What Are Silicone Gaskets Used For?

SILICONE GASKETS: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW

Silicone gaskets offer a wide range of benefits, making them a top choice for gasket manufacturing. As a flexible material converter, we’ve worked with a variety of gaskets, which is why we’re answering questions about one of the most common gasketing materials.

To learn more about the uses and benefits of silicone gaskets, read on for a guide intended to help you discover a suitable gasketing material.

Types of Gaskets

The type of material in your gasket depends on its intended use. For example, if you’re dealing with a rigid object, you need a gasket that fits the set shape. Doors and moving structures need something more flexible.

Before you design a gasket, consider your needs, including temperature, pressure, corrosion resistance, availability, and cost.

Gaskets must be solid so they don’t allow materials to pass through. Some also need to deal with energy discharge. You can have many different types of gaskets, including:

• Pipe gaskets

• Gasketing tape or adhesive

• Gasketing foam

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And many different materials, including silicone, neoprene, EPDM, Teflon, Gore-Tex, and graphite gaskets.

What is a Silicone Gasket?

When you’re looking for multi-temperature range, high-performance mechanical seals with high resilience and durability, you should consider silicone gaskets. 

Silicone gaskets can withstand high and low temperatures, making them a versatile material. Use silicone gaskets when you need a material with high-temperature resistance, a low compression set, and good electrical insulation. 

What Are the Uses of Silicone Gaskets?

Because of their versatility, silicone gaskets have uses in many different industries.

AEROSPACE

Silicone gaskets resist extreme temperatures, UV light, ozone, and chemicals. Because they can handle extreme weather and temperatures without wearing down, they’re often the right fit for airplanes, space shuttles, and similar vehicles. 

TRANSPORTATION

Silicone gaskets are stable and durable, maintaining their resilience and strength even in extreme conditions. Because they can handle unnecessary stress without issues, they are great for personal, commercial, or industrial vehicles. In addition, they reduce vibrations, provide high-quality radiator seals, and are otherwise used for mass transit systems like buses and trains.

COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

In the construction industry, silicone gaskets are used as seals for HVAC systems and windows or doors. They can also be used in engine gaskets to vent ducts. 

Other silicone gasket uses include serving as seals in food processing machinery and industrial oven seals in the food industry. The medical industry uses them for medical equipment like healthcare devices or for pharmaceutical purposes. 

What Are the Benefits of Silicone Gaskets?

Before we get into the different types of silicone gaskets, it’s worth considering the properties that differentiate them from other gasketing materials.

There are thousands of materials to make gaskets with, but silicone gaskets stand out thanks to the benefits that allow them to be used in indoor and outdoor applications. 

BENEFIT #1: ABILITY TO WITHSTAND HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES

Silicone gaskets can withstand temperatures up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit continuously. This makes it great for many industrial applications. It can be exposed to high heat levels without degrading or wearing out. Silicone gaskets can also withstand heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit intermittently.

On the other hand, they can also withstand extremely cold temperatures. They can remain flexible at as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

BENEFIT #2:  EXCELLENT INSULATION

Silicone gaskets have conductive capabilities that make them excellent insulators of electricity. By blending silicone with nickel-graphite or silver-plated aluminum particles, silicone gaskets can shield electromagnetic interference.

Silicones are found in most high-voltage insulators and other electrical components. They can be cross-linked by different chemical reactions, making them non-reactive at high temperatures. The electrical industry relies significantly on these non-reactive materials. 

Where electromagnetic discharge is a problem, silicone can also be blended with a semi-conductive carbon to prevent electromagnetic discharge.

BENEFIT #3: FLAME RETARDANT

Silicone gaskets have low flammability levels, which makes them ideal for industries that generate excessive heat. They can be used in telecommunications equipment and mass transit systems. 

Silicone gaskets meet the testing requirements from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for fire safety and flame resistance, meaning they can achieve UL94V0, UL94V1, and UL94HF1 flammability standards.

BENEFIT #4: WATER-REPELLING MATERIAL

Silicon gaskets have a water-repelling material that repels liquids, resists moisture, and maintains a watertight seal. This sealing ability is essential for industries dealing with moisture or water and great for outdoor use in wet weather conditions.