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Choosing silicone free cable—cable that has no migrating or surface silicone oils—might seem insignificant, but even trace amounts of silicone can lead to serious consequences ranging from paint defects to complete bond failures.
The misconception that “a little silicone won’t hurt” can be costly. In highly controlled manufacturing environments and technical applications, silicone contamination is a well-known risk. When engineers specify silicone free materials, they are not being overly cautious; rather, they are focusing on safety and ensuring the success of a project.
Despite its appearance, silicone doesn’t behave like other solids. It sheds small particles through contact and releases them into the air contaminating nearby surfaces.
TRANSFER
When silicone comes in contact with other surfaces, the particles can be transferred to that surface. As particles build up on the surface they can more easily spread.
OUTGASSING
Particles can evaporate from silicone and coat nearby surfaces.
CONTAMINATION
When particles are transferred or outgassed, they contaminate the surfaces they come in contact with causing damage and malfunctions.
Once silicone is transferred to a new surface, it’s difficult to remove even with specialized cleaning products. This is especially concerning because it has been shown that silicone contamination as thick as an atom (400,000 times thinner than a human hair) can have a negative impact. Contamination at these levels is not visible and, in environments with multiple sources of silicone, it can be difficult to know from where the particles are transferring.
Below are some of the most critical applications where specifying silicone free insulation is essential.
Paint will not adhere well to silicone contaminated surfaces. If cable insulation containing silicone is in the vicinity of painting areas, airborne particles can settle on the surface of metal and cause defects like fisheyes (small craters) in the final coat.
NASA has documented silicone related bond failure for decades. They have shown that even trace amounts of silicone can compromise adhesive bond strength and durability. To avoid these failures, aerospace engineers specify silicone free insulation.
Manufacturing semiconductors such as microchips requires extremely clean environments. Silicone particles can contaminate wafers, disrupting the transfer of circuit patterns and creating defects in their structures that lead to shorts and other malfunctions. For these reasons, labs and clean rooms in this industry ban silicone materials of all kinds to mitigate risk.
Silicone outgassing—the release of silicone particles into the nearby environment—can deposit a film on lenses, disrupt laser beams, and coat optical sensors. This can lead to problems such as signal degradation and image distortion. Manufacturers of this type of equipment, and the facilities that use them, rely on silicone free materials to prevent equipment damage and negative impacts to their data.
Silicone transfer and outgassing pose risks to medical devices and patients. Particles can interfere with bonding leading to mechanical failure in critical equipment. There is also concern with particle transfer into drug packaging and patients during surgical procedures.
Engineers recognize that even trace amounts of silicone can be a contamination risk in many different industries. If your application requires painting or bonding, or involves environments that must be free of contamination, specifying silicone free is essential.
Service Wire insulation is silicone free, so you do not have to worry about the adverse effects that come with silicone particle contamination.
Reach out to our wire & cable experts to learn more today!
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Service Wire Company believes the information presented herein is, to the best of our knowledge, true and accurate based on currently available industry data. However, no warranties, either expressed or implied, are made as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein.
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