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Tutorial: processing silicone

What do you need to pay attention to when processing silicone rubber compounds? What mistakes do people typically make? How do you avoid them? Our videos will provide you with a wealth of application tips for RTV silicone, 1-part silicone, 2-part silicone and silicone for potting electronics and electrical components. The focus is on industrial applications.

Processing silicone:

- Skin formation, potlife

- Potting electronics and electrical components

- Processing silicone resin

- Silicone primer

This video shows you how to test a silicone to determine whether it can still be processed.

Silicone cures from the outside in. Why is that? What does that mean for processing silicone?

Skin formation in a 1-part silicone:

  • RTV silicone
  • Testing a 1-part silicone to determine whether it can still be processed
  • Why moisture curing causes silicones to cure from the outside in

This video shows ELASTOSIL® N9111, a universal silicone sealant and adhesive for household appliances and for the automotive and electronics industries. Click here for details and for downloading the technical data sheet.

To the ELASTOSIL® N9111 Black product page

This video shows you how to select the right mixer for 2-part silicones.

The right way to process silicone: obtaining a good result for a 2-part silicone begins with mixing.

Optimizing the silicone mixing process:

  • Work with pneumatic dispensing equipment
  • How the size and geometry of static mixers determine the outcome
  • How to mix a 2-part silicone by hand and achieve a homogeneous result

This video demonstrates the differences in potlife for 2-part silicones.

How much time do I have for processing a 2-part silicone? Here you’ll find background information on industrial silicone processing.

Silicone potlife:

  • What does potlife (processing time) mean?
  • Viscosity of 2-part silicones
  • Crosslinking at room temperature: silicones for potting and encapsulation stay flowable for different amounts of time – why is that?
  • A comparison between two silicone grades in the ELASTOSIL® family

We’ll be happy to advise you on the perfect potlife for your application and process.

This video shows ELASTOSIL® RT 607, a 2-part silicone that remains flowable for a long time. When cured, it is flame retardant, highly resistant to heat and meets the requirements of EN 45545-1:2020 (“Fire protection on railway vehicles”) for hazard levels HL1, HL2 and HL3 with respect to requirements R22, R23 and R24.

To the ELASTOSIL® RT 607 A/B product page

This video shows ELASTOSIL® RT 772, a 2-part silicone that cures quickly at room temperature. This compound is flowable and ideal for potting in small appliances, white goods and mechanical engineering.

To the ELASTOSIL® RT 772 product page

This video shows how to mix and deaerate a 2-part silicone for potting electronics and electrical components.

Why is it so important to deaerate silicones when potting electronics and electrical components? How is it done? Why should you work under a vacuum?

2-part silicone potting compound for electronics and electrical components:

  • 2-part silicone: how to achieve a transparent potting compound
  • What makes silicone become opaque during crosslinking – and how to avoid it
  • Crosslinking under a vacuum – crucial when working at elevated temperatures
  • Achieving void-free potting and optimum protection for electronic components
  • Processing a 2-part silicone elastomer

Electronics and electrical components

Room-temperature vulcanizing silicone elastomers from WACKER reliably protect against external influences, which ensures the functional safety of electrical and electronic components. As one of the world’s leading silicone manufacturers with many years of experience, WACKER is a competent partner of the industry and offers tailor-made solutions for potting, bonding, sealing and coating.

To the “Electronics” application page

This video shows you how to use heat-resistant 2-part silicones to achieve void-free potting.

Exceptional heat resistance is often important for potting electrical and electronic components. Which silicones are right for the job?

2-part silicone potting compound, heat-resistant

  • Void-free potting
  • Heat-resistant potting for applications in electronics exposed to high temperatures

This video shows ELASTOSIL® RT 607, a 2-part silicone that remains flowable for a long time. When cured, it is flame retardant, highly resistant to heat and meets the requirements of EN 45545-1:2020 (“Fire protection on railway vehicles”) for hazard levels HL1, HL2 and HL3 with respect to requirements R22, R23 and R24.

To the ELASTOSIL® RT 607 A/B product page

This video explains factors that can disrupt crosslinking in a platinum-catalyzed silicone.

Does your silicone cure on the surface, yet fail to adhere to the substrate? Inhibition may be the reason.

