EXPOBOR 2012 WACKER Presents Silicones for Food, Baby Care, and Automotive Applications
Munich - WACKER, the Munich-based chemical group, will be showcasing several silicone rubber grades for the first time at EXPOBOR 2012. One of them, ELASTOSIL® LR 3040, is a fast-curing silicone rubber which is suited for food contact applications and for the economical production of notch-resis-tant silicone components, such as teats and leisure products, in large volumes. New at EXPOBOR are also WACKER's flame re-tardant liquid silicone rubber (LSR) grades ELASTOSIL® LR 3011/50 FR and ELASTOSIL® LR 3170/40 as well as the low friction LSR ELASTOSIL® LR 3065 for connector seals in auto-motive electric and electronic applications. EXPOBOR 2012 will take place from April 11 to 13 in São Paulo, Brazil.
ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 is one of WACKER's highlights at this year's EXPOBOR. Compared with conventional liquid silicone rubbers, this LSR features higher reactivity and thus shortens production cycles significantly at the same mold temperature. Another key advantage is its extremely high notch resistance. ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 is particularly advantageous when used for manufacturing thin-walled components.
Postcured parts made of this LSR are suitable for food contact applications and comply with corresponding requirements such as those issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 has a wide variety of applications, ranging from technical applications to sensitive uses in baby care and leisure products. The LSR grade is available in a wide array of Shore A hardnesses.
Liquid Silicone Rubber Grades for Optimum Fire Protection
At EXPOBOR, WACKER will also present ELASTOSIL® LR 3011/50 FR and ELASTOSIL® LR 3170/40. After curing, both liquid silicone rubber grades form highly flame resistant rubbers, which meet the very best V-0 flammability rating according to the US Underwriters Laboratories test standard UL 94. Compared to other flame-retardant LSR, both products exhibit considerably less abrasive behavior during injection molding. The result is a clear reduction in mold fouling. ELASTOSIL® LR 3011/50 FR and ELASTOSIL® LR 3170/40 significantly extend equipment life and offer considerable process-cost advantages.
Moreover, ELASTOSIL® LR 3170/40 uses the patented WACKER self-bonding technology and therefore addresses the increasing importance of two-component injection molded products. The liquid silicone rubber is formulated in such a way that it begins bonding to hard components - but not to the surface of the injec-tion mold - during the vulcanization process. Surface priming or pretreatment is no longer necessary. Suitable hard components include metals such as aluminum and certain flame-resistant polyamides. In the production of two-component injection molded products, the bonding behavior of ELASTOSIL® LR 3170/40 allows manufacturers to increase automation to a level previously unattainable with flame-resistant liquid silicone rubber.
Possible applications for both products can be found wherever processes require not only high levels of fire protection, but also properties typically associated with silicones, such as elasticity at low temperatures, electrical non-conductivity and resistance to heat, weathering and aging. Applications include LED fittings for background lighting in flat screen monitors, axial and radial seals in connection sockets, and single-wire seals for the housing of solar collectors.
Anti-Friction Liquid Silicone Rubber Grades
WACKER will also showcase liquid silicone rubber grades that cure to form elastomers with anti-friction surfaces. Molded parts made of ELASTOSIL® LR 3065 feature a low-friction surface immediately after they are produced. This makes them ideally suited for automated assembly. Typical fields of application are connector seals for auto-motive electrics and electronics.
The anti-friction effect of ELASTOSIL® LR 3065 is achieved without the help of silicone oil exuding from the rubber's surface. Due to this, molded parts made of this LSR are oil-free and therefore attract less dust. Consequently, conveyor belts used to transport the silicone parts, remain clean. ELASTOSIL® LR 3065 offers excellent mechanical properties and is a good choice whenever components made of silicone rubber need to be robust and should feature a low friction surface without the help of an oily film.
Further highlights at EXPOBOR 2012:
oSILPURAN® 6700 and SILPURAN® 8060/60 for medical applications
SILPURAN® 6700 is a paste-like, easily-pigmentable two-component compound with a very short curing time and good mechanical and electrical properties. Vulcanizates are noted for their self-adhesive properties to various substrates. The series includes self adhesive liquid silicone rubber grades for producing hard-soft material combinations for medical applications such as gaskets and membranes. SILPURAN® 8060/60, a peroxide cure two part high consistency silicone rubber, shows good flexibility, high transparency and good mechanical properties. It is ideal for molding or for the extrusion of medical device components such as gaskets or tubes. All SILPURAN® silicone grades meet selected test requirements of ISO 10993 and United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) Class VI.
o Low friction silicones for the food industry
The silicone rubber extrusion series ELASTOSIL® R plus 4366 and the ELASTOSIL® LR 3066 molding product range cure to form low friction elastomers which facilitate automatic assembly. They are ideal for food technology applications. ELASTOSIL® LR 3066 is especially suited for the production of food-industry dosing valves.
o ELASTOSIL® R plus 4370 for hard-soft profiles
ELASTOSIL® R plus 4370 is a self-adhesive high consistency silicone rubber grade (HCR) for the cost-effective coextrusion or molding of hard-soft material combinations. The silicone products bond to different metal and plastic substrates without the need to
pretreat the substrate surface. ELASTOSIL® R plus 4370 grades allow one-step production of hard-soft profiles.
Visit WACKER at EXPOBOR 2012 at booth F/4/5.
At EXPOBOR 2012, WACKER will present ELASTOSIL® LR 3040, a silicone elastomer for baby care, household and leisure applications. It features exceptional tear resistance and cures rapidly.
Single-wire seals made of ELASTOSIL® LR 3011/50 FR from WACKER. The silicone elastomer is flame resistant and ideal for manufacturing sophisticated electrical components in flat screen monitors, solar collectors and electric vehicles.
For further information, please contact:
Wacker Chemie AG
Media Relations and Information
Florian Degenhart
Tel. +49 89 6279-1601
Fax +49 89 6279-2877
florian.degenhart@wacker.com
The company in brief:
WACKER is a globally active chemical company with some 17,200 employees and annual sales of around Euros4.91 billion (2011).
WACKER has a global network of 25 production sites, 20 technical competence centers and 53 sales offices.
WACKER SILICONES
Silicone fluids, emulsions, rubber and resins; silanes; pyrogenic silicas; thermoplastic silicone elastomers
WACKER POLYMERS
Polyvinyl acetate and vinyl acetate copolymers in the form of dispersible polymer powders, dispersions, solid resins and solutions used as binders for construction chemicals, paints and coatings, adhesives, plasters, textiles and nonwovens, as well as for polymeric materials based on renewable resources
WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS
Biotech products such as cyclodextrins, cysteine and biologics, as well as fine chemicals and PVAc solid resins
WACKER POLYSILICON
Polysilicon for the semiconductor and photovoltaics industries
Siltronic Hyperpure silicon wafers and monocrystals for semiconductor components
