Silicones have revolutionized the textiles
industry
With proven silicone technology, manufacturers worldwide can create fabrics,
clothing, and sporting goods that are ideal for today’s active lifestyles. They
can also meet tough industrial challenges.
Click the  icons on the photo to see how much you already know about the
many uses for fascinating silicone.
| Did you know ... silicones help auto
manufacturers and
airbag fabricators meet changing requirements for airbag design, foldability,
cushioning, and hold-up time!
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Why silicones excel in both fashion and
industrial textiles applications
- Silicone fabric finishes bring a wide range of benefits to fashion
textiles. They add softness, reduce shrinkage and improve wrinkle recovery,
tear strength, abrasion resistance, and loft recovery. They can also improve
water repellency or water absorbency.
- Silicone antifoams possess the properties required to control foam
in harsh textiles processing environments.
- Silicone fabric coatings maintain their flexibility and stability over a
wider range of temperatures than organic coatings. So the coatings do not
become stiff and brittle in the cold or degrade when exposed to heat.
- In apparel, silicone coatings are breathable, comfortable,
and suitable for skin contact.
- In automotive, manufacturing, construction, and sporting goods
applications, silicone coatings are strong, durable, and
resistant to heat, cold, moisture, UV rays, fire, and abrasion.
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Silicones enable manufacturers to take textile finishing beyond
simple coating, waterproofing, and softening to create functional fabrics,
intelligent textiles, and high-performance textiles for industrial
applications.
Because they are easy to process and effective at low use levels,
silicones can be very cost effective to use.
| | Did you know ... it can take as many as 12-15
layers of
a traditional textile printing ink to achieve the same
effect that can be obtained with only three layers of a
silicone textile printing ink! Read
more.
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Learn about other competitive
advantages of silicones.
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Versatile material options
Silicones for fashion and industrial textiles come in many forms:
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Elastomers and rubbers – seam sealers, adhesives, bonding agents, textile
coatings, and narrow fabric and lace coatings
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Fluids and emulsions for fabric finishes, fiber lubricants, and process
aids, including antifoams
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Silane adhesion promoters
Learn more about the different forms of silicone.
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Did you know ... silicones can make fabrics more hydrophobic
(water repellent) or hydrophilic (water absorbing)!
Open the silicone toolbox
to learn more about the many things silicones can
be and do.
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