Globally, 165,000 tons of silicone products are used in the transportation sector annually, which includes automotive, marine, aviation, and aerospace industries. Silicone rubber, resin elastomers, sealants, lubricants, and plastic additives are used extensively in spacecraft, automotive, aviation, and marine vessels, due to their strength, adhesion, and durability. Silicones contribute immensely to the safety of modern vehicles, from enabling airbags in cars to preserving the cabin pressure in airplanes.
Due to the special properties of silicone, this material is increasingly relevant for the automotive industry, both for new and existing applications. Silicones are high-performance polymers that exhibit properties of both inorganic and organic compounds. Silicones have a multitude of characteristics including heat resistance, cold resistance, weatherability, water repellency, defoaming properties, adhesiveness, releasability and dielectric properties. Silicone products are used in numerous ways to improve safety and reliability, and to make automobiles smaller, lighter and more eco-friendly, for example the United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that for every 10% reduction in vehicle weight, fuel economy improves by between 5-7%.
Silicones are critical to the evolution of automotive technology, and manufacturers are taking notice. The diagram shows a properties comparison between silicone and other rubbers:
Silicones improve aerodynamics by reducing surface wind-drag and the related silanes reduce rolling resistance in tires, further improving fuel efficiency.
The excellent UV and ozone resistance guarantee a long-lasting use without large optical aging characteristics. In contrast to other elastomers, silicone can be colored in all possible color variants, and thus offers a variety of possible applications in the automotive sector in addition to its pleasant haptics.
In our cars we find massive amounts of silicones in the form of heat-resistant engine seals, rubber hoses, electronics and cable insulation. However, silicones are also present in smaller quantities as they streamline processes by acting as release agents for steering wheels, dashboards, bumpers and a variety of plastic body parts. Even the creation of motor blocks, gear boxes, alternators, water pumps and other mechanical parts require silicones in the production process.
Global Automotive Silicone Market is segmented by Application (Electrical Systems, Engines, Suspension Systems, Interior & Exterior, Others), by Type (Fluids, Resins, Gels, Elastomers, Others), and by Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa).
By application, the Automotive Silicone market is segmented into electrical systems, engines, suspension systems, interior & exterior and others.
By geography, Automotive Silicone Market is segmented into North America, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe, South America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
In recent years, automakers have taken efforts to make safer vehicles that are more comfortable and eco-friendly by adding car navigation systems, sensors and other features, while making vehicles lighter and more fuel-efficient. In this article, we Will discuss some of the places where silicone fluids and their secondary products (emulsions, oil blends) are used.
Automotive applications of silicone fluids and their secondary products
1. In-vehicle materials
Automobiles are complex machines manufactured using advanced plastics and fabrics, and sophisticated mechanical, electric and electronic components. These parts have to last ten years or more. Without question, specially designed silicones will continue to be used in places with unique requirements.
As automobiles have become higher performance products, the use of electronic components has also increased. In some models today there are over 70 Electronic Control Units (ECU); silicone elastomers are used as sealing materials, adhesives and potting agents for these ECUs. Silicone elastomers provide exceptional durability and stable performance over a wide temperatura range.
1.Protecting components
In this section, we will discuss products designed for the protection of automotive components, including conformal coatings, potting materials and sealing materials, plus products designed to prevent sulfurization, which are attracting interest throughout the industry today.
Conformal Coatings
Conformal coatings are dielectric materials applied to electric and electronic components to protect from moisture, condensation and dust.
Potting Materials
Like conformal coatings, potting materials protect electronic components arranged on circuit boards from moisture, condensation and dust. Potting also helps reduce mechanical stress on electronic components caused by extreme temperatures and vibration. Regular silicone is called dimethyl silicone, and it features methyl groups attached to the side chains of the polymer. This type of silicone cannot be used in places where it will be directly exposed to gasolina or oils, but this weak point can be overcome by introducing trifluoropropyl groups into the side chains of the base polymer
Case Seal Materials
Case seal materials are used for waterproofing, to protect the electronic components inside ECUs from damage. These silicones will be exposed to the outdoor elements for years, and thus must provide high bonding durability
2.- Thermal Interface Materials
The transistors and ICs on circuit boards generate considerable heat. Silicones with high thermal conductivity are used to effectively radiate this heat. Because these silicones are applied directly to electric and electronic components, they have been designed with minimal amounts of low-molecular-weight siloxane, since this substance can cause faulty conduction at electrical contacts.
Automotive applications of silicone elastomers for automotive
3.-Fastening of parts
Many adhesives are used for the fastening of electronic parts and structural bonding. Some usage locations stay continually hot, while others are exposed to gasoline and other substances.
At the same time that the automobile grows more and more sophisticated in performance, extremely rapid progress is also being made in the electronification of automotive parts. And as electronic devices become more compact and more tightly integrated, the volumes of heat generated from them have risen dramatically. In consequence, materials that provide outstanding thermal performance have come into strong demand. Automobiles are used in extreme environments ranging from deserts to arctic regions, and are exposed to vibrations. It is imperative, therefore, that thermal interface materials show durability against heat, cold and vibrations. As a material that can satisfy these requirements, silicone is ideal, and silicone thermal interface materials have proven to be highly reliable in automotive applications.
Principles of Thermal Interface Materials
Silicone elastomers are used in various automotive parts because they are advantageous in terms of heat resistance, low-temperature characteristics and electrical characteristics. Meanwhile, thanks to technological innovations in molding machines, metal molds and materials, conventional millable or high consistency rubber is being replaced with liquid-type LIMS (Liquid Injection Molding System) materials, which facilitate rationalization of molding. The physical properties of cured substances obtained by LIMS molding are in no way inferior to those of millable rubber, and LIMS molding facilitates injection molding at low pressure. Moreover, with advances made in molding machines and metal molds, molding cycles have been shortened. Still another advantage is that products are flashless and runnerless, so waste produced during molding has declined.
The name “LIMS” describes a molding system in which liquid silicone rubber is used in high-precision injection molding machines. All steps are automated, from mixing to molding. This system saves labor and time, and makes it easy to produce high-quality molded items
Javier Echave
PhD. Chemical Engineer
Siloxanes Are chemical compounds with a backbone of alternating silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) atoms, each silicon atom bearing one or several organic groups, as be seen in the image 1, are very flexible due to large bond angles and bond lengths compared to those found in more basic polymers. Siloxanes are building blocks for silicone …
The demand for effective thermal management solutions in electronic equipment is on the rise as a result of rapid technological progress. These solutions aim to ensure that system devices operate at an acceptable temperature level to reduce the risk of damage and ensure the longevity of components. The traditional method of dealing …
Batteries challenge Battery manufacturers are currently challenged to produce large volumes of smaller, lighter, and cheaper lithium batteries. These higher energy density packs deliver more power, over a longer period of time, but to do so they need to avoid overheating and heat spikes, i.e. better thermal control. Thermal control In order …
CoolMag™ Sample
Request a sample to test CoolMag's thermal compound and prove how well it protects your power electronic components from overheating.
Get in touch with us
Request more info