Silicone coating
Also known as: silicone finish, silnylon, silicone impregnation
Silicone layer applied to or impregnated into textiles — extremely UV- and temperature-stable, more durable than PU but more expensive and harder to glue.
Description
In a silicone coating a textile substrate — often light ripstop nylon (then called silnylon) or ripstop polyester — is treated with silicone elastomer on one or both sides. Unlike PU coatings the silicone is pressed into the fibre structure and forms a very thin, elastic and waterproof composite. Silicone resists water, ozone, oxygen and UV light and works reliably between roughly -100 and +250 °C.
Silicone-coated fabrics are used above all in ultralight tents, tarps, parachutes, airbags, firefighter equipment and umbrellas, where low weight and long durability outweigh manufacturing cost. Drawbacks: silicone cannot be sealed with standard seam tape — seams must be sealed with a dedicated silicone sealant. Printability is very limited and the cost is well above PU. In garments silicone is mainly used in combination with membranes and in hoods, shoulders and other high-stress zones.
- Typical substrate: silnylon (ripstop nylon) or siliconised PES
- Temperature range approx. -100 to +250 °C
- Very UV- and ageing-stable
- Seam sealing only with silicone sealant — no standard seam tape
Properties
| Principle | Elastomer pressed into fibre structure |
|---|---|
| Temperature range | approx. -100 to +250 °C |
| Seam sealing | Only with silicone sealant, no standard seam tape |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Silicone Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone
- Wikipedia: Coated fabrics Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coated_fabric
