Re-coatable Silicone Rubber Rollers
Reduce Waste AND Costs
Re-coatable Silicone Rubber Rollers
To better understand why re-coatable silicone rubber rollers are so popular, let’s start by taking a look at how silicone rubber rollers are used.
Uses for Silicone Rubber Rollers
Due to their excellent thermal properties, silicone rubber rollers are used in many industrial processes including hot stamp and heat transfer decoration as well as heat sealing of products.
Silicone conforms naturally to surface variations in molded parts, ensuring smooth application of stamping foils and multi-color heat transfers without air entrapment. Rubber rollers are well-suited for “tipping” or decoration of raised artwork as well as application to flat, curved and contoured surfaces. Silicone rollers are ideal for non-decorating applications requiring a non-slip surface for feeding/pulling films through a variety of machine applications.
Components of Silicone Rollers
Each silicone roller has a machined metal core and a silicone coating. Here you can see how the custom metal core is meticulously designed (in terms of core, outside and bore diameters) to ensure optimum performance for each unique application. These carefully planned machined metal cores can now be reused, generating significant waste and cost savings.
Replacing Silicone Rubber Rollers
Periodically, the silicone on these rollers gets worn out and needs to be replaced. The speed with which rollers require replacement is dependent on the production environment where they used. Factors like environmental pollution and line speeds impact roller durability.
In the past…
Previously entirely new rollers needed to be purchased. The machined metal roller core (the costliest part of the roller) would simply be thrown away with its worn down silicone cover. This would generate additional cost and was not a green solution.
Introducing Re-Coatable Silicone Rollers?
Now there is a better way! United Silicone is proud to offer re-coatable silicone rubber rollers.
When a silicone roller becomes worn down, customers can simply ship these rollers to United Silicone. We will use our proprietary silicone-to-metal bonding process to re-coat the machined metal core with fresh, new silicone. Customers only pay for the cost of shipping and the new silicone coating.
How are silicone rollers re-coated?
United Silicone´s proprietary system for chemically bonding silicone to metal cores provides market-leading adhesion without the need for glue or other adhesives. Fresh, new silicone is secured firmly to your existing metal core.
Benefits of Re-Coatable Silicone Rollers?
Clearly- being able to reuse the machined metal cores of rollers reduces waste. Not only is their less landfill- but new energy is not needed to produce new machined metal cores.
Re-coatable silicone rollers generate significant cost savings as the machined metal core of the silicone rubber roller can be reused. The machined metal is the costliest part of a silicone roller and it does not need to be replaced. Being able to reuse the metal roller core generates cost savings. For smaller rollers, cost savings may be close to 50%. For larger rollers, cost savings can be as high as 250%!
Re-coatable silicone rubber rollers reduce waste AND expense.
What are the benefits of United Silicone´s silicone rollers?
At United Silicone, we provide complete rollers (core plus covering) as well as roller recoats for use in hot stamp, heat transfer and heat seal applications. Our rollers are universal and can be used on our systems as well as competitor systems.
Our rollers provide:
- Superior repeatability
- Precision finish
- Market-leading adhesion
- Market-leading size options
- Seamless aesthetic
- Fast turn around