This presentation details the history of silicone, types of silicone, and silicone processing techniques.

1. The Evolution of Silicone
Molding
Kevin Franzino, Albright Technologies

2. Overview
• Introduction
• History of Silicone
• Types of Silicone
• Silicone Processing Techniques

3. History of Silicone
Silicones are a specific category of synthetic
polymers characterized by a backbone of
repeating silicon oxygen bonds.

4. History of Silicone
Frederick Stanley Kipping devoted the
majority of his life to studying organo-silicon
compounds, and is credited with being the
man to coin the term “silicone”.

5. History of Silicone
The Dow-Corning Corporation was created
as a joint venture by Corning Glass and Dow
Chemicals in the early 1940s.
In 1943 Dow-Corning became the first to
manufacture silicones.

6. Silicone in Medicine
Medical grade silicone tubing has
been used since the late 1940’s for
a wide variety of applications:
-catheters
-shunts
-stents
-drains
-dialysis
-blood collection
-etc.

7. 1955- The Holter Valve
Charles “Casey” Case Holter was the
inspiration behind the silicone Holter
valve for Hydrocephalic infants.
Previously designed ball-and-cage valves
would clog with tissue, and rubber
one –way valves couldn’t stand up to
the heat of autoclaving.
Silicone tubing and valves permitted the
device to be sterilized, without sacrificing
flexibility and elasticity.

8. Silicone Medical Parts
-Tubing
-Grommets
-Covers
-Gaskets
-Lenses
-Filters

9. Latex to Silicone Conversion
“Approximately 4% of allergy sufferers have latex
allergy as their primary allergy.”
-Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Latex pacifier Silicone Pacifier

10. Silicone Replacement of Oil
Based Elastomers
-The costs of crude oil rise.
-Petroleum based elastomers follow suit.
-Dependence and usage on petroleum
based elastomers falls.
-Alternative elastomers (silicones) are explored.
-Silicone market improves, more distributors
arise.
-The cost of silicone drops, everyday usage of
silicone increases.

11. Silicone Replacement of Oil
Based Elastomers
Self bonding silicone materials contain
adhesion promoters internal to the silicone
chemical matrix and are ideal for
overmolding onto metallic, plastic, and
silicone substrates.

12. Optically Clear
Silicone suppliers
now offer
optically clear
materials to use
in the creation of
silicone lenses.

13. Medical Grade Silicones
•Restricted Implantable (29
days)
•Unrestricted Implantable
(indefinite)

14. Self Lubricating Silicones
Implantable self lubricating silicone
materials can create catheters and
other implanted devices that aide
physician ease of use and promote
improved patient comfort.

15. Silicone Micro Molding

16. Silicone Micro Molding
Micro molded silicone parts
and six inch scale.
Aluminum compression
molds for microscopic
silicone parts.

17. Silicone Micro Molding

18. Silicone Micro Molding

19. Works Cited
Silicone Biomaterials: History and Chemistry & Medical Applications of Silicones, Andre Colas and Jim Curtis, Dow Corning
Corporation
Silicone Molding Design Manual, David Comeau, Art Haines, and Veasna Nhem, Albright Technologies, Inc.
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