WACKER Presents New Silicone Rubber Grades for Baby Care Applications
Munich - At PLAST 2012, WACKER, the Munich-based chemical group, will showcase novel silicone rubber grades for manufacturing pacifiers and bottle nipples for infants and toddlers. These new grades include two liquid silicones of the ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 product line and two ELASTOSIL® R plus 4020 solid silicones. An outstanding feature of all four products is the high - and in the case of the two solid silicone rubber grades extraordinarily high - tear strength of the cured rubber. The PLAST tradeshow will take place from May 8-12 in Milan, Italy.
The innovative liquid silicone rubber grades target the fast production of soft yet bite-resistant silicone pacifiers and bottle nipples. They extend the ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 product line by two grades that cure to form elastomers with a Shore A hardness of 30 (ELASTOSIL® LR 3040/30) and 45 (ELASTOSIL® LR 3040/45). With these hard-nesses, WACKER fulfills a wish often expressed by manufacturers of infant and toddler products.
After curing, ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 exhibits a tear strength which is significantly higher than that of comparable liquid silicone rubber grades. Pacifiers and bottle nipples made of the new liquid silicone rubber grades thus also endure the strains produced by children's baby teeth, for example. Like all ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 grades, the two new liquid silicones feature very short curing times.
The cured products of the two ELASTOSIL® R plus 4020 solid silicone rubber grades exhibit even higher tear strength - over 50 newtons per millimeter, measured as per ASTM D 624 B. Until now, such values were unattainable with silicones in baby care applica-tions. ELASTOSIL® R plus 4020 enables the manufacture of thin-walled and compliant pacifiers and bottle nipples which, at the same time, exhibit practical bite resistance. Low wall thicknesses make for greater freedom of design and facilitate the manufacture of ortho-dontically correct pacifiers and bottle nipples. The two grades extend the product line by the hardness levels most often used for pacifiers and bottle nipples, Shore A 40 and 50 respectively.
All four new silicone rubber grades can be processed by injection molding. They produce highly transparent cured rubber with excellent mechanical properties. The post-cured rubbers are food-compatible and meet the requirements of the Federal German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the French Arrêté du 25 novembre 1992.
Thanks to these innovative grades, the product lines of liquid and solid silicone rubbers with particularly high tear strengths now include a practical range of hardness levels: ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 covers hardnesses between Shore A 30 and 60, while ELASTOSIL® R plus 4020 is available in Shore A hardnesses of 40 to 70.
Visit WACKER at PLAST 2012 in Hall 11, Booth B36.
At PLAST 2012, WACKER will be showcasing liquid and solid silicone rubber grades ELASTOSIL® LR 3040 and ELASTOSIL® R plus 4020. They feature outstanding tear strength and so are ideal for pacifiers. Orthodontically correct designs with low wall thicknesses are also possible. (Photo: Wacker Chemie AG, courtesy of MAM Babyartikel GesmbH)
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 photovoltaic industries
Siltronic
Hyperpure silicon wafers and monocrystals for semiconductor components
For further information, please contact:
Wacker Chemie AG
Media Relations & Information
Florian Degenhart
Tel. +49 89 6279-1601
Fax: +49 89 6279-2877
christof.bachmair@wacker.com
