Originally Published MPMN March 2003

INDUSTRY NEWS

Liquid Silicone Rubber Line Introduced

Kelly Donoghue

A line of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) offers clarity, resilience, heat age properties, moldability, physical strength, and fast cure speed. A two-part, 100%- solid, pure dimethyl silicone elastomer, Silbione LSR from Rhodia Silicones (Cranbury, NJ; www.rhodia-silicones.com) is engineered for use in liquid-injection molding (LIM) processes to produce molded components for use in medical devices.

"Silbione LSR offers a combination of performance characteristics not found in other LSR products on the market today," says human care business director of the U.S.-based division of Rhodia Silicones Robert Barrett. He cites fast mold cycles, easy mold release, and high clarity with a 30 to 50% increase in average tear strength as some of the advantages. The industrial and healthcare products are available in 40, 50, 60, and 70 durometers in standard and high-strength grades, and are suited for diaphragm pumps, dosage-control devices, drug-delivery valves, enteral feeding systems, IV valves, and wound-drain bulbs.

LIM offers many benefits in the processing of silicone rubber, including cleanliness and speed, explains marketing manager Alain Morin. Pumping systems deliver the two-part liquid silicone directly into a mixer for homogenization and then into the mold cavity; this completely closed cycle minimizes contamination. The LIM process ensures consistent part quality, reduces injection pressures, and improves cycle rates, adds Morin.

Rhodia Silicones has also announced that its French headquarters, Rhodia S.A., is reorganizing its operations in an effort to better serve its customers. The company will be restructured around eight markets that include consumer products, food chemicals, industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, automotive, electronic products, and fibers. Each market area will have a key leader, who will serve as enterprise president for his or her group, and a marketing innovation director responsible for identifying major customer issues and managing partnerships with key accounts.

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