The salient characteristics of the new solid silicone foams from WACKER are ease of processing, suitability for use in the food sector, and versatility. These foams are produced with additives specially developed for ELASTOSIL® silicone rubber, and that can be extruded, injection molded and added to peroxide-curing and platinum-curing silicones. All grades and durometer hardnesses of the ELASTOSIL® R and ELASTOSIL® R plus series can be foamed: from tear resistant to highly crosslinked, from 10 Shore A to 90 Shore A.

The new unveilings at FAKUMA will include WACKER’s two solid silicone grades ELASTOSIL® R 401/10 and ELASTOSIL® R plus 43057/90 and highly transparent silicone prototypes of medium durometer hardness that have been developed specifically for extrusion.

ELASTOSIL® R 401/10 is the world’s first bubble-free extrudable 10 Shore A silicone. It is suitable for food and medical applications as well as for molding articles. ELASTOSIL® plus 4305/90 is a genuine 90 Shore A silicone that does not suffer the friability usually encountered in the upper Shore A range. ELASTOSIL® plus 4305/90 is impressive for its thermoplastic-like hardness, transparency and surface. What is more, its excellent silicone properties, such as enormous heat and aging resistance, are not compromised in any way.

GENIOMER®: Thermoplastic Silicones with New Properties
A further product highlight at FAKUMA will be silicone thermoplastic elastomers marketed by WACKER SILICONES under the name GENIOMER®. These highly transparent products combine the properties of thermoplastic polymers (i.e. they can be molded when heated) with the major advantages of silicones, such as low temperature flexibility, abrasion resistance, haptic properties and water repellency. A symbiosis of organic and inorganic components makes this possible.

Silicone thermoplastic elastomers possess a property profile that has never yet been achieved in either thermoplastics or silicones. These include ease of processing by thermoplastic methods, ready overpainting with paints and coatings, very good release and slip behavior, outstanding low-temperature properties without the need for additives, good storage stability and excellent water repellency. Further advantages are high tensile strength, which is achieved without the use of fillers, excellent haptic properties and total transparency. The range of potential applications extends from process auxiliaries for polymer chemistry (e.g. to enhance the processability of plastics) through to applications in the field of structural polymers and materials, especially for injection molding and extrusion.

ELASTOSIL® LR for Manufacturing Composites
A further product highlight is the self-adhesive liquid silicone rubbers from WACKER SILICONES. ELASTOSIL® LR liquid silicone rubbers are pasty, easily pigmented two-component blends that cure extremely quickly. Obviating the need for priming, they exhibit excellent adhesion on a large number of materials, ranging from thermoplastics and thermosets to metals and glass. They are therefore eminently suitable for the production of composites.

In addition, self-adhesive ELASTOSIL® LR grades feature outstanding mechanical and electrical properties. Processing by injection molding and at elevated temperatures is a cinch. Multi-component parts, such as shower heads and steering wheel keypads, can be produced in one pass. Applications for this new product family are extremely varied, and range from medical technology, electronics and electrical engineering through to the household, sanitary and babycare sectors.

When It’s Hot Beneath the Hood: ELASTOSIL® FLR Fluorosilicone Liquid Rubbers
ELASTOSIL® FLR fluorosilicone liquid rubbers, which WACKER SILICONES is also presenting at FAKUMA, are the answer to hostile conditions under the hood. Temperatures as high as 180°C and aggressive media, such as gasoline and engine oil, cause gaskets to fail. Relative to conventional gaskets, O-rings made from ELASTOSIL® FLR even offer outstanding resistance to hot engine oils. Tests have shown that the swelling which they undergo in gasoline is just one tenth that of standard products. This performance stems from the high proportion of fluorine in the polymer. Because they do not adhere to the molds, they are very readily processed.

To further optimize the sealing properties, WACKER SILICONES has also developed specialty oil-exuding fluorosilicone rubbers. These step up the sealing effect even further. ELASTOSIL® FLR fluorosilicone rubbers are colorless, but can be pigmented upon request in any arbitrary or mandated color.