SILICONES

SILICONES

The application of sealants and adhesives in the building and construction industry has grown enormously in recent decades. Aside from the use of classic building materials such as wood, stone, concrete and metal, we have seen a huge increase in new building materials. The sealant industry responds to the arrival of the new building materials by developing new products for them. We therefore see a huge increase in the range of sealants and adhesives, for example, based on hybrid technology.

Looking back on the development of various types of sealants, we can conclude that the original hardening and plastic sealants, such as glazing putty and butylene sealants have almost been completely replaced by more plastic-elastic and elastic products based on acrylate, polyurethane, silicone and hybrid systems.

Despite the fact that each technology has it’s specific characteristics and are ideal for certain applications, the group of silicone sealants still represents the largest volume on the market. By far the most important difference between silicone sealant and the other types of sealant is its excellent UV resistance. Additionally, silicone sealant is almost completely insensitive to temperature effects. Standard silicone sealants can withstand temperature fluctuations from, -40°C to +180°C without any problems. The water resistance of silicone sealant is also much better than that of the products in the other product groups. Because of these properties, silicone sealants can be widely used in construction. Examples are applications in glazing, façade construction, sanitary facilities, refrigerated showcase industry, but also where fire resistance or heat resistance is required when sealing joints. As a result, correctly applied silicone sealant can be considered the most durable seal for many joints.

The range of silicone sealants has also changed significantly in recent decades. Apart from the original acetic acid-curing silicone sealants, neutral silicone sealants have entered the market and have constantly been gaining popularity. In contrast to neutral silicone sealants, acetic acid silicone sealants have a rather narrow bonding spectrum. In addition to this, a silicone sealant containing acetic acid may cause corrosion on sensitive metal substrates. On Den Braven’s advice, in part, we are gradually seeing the market switch to the more universally applicable, neutral-curing silicone sealants. In response to this demand, we offer a total professional package of high-performance silicone sealants with a number of unique properties.