Diamond America - Silicone Extrusion Equipment
Silicones, or polysiloxanes, are plastic polymers made up of silicon and oxygen atoms, however, due to their rubber-like properties they are often considered more as a synthetic rubber.
Silicones can be formed into many different products since, like plastics, they are very flexible and malleable. They are also extremely temperature resistant and gas permeable. Since silicones do not react with most materials this makes silicone rubber extrusions extremely useful for medical and industrial applications.
The raw material loaded into a silicone extruder machine is silicone gum stock, which varies greatly in grade and requires careful selection to achieve the desired final end product properties.
Silicones are often extruded in conjunction with other materials, for enhanced product functionality, for example as a co-extrusion or with a substrate for reinforcement purposes, where custom die design may be required.
High levels of process control are necessary in the silicone extrusion process to ensure that the required critical properties and dimensions are achieved.
The extensive range of items produced by the silicone extrusion process includes:
- Cookware & Utensils
- Filters
- Gaskets
- Insultation
- Medical Applications (Implants, Silicone Tube Sealants)
- Silicone Sponge