How to distinguish the hardness of silicone, and how to choose the hardness when sealing silicone?

Every industry uses small parts, so many things happen around us. Silicone accessories are indispensable for sealing and protective products in all industries. The function and impact of silicone accessories can play a significant role in many product combinations, and the combination of softness and hardness can completely affect any functional issues. So improper selection of hardness for silicone accessories can lead to quality issues. What are the effects of different software and hardware on functionality?

Spare parts are mainly used for assembly, sealing, shock absorption, protection, and intermittent maintenance. However, the softness and hardness of silicone have disadvantages in different functions.
In terms of sealing function, if the hardness of silicone seals is high and the folding adhesive force is low, it is likely to cause leakage in the remaining parts. After long-term stress aging, the service life of silicone seals will be affected to some extent, resulting in fracture and cracking. Low hardness can buffer functionality. In terms of waterproof function, reducing the hardness as much as possible can more effectively achieve the waterproof effect. However, the material and thickness of the product must be appropriate in order to achieve good tensile rebound.

In terms of cushioning and shock absorption, silicone products need to achieve medium to high hardness values as much as possible. Due to the influence of stress, a low hardness value of the product is likely to result in insufficient shock absorption effect and inability to achieve functionality. Secondly, the assembled low hardness silicone accessories are likely to achieve active cushioning and shock absorption, leading to looseness and detachment. After increasing the hardness value, not only can the firmness be improved, but also due to the high hardness value, it can play a buffering role.
Assembly, many silicone accessory manufacturers know that sealing accessories are assembled using different materials, and the integrity of the assembly is also affected by hardness, leading to functional issues with the product. Materials with high hardness are difficult to assemble, and the higher the hardness, the smaller the tensile rebound. Therefore, high hardness accessories should be assembled with as little stretching as possible, while low hardness accessories are better. However, attention should also be paid to the issue of excessive stretching.