ElastaPro makes unreinforced and fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting for gaskets and diaphragms. Both types of products withstand demanding environments and are used in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to energy and industrial equipment and automation.
If you need fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting, we offer both cured and uncured materials.
- Cured fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting arrives ready for fabrication.
- Uncured fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting is used for large parts where customers cure the parts themselves.
Whether you need unreinforced or fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting, choosing the right type of product is critical for your application’s success – and ElastaPro can help.
Solid Silicone vs. Fabric Reinforced Silicone
Solid silicone sheeting has low compression set and withstands a wide range of operating temperatures. It recovers most of its original thickness after being compressed and resists lower and higher temperatures than many other elastomers. Those are just some of its advantages, but solid silicone can reach its mechanical limits in high-tear or high-pressure applications.
Under sustained hydraulic or pneumatic loads, for example, there’s a risk that a solid silicone gasket may deform or balloon, tear around the bolt holes, or squeeze out of the flange. To eliminate these potential failure modes without sacrificing silicone’s advantages, engineers specify fabric-reinforced silicone sheeting from ElastaPro.
Reinforcement Fabrics and Their Functional Strengths
Fabric-reinforced silicones provide a “best of both worlds” approach.
- The fabric substrate absorbs tensile loads, prevents elongation under pressure, halts tear propagation, and preserves strict dimensional tolerances.
- The silicone encapsulates the fabric and provides a flexible seal that resists water, weather, compression set, sunlight, ozone, and a wide range of operating temperatures.
Selecting the right fabric reinforcement requires balancing tensile strength, flex-fatigue resistance, temperature tolerance, dielectric requirements, and environmental exposure. ElastaPro makes cured silicone sheeting with single-ply or multi-ply reinforcements on one or both sides and offers a choice of reinforcing fabric substrates.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass fabric combines dimensional stability with fire resistance and low thermal expansion. When embedded in silicone, it delivers excellent tensile strength and minimal stretch under continuous compression. Fiberglass-reinforced silicone is used in exhaust seals, furnace gaskets, heat-shield curtains, and ductwork expansion joints.
Kevlar® (Aramid)
Kevlar®, a brand of Aramid fabric, combines puncture resistance with an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. It withstands extreme pressure spikes, severe mechanical shear, and continuous mechanical wear. Kevlar-reinforced silicone sheeting is used in high-pressure accumulator diaphragms, downhole oilfield gaskets, ballistic barriers, and pneumatic regulators for heavy equipment.
Nomex® and Nextel®
Nomex® and Nextel® are heat-resistant synthetic textiles that have different chemical bases. They both combine mechanical resilience with resistance to extreme heat and flame.
- Nomex® is a meta-aramid fabric with excellent dielectric strength that resists melting or dripping even at elevated temperatures. Nomex-reinforced silicone is used in aerospace firewalls, aviation duct seals, and electrical transformer gaskets.
- Nextel® is a ceramic oxide fabric that combines extreme heat resistance with structural integrity. Nextel-reinforced silicone is used in spacecraft thermal protection systems, missile assemblies, and industrial refractory seals.
Polyester and Dacron®
Polyester, including the Dacron® brand, delivers balanced physical strength, dimensional stability, and flex-fatigue resistance. It also exhibits low moisture absorption and dependable tear strength under continuous cyclic movement. Polyester-reinforced silicone sheeting is used in industrial flow-control diaphragms, fluid meters, and automotive pneumatic actuators.
Nylon
Nylon combines high tensile strength with exceptional abrasion resistance and elastic recovery. When encapsulated in silicone, nylon helps gaskets and diaphragms endure repetitive flexing and cycle fatigue without delaminating. Nylon-reinforced silicones are used in pneumatic valve seats, dynamic pump diaphragms, and mechanical joint packing.
Conductive Fabrics and Specialty Substrates
Radar housings and avionics and electronics enclosures need a combination of environmental sealing and shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI). That’s why ElastaPro reinforces solid silicone sheeting with conductive metallized fabrics or conductive carbon scrims. These fabric-reinforced materials combine the inherent advantages of silicones with reliable attenuation.
Ask ElastaPro for Fiberglass-Reinforced Silicone Sheeting
ElastaPro manufactures fiberglass-reinforced silicone sheeting in accordance with our AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 quality system. At our Made in USA manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs, California, we carefully control compounding, calendaring, and curing to ensure uniform gauge control, fiber-to-rubber adhesion, and lot-to-lot consistency.
ElastaPro supplies continuous cured rolls, slit-to-width rolls, and pre-cut sheeting with lower minimum order (MOQ) quantities and faster turnaround times than you’ll find elsewhere. Whether it’s for solid silicone sheeting or fiberglass reinforced sheeting, contact us to discuss your application requirements.
