Caserta Marketing Team, Author at Thomas A. Caserta Inc.

Tubing in the Medical Industry

Posted on July 8, 2020April 1, 2022 by Caserta Marketing Team

Manufacturers specializing in medical grade tubing must meet strict regulatory requirements to ensure the safety and efficacy of these products. Medical rubber and silicone tubing can be found in an array of medical devices, from respiratory equipment and IVs to laboratory equipment.

A curing process removes potentially harmful plasticizers from silicone, making it an ideal material for medical applications. Medical grade silicone tubing is flexible, easily sterilized, and biocompatible.

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Advantages

When manufactured with the proper expertise, medical grade rubber and silicone tubing has many benefits, such as:

Available in different grade options: Grades of silicone tubing include FDA Grade, Class VI Grade, and Platinum Cure Grade. These options allow for greater flexibility when choosing an appropriate product—Platinum Cure Grade tubing, for example, is particularly strong and commonly utilized in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Biocompatible: Many types of medical equipment must be placed directly into a patient’s body, meaning that it is vital for the equipment to be biocompatible to reduce the risk of complications. Since approximately three million people in the U.S. are allergic to natural rubber latex, silicone is an excellent synthetic alternative.
Clear: Material clarity makes it easier for medical professionals to monitor the flow of fluid when the medical tubing is used in applications such as IVs and blood drainage. Silicone has a high level of natural transparency, although it can also be customized with various pigments if desired.
Chemically inert, odorless, and tasteless: These properties mean that medical grade rubber and silicone tubing will not interact with the materials it touches, thus greatly improving its versatility. It is ideal for the administration of any type of medication, oxygen, or food.
Compatible with multiple sterilization processes: The medical industry requires frequent sterilization to eliminate contamination and ensure patient safety. Rubber tubing holds up to multiple sterilization processes, including steam autoclaving and dry heat.
Extreme temperature resistance: Rubber’s ability to withstand immense heat makes it ideal for use in critical medical equipment, as medical professionals can easily sterilize and disinfect it with heat-based processes. In fact, silicone tubing can resist temperatures of up to 440° F.

In addition to the benefits listed above, silicone elastomers have an incredibly advantageous trait: their silicone-oxygen bond gives them a molecular stability that creates strong biodurability. This means that silicone tubing is particularly well suited for applications that must have consistent contact with skin or bodily fluids, such as catheter tubing. Silicone also remains flexible without the use of additives, another property that improves its biocompatibility.

Applications of Hoses and Tubes

Medical grade silicone and rubber tubing is incredibly versatile. Some common applications include:

Anesthesiology and respiratory equipment
Biopharmaceutical laboratory equipment and processing
Cell and tissue culture systems
Dialysis
IVs and catheters
Management and drainage of blood and fluids
Oxygen transfer
Peristaltic pumps
Surgical drains

As there is such a wide array of possible uses for medical tubing, it is important to account for the desired properties of the tubing to select the most appropriate option. For example, tubing intended for internal human contact may need to be flexible, while tubing intended for laboratory equipment may need to be more rigid. The proper medical grade silicone tubing supplier will be able to provide tubing in a variety of sizes, styles, and lengths to ensure that all requirements are met.

Work With the Trusted Tubing Manufacturers at Thomas A. Caserta

Medical rubber tubing is a vital component in many critical, life-saving devices. At Thomas A. Caserta, Inc., we understand the importance of this equipment, and we create each part with expertise, precision, and a strong knowledge of the medical industry. For over 70 years, our clients have trusted us to provide the highest quality medical grade tubing. Our offerings include medical grade silicone tubing and rubber tubing and cords.

The Advantages of Silicone for Rubber Products

Posted on May 1, 2020April 1, 2022 by Caserta Marketing Team

Silicone rubber is a highly versatile material valued for its flexibility, biocompatibility, and resistance to temperatures, UV light, radiation, and ozone.

Its unique properties make it particularly useful in the medical, aerospace, and electrical sectors for a variety of components, including tubing, washers, gaskets, and other sealing hardware.

At Thomas A. Caserta, we specialize in manufacturing rubber products from a variety of quality rubber materials, including silicone rubber.

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Why Silicone Rubber?

Silicone rubber is one of the most commonly used synthetic rubbers on the market. It is composed of silicone bonded with hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen to create cross-linked polymers reinforced with silica. The result is a unique synthetic elastomer that offers the ideal balance of mechanical and chemical characteristics for the most demanding applications.

Silicone rubber offers distinct advantages over other elastomers, including:

Environmental resistance: Silicone rubber exhibits a high level of resistance to harsh environmental factors, including UV radiation, open flames, extreme temperatures, and corrosive chemicals.
Thermal stability: Silicone rubber will retain its shape, durability, and flexibility in extreme hot and cold temperatures.
Moisture sealant: Silicone rubber is water repellent and malleable, which makes it an excellent sealant.
Highly versatile: Silicone rubber can be molded and shaped to meet even the most detailed specifications. The formulation can be adjusted to enhance or downplay characteristics, such as electrical conductivity, flexibility, and toughness.
Easy sterilization: Silicone rubber can withstand high temperatures, harsh chemicals, and radiation exposure required with FDA regulated sterilization methods, making it a useful medical-grade material.
Color friendly: Silicone rubber is easy to color prior to the curing process, so that it exhibits a lasting, vivid shade.
Electrical properties: Silicone rubber is an excellent electrical insulator, however the addition of metal or carbon black can improve its conductive properties.
Range of hardness: Silicone rubber can be formulated to exhibit different ranges of flexibility and hardness, depending on the needs of the application.
Durable and reliable: Silicone is highly durable and retains its shape and flexibility in extreme conditions, making it a particularly reliable material for use in critical applications.

