such as defibrillator covers and delicate lab instruments, can be put through a lot of wear and tear on a daily basis without scratching or getting damaged.  

Military

Military applications are especially conducive to silicone for its:

• Noise resistance: Buttons can be soft to the touch with plenty of elasticity where quiet operations are required, such as in laboratories and testing sites, situation rooms, and covert operations. It also allows for quiet transference of data in compromising situations.
• Environmental concerns: Silicone can withstand harsh elements and conditions, especially in environments where plastic would melt or crack in battle. Silicone has to be able to operate in rugged conditions and meet the stringent requirements of design drawing specifications or standards. Computerized products can sometimes be impacted by water and moisture, rough movement, chemicals, and high or low altitudes.

Telecommunications

Silicon-based materials can perform various functions within the telecommunications field, especially when it comes to the use of transmitters and receivers for fiber optic telecommunications. This material makes the most economic sense as more and more power has to be packed into each fiber. From electronic potting silicones and encapsulation products, to additives, adhesives, hardcoats and packaging, silicone in the telecommunications industry is essential.

Silicone is also commonly used in the manufacture of computer chips, as well as cash registers, point of sales systems and electronics where durability is key when it comes to the keypad design.

Contact Si-Tech

If you’re in any of the above industries and need silicone products, please contact us today at 757-887-8488. We work frequently with clients in all of these industries.