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Reduce coefficient of friction of silicone rubber.

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dave53

Mechanical
Sep 30, 2002
3
Can anyone suggest a permenant high temperature (300F) coating that can be applied to silicone rubber that will reduce the coefficient of friction of silicone.
 
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dave53,

I don't know if you are producing the silicone product, if you are, then the tackiness can be reduced some bit by increasing the Cure Temperature. This is particularily true for RTV (room temp vulcanising). You can also add a silicone oil to the mix before curing. This will then release from the surface providing lubrication. You could also apply the silicone oil directly to the cured (finished product) surface. There are various viscosities available.

Hope this helps.

Speedy

"Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure."
 
parlene coating is often used to reduce surface friction, see for one supplier.

we offer a proprietary inorgance surface treatment that is effective for lower durometers, 40A and down, for production orders of some size, say 1000 part minimum
vesta inc.,
 
The type of friction reducing coating will depend on the application. Is it an o-ring or a different geometry? Do you want to reduce friction in a dynamic mode or just for installation? There are many coatings available, including PTFE which will reduce friction but each has its own limitation. Let me know if you would like to discuss the application. I would be galad to help.
 
Have you tried a dilute hydrochloric acid dip. (Not recommended with chips)
 
Teflon (trademark violation, lol) can be vulcanized to the surface of a molded silicone rubber product for a permanent release or a PTFE solution can be applied for a temporary fix. Tiodize makes a release that is comprised of teflon (trademark again) "beads/microballoons" in a solvent solution that is wiped on. The solvent flashes off leaving the beads on the surface as a release or to reduce friction.

AJ
 
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