With its ability to conform to the needs of nearly any application, it is no surprise that silicone rubber is one of the most widely used materials.

Properties of Silicone Rubber

Silicone rubber exhibits unique physical, mechanical, and chemical properties that enhance its usefulness, including:

Flame retardant: Silicone rubber exhibits high thermal stability.
Steam resistant: Its high thermal stability also allows silicone rubber to retain its shape and consistency when exposed to high temperature steam.
Food-grade and medical-grade ratings: Silicone rubber is highly resistant to temperatures, chemicals, and radiation used for the sterilization of food processing and medical equipment, making it an ideal food-grade and medical-grade material.
Excellent compression set: Silicone rubber exhibits a high compression set, and will retain its shape under high levels of repeated or extended compression and extreme temperatures.
UV and radiation resistance: Silicone rubber will not degrade with repeated or prolonged exposure to UV or other types of radiation.
Rebound and resilience: Depending on the formulation, silicone rubber is highly flexible and will rebound or return to its original shape and configuration after it is flexed or bent.
Metal adhesion: Silicone rubber exhibits excellent adhesion to metals, particularly during molding and extrusion processes.
High tensile strength: Depending on the formulation and manufacturing process, silicone rubber exhibits tensile strength from 200 to 1,500 psi.
Chemically and biologically inert: Silicone rubber reacts to very few chemical or biological agents.

Silicone rubber’s highly resistant, physically resilient, and durable nature makes it ideal for molded rubber components in a broad range of temperatures and environments.

Custom Silicone Seals From Thomas A. Caserta

At Thomas A. Caserta, Inc., we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality rubber parts and components in the industry. For more than 70 years, we have been a reliable manufacturer of stock and custom tubing and sealing components for medical, dental and food industries, among others.

Our state-of-the-art facilities and knowledgeable experts are capable of creating FDA, medical- and surgical-grade tubing, among other quality products from a variety of rubber materials, including silicone rubber. To learn more about our superior silicone rubber products and services, contact us today or request a quote.

Nitrile vs. Neoprene: Which Material Is Best?

Posted on February 11, 2020April 1, 2022 by Caserta Marketing Team

Nitrile and neoprene are rubbers that exhibit similar properties, but with differing characteristics that make them useful for different applications. Both materials are elastic, and will return to their original shape when stretched. Nitrile is particularly resistant to chemicals, abrasion, and temperatures, while neoprene is valued for its weather resistance and durability.

Below we provide a more in-depth look at the properties and advantages of nitrile and neoprene and their industrial uses.

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Neoprene Products Nitrile Products

Properties & Advantages

Although nitrile and neoprene display similar properties, they are different substances, each with its own unique chemical makeup.
Nitrile is composed of acrylonitrile and butadiene polymers, which are chemically treated to enhance branching. The molecular composition of the polymers is not highly organized, so different fillers can be added to enhance or improve properties such as tensile strength and heat resistance.

Neoprene, or polychloroprene, is a synthetic rubber made up of polymers of chloroprene molecules through a process of free radical polymerization and various chemical reactions. The polymers are chemically treated to enhance polymer branching, for a more flexible material.

Nitrile Properties

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Nitrile displays numerous properties that make it ideal for industrial applications, including:

Extremely high chemical resistance. Nitrile is highly resistant to oils and solvents, such as engine oil, gas, alkalis, acids, and petroleum-based hydraulic fluids. This makes it useful for components frequently exposed to harsh chemicals and fuel.
Exceptional abrasion resistance. Nitrile is resistant to abrasive forces and does not tear easily. This makes it ideal for components that encounter a great deal of friction, such as washers and diaphragms.
High water resistance. Nitrile is highly resistant to water-based corrosion and will not break down or become waterlogged when exposed to water. It is particularly valued for use in waterproof gloves.

Neoprene Properties

Neoprene also has a variety of physical properties that make it useful in industrial applications, including:

Exceptional weather resistance. Neoprene displays resistance to weather, ozone, UV radiation, freons, and mild acids. This makes it ideal for use in outdoor applications.
Excellent impact resistance. Neoprene is highly durable and impact resistant, which makes it valuable for gaskets and seals in high impact industrial machinery.
Elastomeric. Neoprene is highly flexible and returns easily to its original shape. Its resilient nature makes it useful for industrial components that require both strength and flexibility.

Material Advantages

As evidenced above, both nitrile and neoprene offer distinct advantages for use in industrial applications. Nitrile is valuable for its superior chemical, abrasion, and water resistance. Neoprene, on the other hand, is prized for its particular resistance to weather and impact. Due to their particular properties, each material is used for a different range of products.

