Material of the Month: Silicone Rubber

CGR Products stocks material choices of all kinds — flexible rubber sheeting, adhesive solutions, and fiber materials are just the beginning of our specialty options.

Our Material of the Month series spotlights some of our favorite materials and their unique applications. This month, we’re discussing silicone rubber.

What is Silicone Rubber?

Silicone rubber is a unique, extremely flexible synthetic elastomer. It is extraordinarily versatile and relatively simple to manufacture, making it essential for industries ranging from automotive to home goods.

Materials and Properties

In addition to its outstanding ease of production, this unique material offers a wide range of specialized properties, including:

• High and low temperature stability
• Compression resistance
• Tear strength and flexibility
• Long-term tensile strength and elongation properties
• Excellent insulation
• Easy coloration and formula customization
• Resistance to chemicals, fungus, ozone, aging, weather, and flames
• Varying degrees of hardness and softness

Applications and Industries

Silicone’s list of applications is constantly growing — its versatility and accessibility make it particularly appealing to innovators across industries. Some key uses include:

• Sealants and gaskets in the automotive industry
• Door and window seals in aeronautics and aviation
• Equipment in food and beverage applications
• Gaskets in electronics and energy transmission
• Sensitive, hypoallergenic tools in medicine and veterinary science

Using Silicone for Your Application

As flexible material specialists, the CGR team offers years of experience in converting silicone into components to fit specialty projects. Our in-house precision cutting services include rotary and flatbed die cutting, kiss cutting, slitting, splitting, knife cutting, and more.

For more information about  silicone’s unique applications and fabrication possibilities, visit our Silicone Rubber material page.

Material of the Month: Cross Linked Polyethylene (XLPE)

Lightweight, Versatile, Durable: A High Performance Foam Solution

This blog is the second in a new CGR Products content series titled “Material of the Month.” The series will spotlight some of the unique materials and their applications that CGR works with.

High performance material choices can make all the difference in a project. From sheet rubber to open- and closed-cell foam to adhesive solutions, our Material of the Month series will spotlight some of these unique materials and their applications.

For this post, we’ll be featuring cross linked polyethylene. This flexible, closed-cell foam has low water absorption and excellent thermal insulation properties.

The foam material also makes it highly efficient for conversion into various shapes — including Christmas trees and snowflakes, as pictured in the photo!

What is Cross Linked Polyethylene?

XLPE is a smooth, fine-celled foam with exceptional consistency and gauge control. It presents superior physical and chemical properties, including low vapor transmission and water absorption. XLPE is available in  many grades.

Benefits and Uses

Foam rubber has cushioning properties to lessen impact and smoothly fill voids and gaps between less flexible materials. Closed-cell foams such as  XLPE are especially useful as seals, reducing the flow of gases and other liquids.  XLPE is particularly effective in transportation industry watershields, healthcare devices, and industrial cap seals because of its low water absorption.

Other uses of  XLPE include:

• Instrument panels and door panels for the transportation industry
• Medical tape and transdermal drug delivery
• Industrial tape and specialized packaging
• Appliance and vehicle gaskets
• Construction
• Military and defense
• Sports paddings and new technology

Nontoxic and free of CFC, HCFC, and hydrocarbon blowing agents,  XLPE is available for conversion from both seamless rolls and laminated sheets. Each grade of  XLPE offers its own unique environmental and physical performance perks — consult one of our materials experts to find the best fit for your project.

Custom Fabrication at CGR

Foam materials are an ideal option for many industries and are a highly efficient material for cutting and conversion work at CGR. Our team can hold standard RMA tolerances to create foam rubber gaskets, sealants, and custom parts.

Our precision die cutting services, including both rotary and flatbed die cutting, as well as knife cutting and waterjet cutting, can deliver extremely precise, ready to use foam components.

For more information on  applications using XLPE, or to discuss other industrial foam options for your next project, reach out to a member of our team today.