Silicone rubber is a vital manufacturing material for a range of defence industry equipment and systems. This material, in particular flurosilicone rubber, plays a key role in delivering a high level of application performance, reliability and safety.
Defence industry land and water-based systems and equipment must be able to perform consistently to a high standard under a range of extreme conditions. As a result, defence industry manufacturers have to meet stringent quality and performance requirements.
High-quality flurosilicone rubber is integral to how these manufacturers are able to meet these quality and performance demands because the properties of this material make it ideally suited to use in a variety of harsh environments.
Defence industry applications that use flurosilicone parts
The primary use of flurosilicone rubber in defence industry equipment and system manufacturing is in the production of a wide range of seals for various applications. These seals include:
- Rod seals
- Piston seals
- SE seals
- O-rings
- Bonded washers
- Formed gaskets
- Metal face seals
- Rotary seals
- Hydraulic seals
- Special mouldings
- Extrusions
- Pneumatic seals
With regard to the defence industry applications that these seals are used in, they include hydraulic systems, position systems, valves and actuators, guidance control systems, high-pressure air systems, ground support equipment and fuel systems.
In terms of pieces of equipment, flurosilicone rubber seals are used in a range of sill, flush and escape hatch and hydraulic and hangar door systems on naval submarines and ships.
Why silicone rubber is used in defence industry systems
The superior resistance, strength and durability of high-performance silicone rubber, in particular flurosilicone, make it highly suitable for defence industry system and equipment manufacturing. As a result, this material is used in a range of applications.
The principal benefit of flurosilicone to defence industry manufacturers is its resistance to oil based substances where silicone is unusable in such applications. Flurosilicone keeps the properties that make silicone an ideal material for applications that require temperature flexibility, good resistance to UV, oxygen and ozone and good compression capabilities with the additional benefit of being used in oil based applications.
Quality compliance, IP protection and your silicone parts supplier
Manufacturing equipment and systems for the defence industry comes with a unique set of requirements and standards that must be met, not least in terms of quality and performance. This is why it is important that you work with the right silicone rubber manufacturer.
Your specialist partner should have a comprehensive supply chain network in place, ensuring the supply of high-quality parts and components, and should have the expertise to advise you on material selection and assist with design for manufacturability if required.
Furthermore, your silicone rubber supplier should be able to provide end-to-end quality assurance, including within their supply chain, and have the resources to provide bespoke manufacturing. Also, because intellectual property protection is critical in this industry, strict data security and confidentiality safeguards should be in place.
With this combination of expertise, resources and practices, you can be confident that you will receive the highest standard of silicone rubber component supply and will be able to meet the quality and performance requirements of your defence industry clients.
To find out more about Advanced Materials’ silicone rubber manufacturing services, contact us on +44 (0)1903 713566 or sales@amsilicones.co.uk.