Articles posted by Jehbco Silicones

The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) regulation derives from the European community joint efforts to regulate and restrict the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products to protect the environment and human health.

The directive adopted on July 1 of 2006 has undergone updates until the most recent RoHS 3 – directive 2015/863 – where was established that all electrical or electronic products, manufactured or distributed within the European community, should not exceed the maximum concentration for each substance on the table below:

Last update July 22nd, 2021.

The substances above can be carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic and bio accumulative for the human body. In addition, they can produce highly toxic transformation products when mixed with other components during disposal or recycling.

Electrical products that are in contact with food and beverages should comply with the RoHS directive. Not only because people will consume the items inside but also because they can be in use daily. Microwaves, refrigerators, blenders are examples of appliances where silicone gaskets should comply with RoHS.

Similarly, electrical appliances in constant contact with water for example, washing machines or heaters, should not introduce harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury or cadmium into pipes or drainage systems to avoid contamination of water sources and other negative impacts on the environment. In those cases, silicone tubing and door gaskets should also comply with RoHS.

The silicone products manufactured at Jehbco have countless applications within the electrical and electronic industry, most recently providing the manufacture of medical devices and electrical appliances with silicone gaskets, washers and membranes. That is why Jehbco remains in constant communication with raw material suppliers who provide the company with the RoHS declarations and the corresponding raw materials composition.

Whether they contain RoHS, limited or prohibited substances, Jehbco identifies the current requirements of the applicable regulations and will be happy to provide their customers with the necessary declarations.

References

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/topics/waste-and-recycling/rohs-directive_en

https://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/Joint_NGO_Position_RoHS.pdf

https://rohsguide.com/rohs-substances.htm

EN 45545 is a European standard that specifies the “fire performance requirements for materials and product used on railway vehicles”^[1] in order to protect passenger and staff in railway vehicles in the event of a developing fire on board^[2]. The part of the standard that applies to Jehbco products is R22 which has a section about the requirements for interior seals^[3]. This standard section is now used in replacement of BS 6853 which was a smoke safety standard for the rail industry^[4].

The methods to perform testing are detailed in the standard. It consists of 3 tests that are used to establish product performance versus these product requirements: 

1. Oxygen index (EN ISO 4589-2): this test determines the burning behaviour at ambient temperature^[5]. It is defining the minimum concentration of oxygen in a mixture of oxygen/nitrogen that will support flaming combustion.
2. Smoke density (ISO 5659-2): this test measures the smoke production from the exposed surface of materials or composites^[6].
3. Smoke toxicity (NF X70-100): this test quantitively determines the thermal decomposition and combustion of materials decisive for the toxicity of the fire environment^[7]. 

The standard defines three hazard levels: HL 1, HL 2 and HL 3; HL1 being the lowest requirement and HL 3 the highest.  The performance requirements on EN 45545-2 for each of these tests is summarized below:

Table 1: Summary of test methods

Ds max is the maximum optical density in the test chamber

CITNLP is the conventional index of toxicity for non- listed product

Jehbco is proud to inform that their Jehbsil black flame retardant products with hardnessess going from 30 to 90 Sh A have successfully met the requirements of the PN  EN45545 2 + A1:2015 standard for R22 and R23 at the HL 1, HL 2 and HL 3 hazard levels in November 2020.

References

1.  European Committee for standardization. EN 45545-2:2020 standard. “Railway applications – Fire protection on railway vehicles – Part 2: Requirements for fire behavior of materials and components”, August 2020
2. European Standard. “Set DIN 45545-1-7- Fire protection on railway vehicles”. Viewed on 31st March 2021https://www.en-standard.eu/set-din-en-45545-1-7-fire-protection-on-railway-vehicles/
3. DGE smart speciality chemicals, “EN 45545-2 European railway standard for fire safety”, viewed on 31st March 2021. https://dge-europe.com/en-45545-european-railway-standard-fire-safety/
4.  Nathan White, CSIRO , “Fire Performance of Passenger Trains”, FPA Australia, viewed on 31st March 2021. fpaa.com.au/media/229521/d1-fse-p5-white.ppt.pdf  
5. International Standard Organisation, “ISO 4589-2:2017(en). Plastics — Determination of burning behaviour by oxygen index — Part 2: Ambient-temperature test”. Viewed on 31st March 2021.https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:4589:-2:ed-2:v1:en 
6. International Standard Organisation, “ISO 5659-2:2017 Plastics — Smoke generation — Part 2: Determination of optical density by a single-chamber test”, viewed on 31st March 2021. https://www.iso.org/standard/65243.html
7. Sychta laboratorium, “the toxicity test for thermal decomposition and combustion products of materials with methods according to NF X70-100-1, NF X70-100-2 and PN-EN 45545-2”. viewed on 31st March 2021. http://www.sychta.eu/en/nf-x70-100-1.html

At Jehbco Silicones we strive to be up-to-date and compliant with international quality standards to meet our customer’s expectations. In order to adhere to regulations that are stipulated by the European Union Jehbco needs to evaluate and control our raw materials ensuring they comply with the REACH standard.

