A new high consistency rubber (HCR) allows a single platinum catalyst to cure ten times the amount of base material as previously allowed, reports Plastics Today.

Sil-X-Shin Silicone Elastomers from Shin-Etsu Silicones of America is made with a 10:1 ratio of base compound to catalyst.

This offers much greater efficiency over a traditional 1:1 ratio, meaning less platinum is needed.

Currently, a customer with 1,000lb of each base material, totalling 6,000lb, would need the same amount of platinum catalyst. The new approach means one-tenth of that is required.

"That's only 6,600 lb and seven SKUs instead of 12," the company said in a release. "That's a lot less inventory to purchase, warehouse, and manage, which translates into significantly reduced working capital and material logistics costs."

The products are designed for extruded tubing and profiles in healthcare, beverage, and architectural glazing applications.

Shin-Etsu Silicones has a diverse portfolio of products across a range of consumer products.

Earlier this year, the firm developed a new generation of cosmetic silicone system products that offer "key stability, functionality, and sensory advantages based on their application for a wide variety of cosmetic products".

Source:

Silicones utilize a universal catalyst for greater production flexibility (26/10/11) 

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