Silicone Tube Surface Stickiness and Cleaning Guide: From Professional Production to Daily Maintenance
Solving the Stickiness and Dust Attraction Problem of Silicone Tubes to Ensure Safer Operations in Medical and Food Industries
Have you ever encountered the issue of silicone tubes becoming sticky and attracting dust? This not only affects the aesthetics but could also serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, especially in fields like medical and food industries, which have high hygiene standards.
This article will take you through the production process of silicone tubes and provide professional solutions for tackling surface stickiness, with a focus on surface matte finish oil treatment technology, helping you select the most suitable silicone tube products.
01 Causes and Impact of Surface Stickiness in Silicone Tubes
The stickiness and dust attraction on silicone tubes are common problems. To effectively solve this issue, it's important to first understand its root causes.
Material Aging and Usage Environment
Silicone materials age over time, which is one of the main causes of surface stickiness. The breakdown of silicone molecular chains leads to the migration of small molecules, such as plasticizers, to the surface, causing a sticky sensation.
The usage environment can accelerate this process. Factors like high temperatures, UV exposure, and ozone contact can degrade the molecular structure of silicone, causing physical changes to the surface properties.
In medical and food industries, silicone tubes often come into contact with liquids, chemicals, or undergo high-temperature sterilization, which further accelerates material aging and results in surface stickiness.
Chain Effects of Surface Stickiness
Surface stickiness not only affects the aesthetics but also triggers a series of problems:
1.Bacterial Growth: Sticky surfaces attract microorganisms, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
2.Performance Decline: It can hinder the smooth passage of fluids, potentially causing contamination.
3.Inconvenience: The sticky feel makes it difficult for operators to handle, reducing work efficiency.
In medical fields, such as respiratory tubes and feeding equipment, surface stickiness can pose serious hygiene risks, especially when devices come into direct contact with the human body.
02 Professional Solutions: Surface Matte Finish Oil Treatment Technology
To address the surface stickiness of silicone tubes, the industry has developed several effective solutions, among which surface matte finish oil treatment technology stands out.
What is Surface Matte Finish Oil?
Silicone finish oil, also known as silicone matte oil or matte coating, is a two-component coating specifically designed for the surface treatment of silicone rubber products.
This material significantly improves the smoothness of the surface, providing a matte, anti-stick, and dust-resistant finish. It is widely used for silicone phone cases, tablet covers, silicone buttons, silicone crafts, and has important applications in the medical device field as well.
Advantages of Matte Finish Treatment
Silicone tubes treated with surface matte finish oil offer multiple benefits:
4.Strong Adhesion: Passes the crosshatch adhesion test with a 5B rating, ensuring the coating is firmly adhered and not easy to peel off.
5.Excellent Abrasion Resistance: Achieves up to 28 cycles/20μm in RCA testing, ensuring long-lasting durability.
6.Smooth Texture: The surface has a delicate matte feel, making it comfortable to handle.
7.Anti-Stick and Dust-Resistant: Effectively solves the issues of stickiness and dust attraction.
This treatment has passed multiple stringent tests, including high-temperature and high-humidity, salt spray, and alcohol friction tests, ensuring stable performance in various environments.
04 Dongguan Ruixiang Precision Silicone Products Co., Ltd.
In the field of silicone tube manufacturing, Dongguan Ruixiang Precision Silicone Products Co., Ltd. has become a leading company in the industry, thanks to its professional technical strength and production capabilities.
Company Scale and Professional Qualifications
Founded in 2012, Ruixiang is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the design, development, production, and sales of silicone products.
The company has a professional team of silicone engineers and skilled production workers, designing more suitable products for partners.
Ruixiang's production area includes a 3,000-square-meter cleanroom and general production workshop, and it serves clients in over 40 countries, with more than 3,000 enterprises and traders purchasing its products.
Professional Technology and Product Capabilities
Ruixiang focuses on producing silicone products for medical devices, medical consumables, GMP pharmaceutical, blood dialysis, cardiovascular, laboratory, and food industries.
The company operates GMP-compliant cleanrooms, capable of producing products with inner diameters as small as 0.14mm, wall thicknesses as thin as 0.1mm, and tolerances as tight as 0.02mm. The products are highly precise and stable in quality.
Their products are widely used in Class I, II, and III medical devices, such as needle sheath tubes, endoscope fiber optic covers, various drainage tubes, pacemakers, and more.
Quality Assurance and Certification
Ruixiang operates under ISO9001 and ISO13485 standards from raw material processing to molding.
They use imported silicone platinum-catalyzed molding, and their products meet FDA and biocompatibility testing standards, including tests for cytotoxicity, hemolysis, sensitization, intracutaneous irritation, and acute systemic toxicity.
Some materials meet the USP Class VI ISO 10993 standards and are suitable for implantation in the human body. The rigorous quality control process ensures a product defect rate of less than 0.2%.
05 Cleaning Methods and Inventory Management for Silicone Tubes
Proper cleaning methods and scientific inventory management are crucial to maintaining the performance of silicone tubes.
Professional Cleaning Methods
Silicone tubes used in different environments should be cleaned accordingly:
8.Medical-grade Silicone Tubes: Can be sterilized using high-temperature steam or ethylene oxide gas sterilization.
9.Food-grade Silicone Tubes: Use food-grade cleaning agents along with high-temperature sterilization.
10.Industrial-grade Silicone Tubes: Choose compatible cleaning agents based on the chemicals they come into contact with.
Ensure no visible residue or abnormal odors are left after cleaning, particularly in food and medical applications.
Effective De-Stickiness Tips
For silicone tubes that have already become sticky, try the following methods:
11.Baking Soda Cleaning: Mix baking soda with water to form a paste, rub it on the silicone surface, leave it for a while, and rinse.
12.Vinegar Soak: Mix white vinegar and warm water in a 1:1 ratio, soak the silicone tube for 30 minutes, then scrub it clean.
13.Alcohol Wipe: Use 70%-75% medical alcohol to wipe the silicone surface thoroughly.
These methods can temporarily alleviate surface stickiness. However, for long-term use, it is recommended to choose silicone tubes that have been treated with professional surface coatings.
Scientific Inventory Management
To ensure the performance of silicone tubes, inventory management should focus on:
14.Storage Environment: Store in a dry, well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight.
15.Categorical Management: Classify by type, specification, and color for easier usage and management.
16.First In, First Out: Implement a regular inspection and rotation system to avoid long-term storage of materials.
Ruixiang considers transportation and storage needs when packaging products. After production in cleanrooms, the products are double-sealed in heat-sealed packaging to maintain cleanliness.
For silicone products with existing surface stickiness, you can clean them using baking soda paste or diluted vinegar water, but these are only temporary solutions.
In the long term, it is advisable to select silicone tubes treated with surface matte finish oil from professional manufacturers like Dongguan Ruixiang Precision Silicone Products Co., Ltd., which can effectively prevent stickiness and dust attraction from the source.
Whether in the food industry, medical field, or daily life, choosing the right silicone tube and applying proper cleaning and maintenance methods will ensure long-term stable operation, providing safe and reliable solutions for various industries.