Chemical risk regulation in factories

REACH is an acronym for “Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals”. It is a standard created by the European Union that drives the creation of more information about the risks of chemical exposure. The principal objective of the standard is to guarantee a high level of protection for human health and the environment.
In order to comply with REACH, companies must identify the hazards associated with the chemicals they use or manufacture and notify the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) of these hazards. If there is an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment from the manufacture, use or commercialization of substances at a community scale, restrictions will be established in relation to their use.

Only registered substances to the ECHA can be commercialized in the European Union including chemicals used in industrial processes and those used on a daily basis, such as cleaning products, paint, etc. This is why the standard affects not only producers of goods but also importers of goods outside of the European Union. This includes companies who produce goods or services where chemicals are being used indirectly and are not part of the final product, such as those that are used in the manufacturing process at Jehbco.
The process to comply with ECHA and the REACH standard involves the compilation of technical documentation and especially the characterization of the substance. Broadly, the characterisation of a substance is where a material’s structures and properties are proved and measured. Through this process companies gain more knowledge about the properties and effects of chemicals, ensuring that risks are adequately controlled and that hazardous materials can be progressively replaced by better alternative technologies.
REACH implementation imposes greater responsibility as it encourages companies to communicate the best and safest way to handle chemicals. Just in New South Wales Safe work NSW has reported that there have been more than 6500 injuries in workplaces as a result of poor handling or storage of hazardous chemicals. Eight people died and more than 250 are now permanently disabled in the last 4 years.

References

1. European Chemicals Agency ‘Understanding REACH’, https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach/understanding-reach
2. SafeWork NSW, Hazardous chemicals, https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/hazards-a-z/hazardous-chemical
3. European Chemicals Agency ‘REACH, CLP and biocides for non-EU companies’ https://echa.europa.eu/support/getting-started/enquiry-on-reach-and-clp

Rubber compounds, such as silicone, can be formulated to have a wide variety of physical characteristics. The ASTM D2000 Standard Classification System for Rubber Products in Automotive Applications, often shortened to ASTM D2000, is a standardised method used to specify the required physical properties of a vulcanised rubber product.

The ASTM D2000 classification takes the form of an alpha-numeric call out, an example of which can be seen below.

ASTM D2000 M5 GE 706 A19 B37 EO16 Z1

The table below contains the different components of the callout using the callout above as an example, along with a brief explanation of each component.

Table 1: Outline of ASTM D2000 Callout Components

Table 2: Naming Convention of Standard Suffixes

The ASTM D2000 Rubber classification can even be used to differentiate different silicone compounds. For example, the line callout below can be used to describe a hard, high tear strength silicone grade

ASTM D2000 M2 FC 709

Alternatively, the line callout below can be used to describe a soft, high temperature resistant silicone grade.

ASTM D2000 M3 GE 310 A12

The ASTM D2000 rubber classification system is an extremely robust and efficient method of classifying vulcanised rubber materials such as silicone. Jehbco can manufacture compounds to meet most silicone-based ASTM D2000 line callouts.

Please contact our sales team if you would like more information.

What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is an industry renaissance revolutionising manufacturing, known as the fourth industrial revolution. 

It represents a shift within industry toward smarter, digitised systems allows for more control within production lines1. This control is enabled by building smarter communication systems between machines, utilising Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (AI) from data collection within the product line en masse. Analysing and systematically extracting data from the product line in quantities large enough to require specialist data processing and handling is Big Data within the product line1 needing machine learning for data processing.

Industry 4.0 has a heritage defined in revolution from^[1]:

• Industry 1.0 – Mechanisation, steam and water power.
• Industry 2.0 – Mass production and electricity.
• Industry 3.0 – Electronic and IT systems automation.
• Industry 4.0 – Cyber physical systems.

Why is it important?

Using IoT and AI in communication processes within manufacturing; calculations can be made quickly and efficiently guaranteeing responses within specified time constraints, otherwise defined as “real time”, with continuous machine operation monitoring^[2]. This can speed up processes and filter superfluous data ensuring cumbersome processes within the product line are kept to a minimum. 

Real time systems allow continuous monitoring and adjustments, increasing speed and matching customer demands in an economy where transactions are digital and increasingly automated, defining a real-time economy. This continual digitisation of business transactions allows adjustment to the supply chain in real time, when needed, for both manufacturer and client. Costs, company alignment and product value, all benefit from real time actioning and digitisation of transactions.

