Momentive pushes LSR automotive applications

Among these are charge air cooler gaskets, in which LSR has already displaced ACM and FPM because of the ease of moulding (LSR flows like water) and its faster vulcanisation rate.

Other products that can be moulded from LSR include air flaps, vibration dampers, rubber springs, crankshaft seals, air intake manifolds, cable couplings, exhaust hangers, and spark plug boots.

For seals and gaskets inside electrical connectors, Momentive counts Delphi, Tyco, and FCI among its customers. “As many as 150 connectors per car will normally be sealed with silicones,” said Oliver Franssen, Momentive’s global marketing manager for automotive.

The company also supplies a range of fluorinated LSRs for fuel lines and turbocharger hoses, whose flexibility at –60deg C is a considerable advantage in the former application, and for the latter their resistance to oil in the charge air in the in-line and high-temperature stability in the out-line.

Last October Momentive introduced the breakthrough fully fluorinated silicone liquid (FFSL) elastomer for parts that are perennially exposed to high temperatures or corrosive or abrasive conditions in contact with automotive fuels or biofuels, oil, blowby gas, and transmission fluids.

The company has put together a comprehensive offering across the entire LSR value chain by teaming up with Engel, the world leader in injection moulding machines for polymers, and Elmet, the Austrian specialist in moulds, cold-runner blocks and dosing units, and turnkey systems for elastomer processing.