OPTICAL LIQUID SILICONE RUBBER PROPERTIES AND ADVANTAGES

The “magic mix” of features, technique, and performance of optical liquid silicone rubbers may benefit small components, elaborate designs, high accuracy, and overmolding.

It’s made up of two one-to-one sized portions; it’s simple to put together; and it can be heat-cured in a short amount of time.

Cure LSRs have outstanding mechanical qualities as well as excellent weathering, extreme temperature, and age resistance. Furthermore, fluoro liquid silicone rubber (F-LSR) combines outstanding fuel and oil resistance with LSR manufacturing cost-effectiveness.

The Advantages of Optical Liquid Silicon Rubber

In many optical and lighting applications, it is replacing glass. LEDs are gradually replacing metal filaments in today’s light bulbs. In many optical applications, silicone lens covers, as well as polymers such as polycarbonate and acrylic resins, are replacing glass.

Optical transparent LSR polymers, as well as thermoplastic and thermoset optical polymers, offer benefits over glass.

The history of Optical Liquid Silicon Rubber (OLSR) is lengthy and illustrious. Liquid silicone rubber and glass have chemical structures that are very similar. Silicone rubbers have extra radicals in their structure that make them inherently opaque or translucent, similar to glass. Liquid Silicone Rubber resembles glass and carbon-based polymers in certain ways, but it has better mechanical and physical qualities.

Before deciding whether or not to deal with optical grade silicone, it’s vital to understand the differences between the many types available. Most material suppliers do not now offer a standard medical grade optically transparent silicone because molding this material in the medical device sector is a novel method.

Silicone material companies such as Dow Corning, Shin-Etsu, Nusil, Momentive, and Wacker have created new high-performance optical silicone materials, and medical grade optically clear silicones are likely to follow as more applications demand it.

Because of the stringent requirements outlined above, it is recommended that this be considered when researching silicones for medical applications. When looking into silicones for healthcare-related applications, keep in mind that most silicone material providers only offer medical-grade liquid silicone rubber, not optically transparent silicone.

Two of the most appealing advantages of employing optical grade silicone are the design freedom and cost savings. The elastomeric characteristic of this material can eliminate the need for extra components and procedures, saving money on tooling and non-recurring engineering (NRE).

In a conventional lighting application, a lens and a seal, for example, would be two separate pieces if optical silicone was not used. The seal can be optical grade silicone molded into the lens, eliminating the need for a separate part and assembly method.

With optical grade silicone, undercuts, negative draught angles, and small features are achievable, and assembly can be simplified by adding gasketing, sealing, and mounting features directly to the component without compromising optical quality.

Optical Liquid Silicone Rubber Processing

Processing optical Liquid Silicone Rubber is also critical for achieving the desired qualities in the finished product. Because it has a fast-processing time, minimal material loss due to the elimination of sprues and runners, and a low starting viscosity, LSR can be utilized to make sophisticated products with tight tolerances.

Furthermore, machine and mold wear is extremely slow, resulting in extremely low birefringence, which may be a problem for some optical applications. Internal stresses are not formed during the cooling process (after processing) while treating LSR, resulting in finished products with greater mechanical and dimensional stability.

Although LSRs have various advantages in terms of processing, there are a few things to keep in mind when employing them. The first thing to look at is the substance’s makeup; most optical LSRs are made up of two parts that must be blended together. Before processing, the material must be homogeneous and thoroughly combined.

Shrinkage, component shape, and the mold’s surface polish can all have an impact on optical characteristics and should be considered. Due to its low viscosity, the product has a tendency to create flash, needing additional design considerations to remove or minimize flashing.