Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
(OP)
I'm trying to figure out how to remove silicone (vinyl polysiloxane derivative) from a plastic tube which has channels that mix the two parts when they're shot through. The problem is that it dries before it can be cleaned. Is there some kind of solvent that could be used that will soften the silicone but not damage the plastic?





RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
By the way, silicone does not "dry", it cures or cross-links. For historical reasons, the cross-linking reaction of alkyd resins (oil paints) is called "drying". But otherwise, "drying" refers to the evaporation of solvents.
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
Good luck,
Latexman
To a ChE, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
Replace the tubes.
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
Regrettably, merely swelling the material isn't going to be enough for you to get it out of the tiny channels of a static mixer ejector tip.
Most solvents have little to no effect on polyethylene, which is often what is used to make the disposable static mixer tips you're talking about. So a thorough flush immediately after use with acetone would probably do the job- although the tips aren't expensive and are intended to be disposable. Chances are, you'll use more acetone than the tip is worth.
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
At a previous employer we used to use a lot of silicone adhesives on high value components and put a bit of effort in to salvaging them. This product range from Eastman-Dynaloy is worth a look http://www.dynaloy.com/products/silicone-solvents-... although it may well be aggressive to your mixer nozzle. You could also look at Dow's DS-2025 product which is similarly aggressive: http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/search/defa... .
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?
RE: Soften silicone but not damage plastic?