Standard Rubber Products

While both nitrile and neoprene display similar elastomeric properties, their differing chemical and physical characteristics make them useful for distinctly different applications and industries.

Nitrile rubber products are highly valued in the aerospace, defense, infrastructure, medical, and mobile equipment industries. Common nitrile product applications include:

Fuel systems. Nitrile is used in fuel tanks, gas hoses, oil seals, and other fuel system components.
Mobile equipment. Nitrile is often used in mobile equipment components, such as carburetors and hydraulic hoses.
Military vehicles. Military vehicles rely upon nitrile seals and gaskets in their fuel systems and hydraulic hoses.
Medical gloves. Nitrile is a popular option for highly durable and disposable medical gloves.

Neoprene is commonly used for rubber washers, gaskets, bushings, and tubing. Neoprene is popular for sealing and insulation applications such as:

Shock absorbers. Neoprene is often used in seals for shock absorbers.
Power transformers. Neoprene noise isolators are used to reduce sound vibrations from power transformers.
Structural support. Neoprene is highly valuable for use in expansion joints and bearing pads for load-bearing structures.
Windows and doors. Neoprene seals are useful for sealing windows and doors.
Electrical. Neoprene is non-conductive and is therefore widely used to seal electronic enclosures and VAC units.
Hose covers. Neoprene’s weather resistance makes it a common material for hose covers.

Ask the Experts at Thomas A. Caserta, Inc.

Depending on your application’s specific needs and requirements, both nitrile and neoprene offer a variety of benefits. For more information on the best material for your needs, consult with the rubber product specialists at Thomas A. Caserta, Inc.

Rubber Products in the Aerospace Industry

Posted on June 28, 2019April 1, 2022 by Caserta Marketing Team

The aerospace and aviation industry is one of the fastest growing industries on a global scale, affecting millions of people on a daily basis.

Reliable aircraft demands top tier components. These parts must have properties of high performance and endurance, since they will be exposed to a range of extreme weather conditions, such as excessively hot or cold temperatures, and different types of oils and gases. It is crucial that jets, commercial planes, and other aircraft can protect both passengers and cargo from the elements.

Many aerospace and aviation components are now being sourced from rubber. Rubber products are becoming more popular due to their durability under extreme environmental conditions and cost-effectiveness.

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Rubber Designed for Flight

Rubber products are an excellent option for flight applications. Synthetic rubbers from various sources can withstand highly aggressive aerospace fluids, including:

Engine lubrication oils
Jet fuels
Hydraulic fluids
Oxidizers
Rocket propellants

Some of the common materials that engineers utilize for aerospace and aviation applications include:

Neoprene. This is a good general purpose elastomer that has many desirable characteristics. It has high resilience with low compression set and boasts moderate oil, ozone, and water resistance. It successfully operates within a temperature range of -65°F to 260°F. However, neoprene is not recommended for certain applications like phosphate esters, ketones, and brake fluids.
EPDM. Also known as Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, EPDM contains excellent weatherability properties and low gas permeability. It works within a temperature range of -60°F to 280°F. While it is highly resistant to ozone, water, brake fluids, and other substances, it has a low resistance threshold for petroleum oils and diester lubricants.
Silicone. Able to effectively operate in temperatures from -150° to 500°F, silicone boasts the greatest total temperature range of currently used elastomers. While it also has excellent resistance to a number of environmental conditions and outside substances, such as dry heat, brake fluids, and high aniline point oils, it is not an optimal solution for certain applications due to poor tensile strength and tear.

Rubber materials have an array of qualities that make them the perfect choice for aerospace and aviation applications. Some characteristics that stand out include:

A high endurance threshold under extreme stresses
Endurance under extreme temperatures
No need for lubrication between parts
Very little maintenance required, if any
Sound and shock absorption
Long life spans

Applications That Demand Rubber Products

Rubber products have become popular across a broad spectrum of industries. In the aerospace and aviation industry, they have delivered superior performance in applications, such as:

Thermal insulation
Window and door seals
HVAC seals and gaskets
LED lighting gaskets
Vent ducts
Vibration dampening
Instrument panel seals and engine gaskets
O-rings utilized in connectors, valves, and other applications
Hydraulic actuators
Bleed air valves and fittings
Firewall seals
T-seals
Bumpers
Hatch seals and covers
Rubber extrusions
Extruded tubing and seals
Protective boots and bellows

At Thomas A. Caserta, our rubber products are highly customizable according to customer needs and preferences. Our engineers and technical specialists take great pride in designing and supplying safe, robust, and specialized rubber product solutions for a variety of needs.

Contact the Aerospace Rubber Manufacturing Experts

The team at Thomas A. Caserta works hard to ensure that each part for our customers meets or exceeds all the relevant industry specifications and standards. All our custom rubber aircraft components are manufactured in-house, and our stringent quality control protocols and attention to detail guarantee that each client receives a premium product for their particular need.

If you would like to learn more about our manufacturing capabilities or are interested in partnering with us for your aerospace/aviation product needs, reach out to us today.