Chemical Technology May 2016 low res1

Chemical Technology • May 2016

ACKER’s silicone products have applications in

sectors such as, for example, chemicals, cos-

metics, textiles, paper, electronics and medical

technology. In 2015, the division generated around 37 %

of the group’s sales. Founded in 1914, the Burghausen

plant is WACKER’s principal production site and the larg-

est chemical plant in Bavaria, employing almost 10 000

people in over 130 production units, on the 2,3 km

site.

All five of WACKER’s business divisions have operations

at the Burghausen site, the integrated silicon-based produc-

tion system being one of its key strengths. Five main raw

materials form the basis for production: metallurgical-grade

silicon, rock salt, ethylene, acetic acid and methanol. The

portfolio of products manufactured at the site ranges from

polysilicon and hyperpure silicon wafers to silicones, silanes

and pyrogenic silicas, as well as dispersions and dispersible

polymer powders, solid resins, fine chemicals and base

materials for the chemical and biotechnical industries.

The functional silicone fluids production plant was

expanded in 2015, coming on stream in early 2016, and

allowing WACKER to meet the rising global demand for ver-

satile silicone fluids and emulsions in the coatings, paper,

textile, cosmetics and personal care industries — areas

where highly specialised functional silicone fluids serve as

important intermediates. The plant combines the siloxane

precursor with other raw materials to produce functional

silicone fluids. Another recent project involved upgrades to

the facilities and technology of the application centre for

silicone release coatings, the Dehesive

Coating Centre.

Ultrathin precision silicone film and

dEAP technologies

WACKER’s silicone films are 100 % silicone. Like all sili-

cone rubber compounds, they are heat- and UV-resistant,

flexible even at low temperatures and chemically inert. On

account of their dielectric properties, silicone elastomers

are categorised as electroactive polymers (EAPs). They

are capable of responding to electrical stimulation under

certain circumstances. This is the case, for example, when

the elastomer is present as a non-conducting layer between

two electrodes.

Thanks also to their uniquematerial properties, precision

silicone films are ideal for dielectric electroactive polymers

(dEAP) technologies which began in the 1990s. At the time

suitable materials and manufacturing processes were not

available to produce dielectric films economically in the

required quantity and of the desired quality.

A process patented by WACKER now enables manufac-

turers to begin mass-producing EAP components for the

first time. It allows the manufacture of continuous films

WACKER Silicones –

New applications

for silicone films

German chemical company, WACKER, operates

globally with a network of production sites spanning

all key regions, in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

WACKER’s silicone division is one of the largest

silicone manufacturers worldwide. Its portfolio ranges

from silicone fluids, emulsions, resins, elastomers and

sealants to silanes, silane terminated polymers and

pyrogenic silica.

by Glynnis Koch