Silicone Rubbers: An elastomer built for extremes
Posted on Nov 14, 2025 Tags:A technical article entitled ‘Silicone Rubbers: An Elastomer Build for Extremes’ has been written by Gary Crutchley of Smithers.
It explains how silicone elastomers excel in extreme operating environments, handling very low and very high temperatures, harsh chemicals, and demanding mechanical conditions. Key areas where silicone elastomers stand out include temperature resistance, weatherability, biocompatibility, electrical insulation, and customisability.
Crutchley also discusses the limitations and challenges of silicone rubber, and emphasises that successful use of silicone in critical applications depends on choosing the right base polymer but also the compounding, processing, testing and validation of the material.
We hope this technical article is of interest to UKGSA members.
