About Elastomers and Silicone Testing

A finger pointing data on a laptop

Testing is central to high quality, compliant and robust manufacturing solutions.

At Romar Engineering, we employ elastomers and silicone testing at multiple stages during the design for manufacture and commercial manufacturing processes.

We test various material properties to ensure consistency, that the material is fit for purpose and that it meets all regulatory standards for sectors including medical, mining, defence and aerospace.

Romar Engineering has a world class team of engineers and materials specialists, and this expertise helps set our testing apart.

Our elastomers and silicone testing, in conjunction with proven internal processes, is key to our first-class and tailored manufacturing solutions.

Rheological device

Rheological testing

The rheological test is one of our standard tests for rubber and silicone manufacturing to assess rheological (flow) properties of polymers in a liquid or ‘soft solid’ state.

Our engineering team utilises a moving die rheometer to measure processing and cure characteristics, including elasticity and deformation.

We can measure viscosity ranging from single point tests to variable shear-rate tests. By assessing how silicone and elastomers change in strength and cross length with time and temperature fluctuations, we can ultimately assess and control consistency across batches.

Rheological testing is the final stage prior to extrusion or silicone molding and it is essential for quality assurance, to better understand material performance and to assess if materials are processed properly with minimal product degradation.

An expert processing a durometer hardness testing

Durometer hardness testing

Durometer hardness testing assesses the ‘toughness’ of silicone, elastomer, plastic and similar compounds, to determine suitability for specific applications.

At Romar, we utilise a steel spring loader durometer that measures indentation depth and resistance, with degree of resistance corresponding to material hardness; the further the steel penetrates the silicone or elastomer, the lower the hardness.

There are a variety of durometer hardness test scales for rubbers including Shore A, commonly used for soft to medium elastomers including silicone rubber, Shore D for harder compounds and Shore O, Shore OO, Shore B and Asker C.

As per rheological testing, we conduct durometer hardness tests in the initial stages to determine material suitability prior to elastomer or silicone molding.

Selective focus on the metal pin

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) Testing

Spectroscopy is a process to measure how much light a material absorbs, reflects or allows to pass through it. It helps to understand a material’s molecular structure. By looking at the infrared absorption and transmission, we can create a molecular ‘fingerprint’ of a product or material.

FTIR is even more advanced than spectroscopy, because it allows us to collect and process large quantities of spectrometric data using a mathematical formula called the Fourier transform.

FTIR is perfect for testing plastics and rubbers because of their molecular makeup. This test is suitable for materials comprised of linked carbon atoms, which is consistent with rubber and plastics.

Our engineers employ FTIR to test that our materials are of consistent and superior quality for every manufacturing project.

Specific Gravity Devices

Specific gravity testing

Specific gravity testing is important to cross check that all ingredients used for manufacture are correct.

Specific gravity, also called SG, is the ratio of the weight of a given substance to the weight of an equal volume of water at a set temperature. This is generally expressed as the Weight Per Square Metre Per mm Thickness.

A rubber formulation can have anywhere from 6 to 20 ingredients. By testing the weight or gravity of a product, we can assess if it comprises all the ingredients required.

If we know the weight of each ingredient (grams per cubic cm), we have an expectation of the overall weight.

The SG test can also provide an assessment of the physical properties of the rubber, which is an important evaluation process for elastomers and silicone products.

Expert elastomers and silicone testing

Romar has over 50 years’ experience in traditional and transformative manufacturing – including silicone products, medical device manufacturing, precision molding and advanced manufacturing.

In conjunction with our expert team, our advanced manufacturing facilities include a Class 8 Clean Room and complete in-house elastomers and silicone testing.

By overseeing every stage of project analysis, material selection, design for manufacture and commercial manufacturing, we ensure our manufacturing solutions are consistently high quality and compliant to industry standards.

Please read more silicone manufacturing articles and contact us for expert elastomers and silicone testing for your next project.

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