Inhibition with platinum-catalyzed silicones:

  • What does inhibition mean?
  • What do we mean when we talk about “catalyst poisoning”?
  • How inhibition disrupts crosslinking in a 2-part silicone
  • Silicone inhibition on sulfur-containing substrates
  • Inhibition caused by processing condensation-curing and addition-curing silicones at the same time when these contain inhibiting components.
  • Inhibition due to contamination

Processing:

You can process addition-curing and condensation-curing silicones in the same production process as long as you are careful to choose the right silicone. We would be happy to advise you.

This video shows a test for determining whether you need a primer to improve the adhesion strength of a silicone.

What surfaces fail to bond with silicone? Does silicone adhere to acrylate? Do you need a primer? Testing the tensile lap-shear strength of an adhesive bond provides clarity for industrial applications.

Determining silicone adhesion strength:

  • Testing tensile lap-shear strength
  • Self-adhesive silicone grades (adhere to substrates such as metals with an oxide layer, polar plastics like polyamide, etc.)
  • Non-adhesive silicone grades
  • Silicone primer / adhesion promoter to improve adhesion strength

We recommend testing adhesion strength systematically. We would be happy to advise you.

This video shows how silicone resins cure and why it makes sense to use a curing catalyst.

Silicone resins may be solid or liquid depending on their degree of polymerization and molecular weight. One factor always holds true: silicone resins do not develop their full potential until they have been cured at elevated temperatures.

Using a curing catalyst:

  • Animation: why silicon resins can be either liquid or solid
  • Explanation: why heat accelerates crosslinking and why the resin then cures
  • SILRES® MK FLAKES: a reversible melting process
  • The role of catalysts for rapid crosslinking
  • SILRES® H 62C: Crosslinking with no by-products – perfect for electrical insulation in motors and engines

SILRES®silicone resins are suitable for many different applications, ranging from composite materials to insulation for electrical coil windings. They are available as powders, flakes or liquids.

To the “Silicone resins” product group page

This video sheds light on the importance and efficacy of heat stabilizers in silicone fluids.

What is the benefit of silicone fluids containing heat stabilizers over standard silicone fluids? Learn more about the importance and efficacy of heat stabilizers.

Silicone fluids with heat stabilizers retain their functionality longer:

  • Why heat resistance varies from one silicone fluid to the next
  • Why silicone fluids are available with heat stabilizers
  • Why fluids with heat stabilizers can withstand higher temperatures for longer periods of time
  • Animation: effect of a heat stabilizer
  • Comparison between a “normal” silicone fluid and a fluid containing a heat stabilizer

WACKER silicone fluids offer a perfect combination of ideal damping properties, long service life and reliability. That makes them an integral part of modern mechanical engineering, especially in high-capacity, top-performing combustion engines. Their superior functionality is particularly evident in applications that span a wide temperature range.

To the “Damping and Insulating” application page:

This animation illustrates the crosslinking reaction of a platinum-catalyzed 2-part silicone.

How does silicone crosslink? Let's take a deep dive into the chemistry!

Crosslinking in platinum-catalyzed silicones:

  • A look at the molecule
  • Chemical reaction when platinum-catalyzed silicones crosslink

Platinum-catalyzed curing is not the only crosslinking mechanism for silicones: condensation curing, which releases compounds such as acetic acid, amines or alcohols, is applicable here as well.

Moldmaking with silicones: quick guides for better results

Welcome to the moldmaking laboratory! Our experts have recorded short videos that address typical questions. These quick guides are just a few minutes long and show how you can easily achieve even better results when using ELASTOSIL®M.

To the “Moldmaking with silicones” Insights article

Silicones from WACKER are key players in the most astonishing success stories – and yet they often remain behind the scenes. They get us from point A to point B on time, make housework easier and have even made the energy transition possible. They do hard work on the ocean floor – and sometimes they even go to outer space.

To the success stories of our “secret engineers”

Whenever operational safety is at stake for sensitive parts or electrical components, silicones always provide reliable protection from external influences, such as heat, vibrations and moisture. Silicones keep their components working properly, from individual components to highly complex traction motors for rail vehicles – even under extreme conditions. Come see us each year at the CWIEME tradeshow.

To our CWIEME Berlin tradeshow site

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