4 Things You Should Know About Silicone

 

1. Medical silicone can be made radiopaque by the addition of compounds such as titanium oxide and barium sulfate. These medical silicones are even available in restricted implantation grade (short term/ twenty-nine days or less) and unrestricted implantation grade (long term/indefinite). 
2. Silicone hardness is measured and classified as the durometer of the silicone. The standard tolerance for durometer fluctuation in industry is +/- 5. This means that Shore A 60 durometer silicone could have a durometer as low as 55 or as high as 65.
3. Colorants may be added to silicone to improve part visibility and marketability. These colorants can be matched to a pantone color or an existing part (this can be particularly useful for preserving your own unique brand by color matching silicone parts to the company logo).
4. Injection molded silicone parts can be processed in such that their cycle times are as fast as those of injection molded plastic parts.