Cost vs Longevity for Silicone Rubber

Rubber parts of all kinds are used in many products today. We may not even realise how many products use such parts, since they may often be hidden from view.

However, there is a basic choice to make at the beginning of the manufacturing process when someone is searching for rubber parts for their business. Will they choose regular rubber or silicone rubber?

There is a trade-off of sorts here, focusing on the issues of cost versus longevity. We’ll look at how each element relates to silicone rubber parts, and how you can work out which is more important to you and your project. Remember that this may differ between projects as well. Various conditions, uses, and other factors can all play a role.

Focusing on cost

Silicone rubber parts of all kinds are usually more expensive than regular rubber ones. You might wonder, then, why you would choose these over standard rubber parts.

Quality is a major factor for many. Let’s take gaskets as an example. You’ll find these in lots of products and items. You may have more around your home, in your car, and elsewhere than you might think.

The cost of upgrading to gaskets made from silicone rubber won’t be as noticeable if the product they’re going into is worth more. Of course, there are instances where the gasket or other item is sold alone. If so, quality may be more important as some purchasers will look for this.

Another element involves asking whether a regular rubber part could withstand all the demands placed on it in that role, or whether silicone would beat it.

Focusing on longevity

We’ve touched on this already, but we need to consider how longevity might influence an individual product. If the product is designed to use once only or have a limited life because of how it is used, you may prefer standard rubber. Silicone rubber lasts longer than standard, and longevity may not matter in some situations.

However, if you know the item will need to provide reliability and a long life, you would be well advised to switch to silicone rubber. If you don’t, the part may give out far sooner than might be expected.

Which of these elements is most important?

Not merely for you and your company, but for your customer. If you are aiming at an audience that expects excellent quality and is prepared to pay to get it, you should go for silicone rubber. You may even consider getting advice on the exact specification of rubber to go for, depending on how and where the part will be used. This will also help extend longevity.

You can see this is a balance – cost at one end of the seesaw and longevity at the other. In some instances, one is more important than the other. In other cases, it’s best to go for a balance between the two. In every case, you should think about whether you could take advantage of advice from the experts before committing to a specific product.