Rubber and silicone as materials

Rubber and silicone are collective terms for around a dozen material designations. Their composition can, in turn, be individually varied so that the properties better suit the intended application.

The materials can be given average or enhanced properties in certain areas. Properties that are commonly of interest include, for example, resilience, tensile elasticity, tear strength, compression set, abrasion resistance, gas tightness, operating temperatures, and resistance to chemicals, oil, weather, and ozone.

Rubber and silicone can have a hardness between 20 and 90 Shore. By comparison, a skateboard wheel or a mini-golf ball is usually around 100 Shore. The most common hardness range is 40–70 Shore. Rubber is most often black, as that colour typically provides the best properties; grey variants are also common. EPDM is available in more colours, and silicone can be produced in a wide range of colours with varying degrees of transparency.

We manufacture in all commonly used rubber materials, with a dedicated factory for silicone. This is located in Dobra near Szczecin in Poland. One advantage of silicone is that a silicone seal performs well in both cold and heat. Our technical expertise and long experience help you choose the right material. The entire process up to delivery of the finished product is controlled under one roof.

• FPM Fluororubber – Fluororubber materials consist of various fluorine-containing hydrocarbons.
• FFKM Perfluororubber – Perfluororubber (FFKM) is a terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether (PMVE).
• NBR Nitrile rubber – Nitrile rubber (NBR), or acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, is a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile.
• HNBR Hydrogenated nitrile rubber – Hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) is produced through selective and well-controlled hydrogenation of NBR.
• Q Silicone rubber – Silicone rubber (Q) has excellent low-temperature properties.
• NR Natural rubber – Natural rubber (NR) is extracted from the latex of the rubber tree.
• IR Isoprene rubber – Isoprene rubber is a synthetic natural rubber.
• SBR Styrene-butadiene rubber – Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is a copolymer of styrene and butadiene.
• EPDM Ethylene-propylene rubber – Ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) is considered a high-volume material.
• CR Chloroprene rubber – Chloroprene rubber (CR) is a homopolymer of chloroprene (chlorobutadiene).
• Aflas ® – Aflas is a fluoroelastomer with excellent heat resistance.
• AU/EU – Urethane rubber is an extremely wear-resistant material.
• Eco rubber – Or epichlorohydrin rubber. Here, the main chain contains carbon and oxygen.
• NBR/PVC – PVC-nitrile. A variant of NBR with improved resistance to oil and ozone.
  
  * The material descriptions are taken from the book “Rubber: a training material for the rubber industry”, revised edition 1:2, 2002