Silicone Tubing Material Services

Why Silicone is the Best Material for Tubing

Silicone offers a wide range of advantages to the medical device engineer, and silicones are widely regarded in the industry as the superior implant material.

The advantages of silicone include:

• Chemical resistance: Silicones resist many chemicals, including some acids, oxidizing chemicals, ammonia, and isopropyl alcohol. Silicone rubber will swell when exposed to non-polar solvents, including benzene and toluene, but will return to its original shape when these solvents evaporate. Concentrated acids, alkalines, and solvents should not be used with silicones.
• Compatible with human tissue and body fluids: Silicone material can be formulated and tested for full biocompatibility and has no additives that can leech out. Axiom® silicone tubing is odorless, tasteless, and does not support bacteria growth. They offer excellent thermostability and can be steam, ethylene oxide, or radiation sterilized.
• Silicones can be formulated to have excellent flame- and smoke-resistant properties: Silicone has conductivity and self-lubricating properties. These tubes are also capable of maintaining physical properties under extreme temperature conditions, -80°F to 450°F.
• Silicones exceed all comparable materials in their insulating properties: Silicones are non-conductive and maintain dielectric strength in temperature extremes far higher than those in which conventional insulating materials can perform.