Mr.Lepo has done a lot of homework is establishing the groundwork to prop up ABMI for investors. The research on this thread is incredible on all aspects of the stock whether it is the product quality or when it comes to TA/MA/FA or market sentiments. The thread has come a long way and special kudos to Jeff, Bill and all others on this thread who have done an outstanding job in unfolding a great story which is ready to mature. The advantages of Silicone used in the ABMI products severely outweigh the rubber latex products as is evident from the due DD:
SILICONE rubber provides the maximum in reliability - whether exposed to adverse environmental conditions, stored for indefinite periods, or used under normal conditions. Resisting conditions which normally cause rubber to deteriorate, silicone rubber offers a useful life which is unmatched by other known elastomers. It resists temperature extremes, ozone. corona, radiation, moisture, compression set, weathering, and chemical attack.
Silicone has been with us since 1944, and has gone through hundreds of improvements. Originally sacrificing physical strength and elongation, we now have a large variety of compounds available which provide resistance to a broad range of temperatures with excellent elastomeric physical properties.
When comparing elastomers for an application, one should not only consider the physical requirements. The "Total Cost", or the cost of the part including purchase price, installation, maintenance, and service life, should also be considered. Many elastomers are available at a much lesser cost than silicone, but fail to provide the user the
reliability, and durability over an extended period of time. Users should consider the "Total Cost" package when selecting or specifying silicone rubber parts for an application.
CHEMICALLY, silicone rubber is quite different from other elastomers. It is this difference which gives them their unique combination of properties and permit silicone to perform in many applications where no other elastomer can be used. The basic difference between silicone polymers and "Organic" polymers is in the molecular make-up. Silicone or Dimethyl Polysiloxane, is made up of silicone/oxygen linkages, the same found in high temperature materials such as quartz, glass, and sand. Natural rubber, or Organic polymers, are made up of carbon/carbon linkages. Many organic polymers witness "unsaturation" where carbon atoms are joined together by double bonds, making them susceptible to the adverse affects of ozone.
Through altering the chemical make-up of the silicones by adding phenyls, vinyls, and , flourines, significant variations in physical properties can be achieved. The addition of phenyls improves low temperature flexibility and resistance to gamma radiation. Vinyl side groups improve the vulcanization characteristics and the compression set of the cured material. fluorosilicone enable the user to witness the physical properties inherent in standard silicone and maintain resistance to solvents and fuels.
TEMPERATURE EXTREME STABILITY is silicones most outstanding property. Under normal operating conditions, temperatures as high as 500 F and as low as -150 F do not destroy the physical and electrical
properties of silicone. At elevated temperatures, the tensile, elongation, and abrasion resistance of silicone is far
superior to that of most organic elastomers. The advantages of silicone over natural rubbers is readily apparent when compared with the effects of heat aging at 400 F . To show the true superiority of silicone, you have to see the effects in increments of DAYS for silicone, while the increments for organic rubber . Before aging, the organic rubber has higher tensile and elongation characteristics.
TEMPERATURE FLEXIBILITY is yet another advantage silicone has over most organic rubbers.
Silicones durometer and modulus show little change at temperatures as low as -100 F. Extreme low temperatures require the addition of PHENYLS, which exhibit brittle points as low as -150 F, and remain serviceable at -120 to -130 F.
COMPRESSION SET and deformation resistance of silicone is superior to that of organic rubber, when both elastomers are
subjected to the same compressive forces.
THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH of elastomers is measured by testing the Tensile, Tear, Elongation, and Compression Set. In general, silicone rubber is strong, resilient, and stretchable at temperatures where organic rubber fails.
But, as shown previously, silicone shows far superior stability when subjected to temperature fluctuations. When specifying an elastomer for a specific application, one must consider the environments in which the elastomer is asked to perform, and the expected life of the unit into which the elastomer is installed.
WEATHERING RESISTANCE is another important concern when specifying material to be used. Silicone rubber resists the deteriorating effects of sunlight, ozone, and gasses which cause weathering. Inherently water repellent, silicone is not affected by moist operating conditions. Very dry conditions and low humidity will not bleach, dry out, or affect silicone in any way. Silicone also resists the deteriorating effects of the agents found in rain
water : nitrates, sulfates, chloride, and hydrogen ions. Surface water containing minerals, acids, bases, and salts normally have no detrimental effect on silicone. In fact, testing performed by the Navy Applied Science Lab, showed that silicone rubber did not change in appearance or physical properties after four years of undersea exposure (comparisons made with control samples shelf-aged at ambient temperatures).
OZONE and CORONA, as stated, cause most organic rubbers to break down rapidly, and loose their inherent physical properties. Silicone on the other hand can withstand high concentrations of ozone (200ppm) with comparable effects resembling that of heat aging on silicone. The corona resistance of silicone approaches that of mica with the added advantage of silicones flexibility.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES of silicone compare favorably with the best insulating organic materials. Silicone rubbers fatigue life under continuous stress is high, allowing it to outperform organic rubbers when subjected to voltage for a prolonged period of time.
DIELECTRIC FATIGUE and ELECTRICAL STRENGTH stability are two more attributes silicone provides where organic rubbers often fail. At normal temperatures the electric strength of silicone rubber is in the
same order as the values for organic elastomers. When continuously subjected to high voltage stresses for prolonged periods of time, other elastomers will evidence a drop-off in electric strength or
show dielectric fatigue. Dielectric constant and power factor vary in different compounds.
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE requirements in elevated temperature applications can most likely be met by silicone rubbers. At elevated temperatures, organic rubbers loose their effectiveness to resist
these types of chemicals, and begin to break down.
This in general entails all properties of Silicone compounds which directly apply to ABMI Cathters too which are extremely durable, ease of use and the safety built in to them due to the choice of compound used. The demand is heating up for this sector due to safety and latex sensitivity issues. The sales should pick up soon owing to all out efforts by the sales team at ABMI and i am sure the new PR firm will promote the stock a lot better than any of the firms they hired in the past.
Go ABMI
regards,
Sri. |
