Heat and cold
State continuous and peak temperature with the medium. Silicone is often discussed from about -60 to +230°C in industry literature; that range is a family window, not a rating for your quoted lot.
Translate the application into purchase requirements, not into a promised result. Buyers arrive with the string is silicone rubber when they still need to decide whether silicone is the right elastomer for the medium and the service temperature in °F or °C.
Silicone Rubber Sourcing does not certify that a part will pass a food, medical or oil test. We write the axes so a factory can answer, or say it cannot.
State continuous and peak temperature with the medium. Silicone is often discussed from about -60 to +230°C in industry literature; that range is a family window, not a rating for your quoted lot.
If the part sees hydrocarbons, ask whether silicone swells in that fluid. Fluoroelastomer (FKM/FFKM) is a different request and a different site conversation — do not let a salesperson treat them as interchangeable.
FDA 21 CFR 177, NSF 51 or NSF 61 files attach to a named grade and lot. A “food grade” label on a carton is not the file.
USP Class VI or ISO 10993, if requested, must name the compound. This desk does not run biological reactivity tests.
Ozone and UV resistance is a reason buyers pick silicone. Still write the color, thickness and whether a UV package was specified — do not assume a translucent sheet is an outdoor grade.
A drawing says “high temp gasket.” The project actually needs a number in °F or °C plus the medium. Until that is written, is silicone rubber is a question, not an order.
Process teams often debate silicone first versus fluoroelastomer for oil and heat. Silicone can win on temperature window and biocompatibility cost; FKM can win where silicone swells. The factory must say which chemistry it is quoting.
Compression set, tear strength and Shore A change when the joint is dynamic. A static enclosure pad and a cycling seal are different requests even if both say silicone rubber.
Service temperature, medium, hardness, documents and destination. Results, leak rates and approvals stay with the buyer and the named factory.
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