A silicone pad is a synthetic rubber protective sheet that is often used in industrial settings due to its thermal stability, chemical resistance, and resistance to damaging environmental factors. A silicone protector is the ideal product for use in harsh industrial settings due to its excellent resistance properties making a silicone part also highly valued in these environments and settings. Silicone heat resistant pad can withstand high temperatures of up to +500 degrees Fahrenheit and even low temperatures as low as -103 degrees Fahrenheit. A silicone pad is a popular material used in industrial settings and will offer safe and reliable applications in applications that may be too abrasive for other materials, such as natural rubber or plastic.

What is a Silicone Pad?

A silicone pad is a thermally stable, chemically resistant, and environmentally compatible product that is used to protect surfaces. A silicone pad is commonly used in industrial, automotive, food service, medical, and residential applications due to its excellent resistance properties. Silicone rubber is an inorganic polymer with a unique silicon-to-oxygen polymer backbone structure that give it its superior resistance to damaging environmental factors as well as excellent thermal stability. Also known as a gasket, a silicone pad provides durable protection against impacts and abrasions – whether it be from vibrating machinery and equipment or falling objects. A silicone protector is often used in industrial applications as gaskets due to its superior thermal stability and high tear strength. A gasket is “a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces” (Wikipedia.org). In addition, a gasket prevents damage from occurring to machinery, equipment, or floor surfaces. A silicone protector is the perfect product for industrial environments as silicone is highly resistant to harsh factors found in industrial and automotive settings. A silicone pad is thermally stable, resistant to chemicals, and retains good tear strength allowing it to provide resilient and reliable gasketing applications in harsh settings. A silicone pad is also available in a range of durometers, or hardness. This allows you to find the right thickness and hardness for your application, depending on the level of flexibility is required as well as the level of abrasiveness in the application. It is available in 40A,50A, 60A, and 70A durometers, with the material getting harder as the durometer rating rises. A lower durometer silicone pad is best used for tight seals whereas a higher durometer silicone pad is best used in harsh environments for protective purposes.

What are the Uses of Silicone?

The uses of silicone include automotive, food service, medical, residential, and industrial applications. Silicone rubber is an extremely durable rubber material that is highly resistant against damaging environmental factors. it is considered an inorganic polymer which allows for better resistance properties. For instance, “Silicone rubber (SIR) is an elastomer composed of silicone containing silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, in the form of a polymer” (sciencedirect.com). This allows a silicone pad to provide durable and reliable applications in harsh environments, such as industrial or automotive settings. Organic polymers, such as natural rubber, have a carbon-to-carbon bonded backbone structure while, on the other hand, silicone pad has a silicon-to-oxygen bonded polymer backbone, giving the material excellent thermal stability and resistance to environmental factors. A silicone protector also retains good tear strength and excellent chemical resistance which allows it to remain intact and reliable in harsh environments. In any of these industries, rubber parts may be exposed to caustic chemicals and extreme temperatures. Industrial and automotive seals and gaskets made from silicone rubber can withstand extreme temperatures and corrosive chemicals. An FDA grade white silicone sheet can also be used in the medical field or in food service applications. FDA grade white silicone sheet must comply with the regulations put forth in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This grade of silicone pad is the only grade of silicone that may be used in applications involving materials intended for human consumption as it will not leach toxic materials into the application.

• (a) What can Silicone be Used for?

  Silicone can be used for seals, gaskets, and weatherstripping products due to its thermal stability, tear strength, and environmental resistance properties. Industrial settings can expose rubber parts to extreme high and low temperatures as well as caustic chemicals and abrasions. A rubber silicone part will remain flexible at low temperatures as low as -103 degrees Fahrenheit and in high temperatures of up to +500 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, due to its excellent environmental resistance properties, a silicone pad is also often used for weatherstripping applications. A silicone protector in the form of a seal is used to block out weather around doors and windows. These can be found in various places, such as vehicle and residential doors and windows. A silicone protector is the ideal material for weather stripping as it is able to remain durable even after continuous use in harsh outdoor environments. Silicone can be used for both indoor and outdoor settings in industrial, automotive, and residential applications thanks to its excellent durability and resistance properties.

Is Silicone Better than Rubber?

Silicone is better than rubber due to silicone’s thermal stability and outstanding environmental resistance properties. Due to its silicon-to-oxygen inorganic polymer backbone structure, a silicone protector will be highly resistant against extreme temperatures and damaging environmental factors. natural rubber will be highly susceptible to damage caused by extreme high and low temperatures. Low temperatures cause embrittlement – which caused the material to harden and lose its ductility, making it susceptible to cracking. On the other hand, high temperatures normally cause rubber to melt and, in extremely high temperatures, cause the material to burn. A silicone pad will remain flexible and functional in extreme high and low temperatures, allowing for a safe and reliable application.

• (a) Is Silicone Made of Plastic?

  Silicone is not made of plastic, but it is made of silicon, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Although both materials are considered polymers, silicone rubber is also an elastomer, meaning it is a flexible material. Plastic is generally made of raw materials, such as natural gas or petroleum oil, that is then refined into ethane and propane (thisisplastics.com). Plastic will not be as durable or flexible as a silicone pad and has other weaker properties “such as low density, low electrical conductivity, transparency, and toughness…” (Britannica.com). Although different plastic has different melting points, but the vast majority of common plastics are not heat resistant which makes them extremely susceptible to melting. A silicone heat resistant pad is a highly durable material with a high temperature resistance of up to +500 degrees Fahrenheit, plastic will not be able to withstand temperatures of +165 degrees Fahrenheit and above (reference.com). A heat resistant pad made of silicone rubber will remain functional and intact when exposed to heat. Therefore, silicone is not made of plastic because they are two separate materials with different properties.

Silicone is the ideal material for use in highly abrasive environments, such as industrial and automotive settings, due to its high and low temperature resistance, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. A silicone part is able to provide durable applications in industrial, automotive, medical, and food service applications. White silicone sheet is generally an FDA grade silicone pad that is safe for use around materials intended for human consumption. A silicone pad can be used for Furthermore, silicone is a more resilient material than plastic and can last longer in abrasive applications. Overall, a silicone pad is a thermally stable, chemically resistant, and abrasion resistant material that is the perfect material for applications that may be too harsh for other materials.