News

In Year 2011 we will participate in two Fairs:

1.) Participation at Hannover Messe/Germany , area Surface Technology

     from 04. April 2011 to 08. April 2011

     Hall 6 Stand H 50

2.) Participation at  FAKUMA in Friedrichshafen/Germany

     from 18. October 2011 to 22.October 2011

     Hall A7 Stand 7307

Reduction of sliding friction on three-dimensional formed silicon parts



Formed silicone parts are these days used for many varied applications, from simple washers and gaskets in electrical systems to high-tech parts in medical equipment.

Silicones have a number of outstanding benefits.

Important selection advantages for silicones are:

- heat - resistance within the bounds of -50°C - 200°C
- long lasting high mechanical strain
- resistant to light and UV light or X- rays
- resistant to oxidation and reduction agents as well to steam
- kind to the skin
- licensed for the use in drinking-water supplies
- easy to dye

Thanks to their many beneficial properties, silicones have reached a high market penetration especially for applications of high quality.

Unfortunately the surface of silicones, do not always meet all the necessary requirements.

Many silicones tend towards sticky and blunt surfaces with a high sliding friction. The blunt and yet freely-adhesive surface of the silicones greatly reduces their installability.

The sticky surface also often causes high breakaway forces on closed washers and gaskets.

These surface properties can restrict some possible applications.

There is also the fact that the sticky surface of a non-treated silicone feels unpleasant and can be prone to dirt and dust contamination.

To minimise this problem silicone parts are often coated with a talcum powder layer. Unfortunately this talcum layer is repelled by the silicone's surface. The free talcum powder layer then contaminates the surrounding area. This in turn limits the quantity of talcum powder that can be applied.

Surface pre-treatment is usually a very effective alternative to talcum layers or indeed the only option for achieving specified standards.

In the fluorination process, the surface of the silicone parts to be treated is exposed to a fluorine mixture.

Due to it's high reactivity, fluorination produces the required surface changes such as minimisation of the gliding friction, providing a less sticky and more pleasantly tactile surface.

The binding energy of the carbon-fluorine compound is extremely high and long lasting, meaning the fluorination cannot be reversed and therefore does not allow dirt to contaminate the surface and the surrounding area.

The silicone can be used directly after the fluorination process for further applications.

Due to the growing demand for fluorinated silicones a new treatment chamber was put into operation at our company in Lauterbach.

This batch processing chamber is equipped with a rotating drum, which guarantees that even small and smooth parts or bulk delivered components will be absolutely and evenly pre-treated.

Our fully automated fluorination system has full process and concentration monitoring as a recipe. This recipe is then saved on our system PLC so that the precise recipe, can be reproduced exactly at any time.