Silastic

Silastic® (a portmanteau of 'silicone' and 'plastic') is a trademark registered in 1948 by Dow Corning Corporation[1] for flexible, inert silicone elastomer. Today, the Silastic trademark refers to silicone elastomers, silicone tubing and some cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane materials manufactured by Dow Corning, the owner of the global trademark.

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Silastic brand silicone elastomers have a range of applications. In the automotive industry they are used for making gaskets, spark plug boots, hoses and other components that must operate over a broad temperature range and resist oil and coolants. The elastomers are widely used in the architectural, aerospace, electronic, food and beverage, textile and transportation industries for molding, coating, adhesion and sealing. Because of their inert nature, medical grade Silastic brand silicone elastomers are important materials in numerous medical and pharmaceutical devices including catheters, pacemaker leads, tubing and wound dressings.

Dow Corning consciously stresses the registered Silastic trademark to avoid dilution of this name, and to inform the general public that it is a brand of silicone elastomer, not the actual name for the material.

References

• 1. United States Patent and Trademark Office, Registration no. 0438195. Filing date June 15, 1946; registration date April 13, 1948. Owner: Dow Corning Corporation, Midland, Michigan 48686-0994.