3 Ways Silicone Coated Fabrics Benefit Manufacturers
Silicone coated fabrics are vital for many industrial applications due to properties such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, flexibility and durability. These products are often made up of reinforced PTFE, silicone elastomers, silicone rubbers, or rubber-coated fiberglass. They play a vital role in protecting manufacturing equipment from damage and positively impact manufacturing processes' safety, efficiency and optimization.
We’ve talked with Victoria Ammermann, Product Manager for Norgard® products, to identify three key reasons why silicone coated fabrics are a go-to within many industrial applications. We narrowed in on why properties such as chemically inert, non-stick, washable, non-flammable and dimensional stability might matter. We also discussed what other types of features and benefits customers look for when selecting silicone coated fabrics within challenging applications.
1. Ability to Withstand Extreme Temperatures
Silicone coated fabrics can be specially engineered to ensure excellent electrical properties and withstand extreme temperature ranges. For example, Norgard Silicone, Rubber-coated Fiberglass products are abrasion-resistant and fire-resistant. These properties make them ideal for use within high temperature electrical gasketing applications.
They are also utilized in industrial applications wherein processes can generate intense heat, serving as reliable thermal barriers. They can be utilized as heat shields, as shrink tunnel curtains, as heater coverings, within conveyor belts and as insulation wraps — to name just a few applications. Due to the ability to retain heat, they work extremely well as a conveyor belt in shrink wrap tunnel applications. High surface release characteristics enable these products to help prevent sticky products from adhering to the belt surfaces.
Products such as our ThermaCool® TF Series are often utilized to electrically isolate power sources from heat sink devices. Due to their thermal conductivity properties, these ThermaCool products are commonly used as heat sinks within LED lighting or electronics. They can offer high temperature capability and conformability in heat sink gaskets.
By effectively containing heat and helping to prevent heat transfer, these silicone coated fabrics can help to ensure longevity and durability of industrial machinery, while helping to protect workers from fire or chemical exposure.
2. Resistance to Weathering
Products such as Norgard SCF1410 in North America are comprised of silicone rubber dispersion-coated nylon fabric. These products are non-stick, washable, chemically inert and dimensionally stable. They are most suitable within applications wherein there might be continuous exposure to harsh environments. They are non-flammable, fire resistant and can withstand temperatures from -85°F to +500°F.
3. Chemical Resilience, Flexibility & Durability
Silicone coated fabrics have a durable barrier that can repel chemicals, acids, solvents and oils. Products such as SCF1025 in North America are utilized to help safeguard equipment and personnel from exposure to harsh chemicals. They can be utilized within protective clothing where exposure to fire and chemicals are possible. Additionally, they can be used as equipment covers or as barriers to harsh chemicals and contaminants.
Silicone coated fabrics are also highly flexible, durable and available in different thicknesses and colors. This makes them easily adaptable to fit complex shapes, geometries and demanding environments. Depending on customer needs, different thickness levels can help reduce weight or the CO2 footprint of a specific design.
Silicone coated fabrics can do it all: seal gaps within machinery, provide electrical gasketing, serve as heater covers, serve as shrink tunnel curtains, be utilized as heat sinks, as conveyor belts or more! Without a doubt, these products help optimize manufacturing processes, while also protecting workers and machinery due to their flexibility, durability, chemical and fire resistance properties.
Our Norgard Silicone Coated Fabric product portfolio consists of various products to serve different application needs. If an application requires high thermal conductivity, our most thermally conductive product would be ideal for this scenario versus a lower thermally conductive product. However, this does not always mean the higher the thermal conductivity the better. Product selection is both application- and customer specific. When in doubt, connect with our team to determine which products are most suitable to your specific application needs.