By digitisation and digitally quantifying process within the supply chain, efficiency within the processes allow human power in manufacturing to shift. This allows human power to provide more support to the product line. This shift in resources allows for: 

• Efficient organisation actioning and agility in structure to adapt for client needs.
• Better building of company culture.
• Interdepartmental connectivity.
• Maximising production outcomes.
• Deeper understanding of client needs for better problem solving2

By making this shift, production can increase, machine downtime can decrease and customers can receive goods on time, when and where they need it most.

When machine repair is required, smart systems can assist with fast diagnosis and action on the repair. Integrating Augmented Reality (AR) with hardware can make repair logs and finding what needs repair quick and easy2. AR is the next step in training staff to make repairs and assessments on machines accessible and agile to business and staff needs.

How is Jehbco integrating Industry 4.0 into practice?

Since becoming a member of the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) Jehbco has been gradually incorporating more Industry 4.0 practices into our manufacturing systems. The AMGC has supported higher R&D spending, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) spending and collaborative efforts between manufacturers and research institutions fostering Australia’s Industry 4.0 progress^[3].

Jehbco Silicones is still working towards fully integrating into the business. Starting with machine upgrades for digitised capture of data. These upgrades employ small localised computers designed to take specific inputs to produce specific outputs. These small computers are Programable Logic Controllers (PLC’s) and run many different machines. 

By integrating machine PLC’s to capture run time data we can build automated production and factory schedules allowing for increased monitoring of production and systems output.

Through capturing data and putting it to use we are initiating automated factory scheduling. Looking toward building a future of predictive scheduling and production analysis to optimise factory output, product lead times and delivery in full on time.

If you would like to learn more about the integration of Industry 4.0 into our manufacturing processes please contact us.

References

1. Dassault Systèmes 2021, Digitalization and Continuity. Dassault Systèmes, Viewed 02 February 2021, https://discover.3ds.com/digitalization-and-continuity?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=202101_glo_sea_en_op51508_labl_generic_manuf_ww_bmm&utm_term=manuf-industry4.0&utm_content=search&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9mABhD0ARIsAEfpavTScy6bKhE-u9lUY_efVdw5BNmG6PypTTIOu8QGBGeXcbo4q0a-K18aApOTEALw_wcB
2. i-Scoop 2021, Industry 4.0: the fourth industrial revolution – guide to Industrie 4.0, i-Scoop, Viewed 02 February 2021, https://www.i-scoop.eu/industry-4-0/#:~:text=Industry%204.0%20is%20the%20current,called%20a%20%E2%80%9Csmart%20factory%E2%80%9D.
3. AMGC, 2021, Advanced Manufacturing a new definition for a new era, viewed 23 February 2021, https://www.amgc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Advanced-Manufacturing-a-new-definition-for-a-new-era.pdf

Whether it be designing a new product, or improving an existing piece of equipment, the choice of material is extremely important. It can be overwhelming picking the right material when there are so many options available on the market. We at Jehbco are often asked to help consult our customers on what elastomer is the right choice for their application. 

In this article, we’ll explore the different properties of silicone and electrically conductive silicone (ECS), and what applications each material would be best suited for. Silicone and ECS are both silicone-based products, but ECS is normally impregnated with electrically conductive particles which changes the physical properties of the material. While both elastomers may be used to create similar products, the specific application and environment will ultimately determine whether silicone or ECS will be the better choice for you. The table below summarises some of the key differences between the two materials

It is no surprise that the mechanical properties of silicone and ECS are similar, as they are both silicone-based products. The loading of conductive particles in the ECS material framework is normally not enough to cause any major changes to the fundamental elastic physical properties (tensile strength, compression set, and abrasion resistance) compared to a standard silicone material. However, the conductive particles impregnated within the ECS material provide ECS with a number of different properties that make it very useful for niche applications.

As the name suggests, ECS is electrically conductive, which makes it ideal for use in the electronics industry. ECS can be used a conductor, as well as anti-static and electromagnetic shielding (EMS) applications. This is in stark contrast to standard silicone material, which generally conducts a lot of static and does not provide any EMS capabilities.

Another benefit of ECS is that the conductive particles also increase in the thermal conductivity of the material. ECS can been used in heat exchange components as a heat transfer medium in semiconductor applications. Conversely, standard silicone has good insulative properties and can be used as a heat shield/protective cover for fluid transfer systems.

It is clear to see that there is merit in using either silicone or ECS, depending on the specific application you require and the operational environment.  For help selecting a material consult our applications page and contact us with any questions.