Shin-Etsu Launches New Silicone Materials With Low Volatile Content

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. is the largest chemical company in Japan, and is in its 62nd year of manufacturing silicone materials worldwide−producing over 4,000 different silicone products. Its subsidiary, Shin-Etsu Silicones of America, Inc. (SESA), recently introduced its new Low Dn LIMS product line at the MD&M West 2015 in Anaheim, CA on February 10, 2015.

The KEG2003H Low Dn LIMS product line has been expertly formulated and precisely manufactured to significantly reduce the level of low molecular weight siloxane (Dn) volatile content to allow molders the opportunity to eliminate costly post-curing from their manufacturing process. KEG2003H is available in hardnesses from 30-70 Shore A and has physical properties similar to Shin-Etsu’s popular KEG2000 series.

Today, many silicone molders are forced to post-cure their molded articles for up to 4 hours at 400F in order to meet stringent regulatory and customer requirements for low volatile content. This level of purity can be a requirement for applications in the medical, automotive, electronics, and infant feeding industries where leachables cannot be tolerated. Most notably, manufacturers of children’s drinking equipment must comply with the European Standard, EN14350, which specifies a maximum weight-loss (volatile content) of 0.5%. Historically, this low level can only be achieved with lengthy post-curing in an industrial convection oven; however, Shin-Etsu Silicones has demonstrated that their Low Dn LIMS products attain this level of purity as-molded, without post-curing. In fact, their tests indicate that the average weight-loss measured according to the EN14350 standard protocol is 0.3%

Post-curing is a costly manufacturing process. Rather than molding and packaging parts in a lean, shoot & ship process, post-curing adds a significant amount of time and energy in order to heat the parts to 400F for 4 hours. Manual handling is required to transfer the parts to and from the oven, and the entire practice adds to Work in Process (WIP) and reduces productivity. Additionally, the high flow rate of air in the convection ovens increases the potential for particulate contamination. Finally, oven exhaust emissions may be regulated by the EPA.

Shin-Etsu Silicones’ Low Dn LIMS products can eliminate the need for post-curing by reducing the low molecular weight siloxane volatile content at the silicone plant. This removes the burden of purity from the molder and places it on the silicone supplier. End-use customers have the confidence that each and every batch of Shin-Etsu’s Low Dn LIMS products is certified to meet the weight-loss specification. The purity of the molded component is no longer influenced by variations in the molding process or post-cure conditions.

According to Eric Bishop, Shin-Etsu’s North America Marketing Manager, “Shin-Etsu has been striving for years to meet this requirement in the market, but has only recently been able to overcome the technical hurdle. We are thrilled to deliver a value-added product to our customers that will improve the purity and safety of their finished goods while streamlining the manufacturing process to increase productivity. ShinEtsu initially launched this product in Europe in 2014. The reception has been very enthusiastic, and many customers have already qualified KEG2003H in order to take advantage of the significant cost savings.”

For more information, visit www.shinetsusilicones.com.

About Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.
A U.S. subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd., Japan, Shin-Etsu Silicones of America Inc. offers vast technical and capital resources to formulate solutions as a major supplier of silicone materials to North America's medical, automotive, electronics, aerospace, cosmetics, and manufacturing industries. Shin-Etsu’s premium silicone compounds incorporate leading-edge technology, staff expertise, and value-added service; offering customers the highest levels of quality and consistency in specialty silicone materials.