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US 5,665,809 AGranted
Extruded silicone gel profiles
AssigneeRaychem Corporation
InventorJanusz Wojtowicz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides for a method of making simple or complex extruded gel profiles and the created article. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the method involves the extrusion of a silicone gel composition through a die into a heated fluid to complete the cure of the gel as well as to produce the desired gel profile shape. Shapes such as stars, trapezoids, cusped squares, cusped triangle, triangles and the like can be fabricated according to the method.
Claims32
A method of fabricating an extruded silicone gel profile made of cured silicone gel material, comprising the steps of:
- (i) mixing to homogeneity a reactive silicone mixture which undergoes a cure at a temperature greater than about 35.degree. C. to form cured silicone gel material, the mixing being conducted at a temperature below that at which the reactive silicone mixture readily cures in a static mixer, the reactive silicone mixture comprising a mixture of
- (a) a first silicone component which is (R.sup.1 R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO.sub.0.5)(R.sup.1 R.sup.2 SiO).sub.a (R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO).sub.b (R.sup.1 R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO.sub.0.5), (R.sup.2.sub.3 SiO.sub.0.5)(R.sup.1 R.sup.2 SiO).sub.c (R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO).sub.d (R.sup.2.sub.3 SiO.sub.0.5), or combinations thereof;
- in which R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of vinyl, allyl, and hexenyl and combinations thereof;
- and R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, higher alkyl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, phenyl, and combinations thereof;
- and
- (b) a second silicone component which is (R.sup.3 R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO.sub.0.5)(R.sup.3 R.sup.2 SiO).sub.e (R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO).sub.f (R.sup.3 R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO.sub.0.5), (R.sup.2.sub.3 SiO.sub.0.5)(R.sup.3 R.sup.2 SiO).sub.g (R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO).sub.h (R.sup.2.sub.3 SiO.sub.0.5), (R.sup.3 R.sup.2.sub.2 SiO.sub.0.5).sub.4 SiO.sub.2, or combinations thereof,
- in which R.sup.3 is hydrogen and R.sup.2 is as defined above;
- the subscripts a-h being such that the cured silicone gel material, with or without the addition of an extender fluid, exhibits a Voland hardness of 6-225 grams, a Voland tack of about 1-75 grams and a Voland stress relaxation of about 10-95%;
- (ii) passing the reactive silicone mixture through a shaped dye;
- and
- (iii) extruding the reactive silicone mixture through the shaped dye into a heated fluid bath, wherein the fluid is heated to a temperature greater than about 85.degree. C., to form an extruded silicone gel profile made of cured silicone gel material, substantially having the shape of the dye.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.