Shin-Etsu Chemical Has Developed a Molding Silicone Rubber That Realizes Lighter Weight for Rubber-Molded Products

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo, President, Yasuhiko Saito) has now developed a new low-density type of molding silicone rubber that realizes lighter-weight rubber molded products. Shin-Etsu is the first company in the industry to have developed this type of molding silicone rubber using LIMS (Liquid Injection Molding System) materials.

Demand for lighter-weight rubber molded products is growing in many industrial fields such as automobiles and transportation vehicles like airplanes, as well as in other diverse fields such as wearable devices, and with the development of lighter weight products, further expansion of silicone rubber applications are expected.
So far, in order to make lighter-weight silicone rubber, a foaming agent was added to millable-type silicone rubber and molded into a sponge-like form. However, our new product does not require the adding of a foaming agent. Furthermore, because it can be molded using our advanced LIMS, it can meet the demand from molding-makers for superior quality and improvements in productivity.

This new product is available in two types: a low-density/high strength type *1 and a very low-density type *2. Both can make continuous automatic molding possible through the use of an injection molding machine, and therefore can efficiently produce high-quality rubber molded products, resulting in realizing not only improvements in productivity but also energy saving as well.

Shin-Etsu Chemical has a silicone rubber molding technical center. This Shin-Etsu Molding Technical Laboratory, which is located in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is carrying out demonstrations of molding using our new products, and at the same time, we are working on molding technology improvements as well as enhancing technical services to our customers.

Silicone rubber combines many superior characteristics such as excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, weatherability and stable electrical insulation properties, all of which are not found in ordinary organic rubber. For this reason, it is used in a wide range of applications such as in automobiles, electric-electronics equipment, OA equipment, home appliances and products for daily use.

Taking advantage of Shin-Etsu Chemical’s superior product quality and technological strengths as well as our system for detailed response to our customers’ requests, going forward Shin-Etsu will continue to strive to meet the needs of the diversifying market.

*1 Low-density/high strength type: Compared to conventional silicone rubber molding products, this new type of product realizes about a 20-30% reduction in weight.

*2 Very low-density type: Compared to conventional silicone rubber molding products, this new type of product realizes about a 50-60% reduction in weight.

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