Materials
Silicone types
At RICO, we process liquid and solid silicones. We describe the main composition, properties and applications of the materials we process.
What is LSR?
Liquid Silicone Rubber
LSR is short for liquid silicone rubber – a low-viscosity material that hardens when it is heated (or ‘vulcanized’). LSR consists of linear polysiloxanes, filler materials and additives.
It is extremely widely used due to its versatile material properties. A range of material types and Shore hardnesses (1-90 Shore) are used depending on the desired properties of the end product.
The different types include standard types, fluorosilicones, LSR types for medical technology, and oil-bleeding silicones, as well as fast cross-linking, adhesion-modified and high-transparency silicones.
LSR is used in various sectors, including the automotive, medical technology and baby-products industries, in electrical engineering, plumbing supplies, household appliances, and in industry.
What is HCR?
High Consistency Rubber
HCR stands for high consistency rubber. It consists of linear polysiloxanes, filler materials and additives. The difference between LSR and HCR lies in the length of the polysinoxane chains in the two materials. HCR comes in the form of balls, blocks and strips.
A range of different sectors use HCR, such as the automotive, medical technology and baby-products industries, electrical engineering, plumbing supplies, household appliances, as well as industry.