I'm trying to figure out how to build a prototype of an invention I came up with and I'm struggling to find quality information on working with Silicone (or alternative bases) that allow for elasticity.


I need to make two elastic bands; one more firm than the other.

The one that would be a tighter fit would fit BIC lighters. It's a pretty generic size and I want it to be able to stay on the lighter

The second elastic band would be about 2" in diameter, but it needs to be elastic enough to fit 1" to 3" tubing.


What type of silicone should I be looking for? Is there anyone who knows if i can add extra of a specific ingredient when mixing to give the elasticity & firmness I'm looking for?


I'm paying for help btw

only legitimate info ive found so far about silicone or how its made

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/plastics-rubber/silicone-bracelet-design

You want elastic to shrink from 2inch to 1inch?

no. i want a silicone band that has an elasticity range of about 2" in diameter; i meant 1" in diameter that can get to about 3"

This post was edited by TinyRick on Jan 14 2019 09:29pm

check this

https://www.ses-sterling.com/Catalogue.html?pdf=a23_02.pdf

So basically you want a silicon "wrist" band that:

1. functions the way it should and remains a tight fit.
2. functions the same way but introduces elasticity.

I mean that may be pretty difficult, but if you're try to engineer your design then the first step is to be able to design the common silicone band yourself, from there you need to find additives that increase elasticity, but of course as it becomes more elastic it's strength will dramatically decrease because silicone frameworks don't behave like rubber.
There is an odd reference (Snejdrová E, et al. Ceska Slov Farm. 2002.) that suggest NaCl (simple table salt) can introduce elasticity in silicone matrices, maybe go for a hail mary and put a silicone band in varying concentrations of a brine solution (for a long period of time) and see if there's any chance in the elastic properties.

very interesting! thanks for the advice m8.

I made a prototype out of clay. works likea fucking charm, but of course there's no elasticity to dried clay. I'm thinking of buying custom circumferences wristbands and building a bunch of prototypes out of them. As far as my understanding goes, the width of the band will determine its elasticity as well because of the amount of surface area. So a livestrong bracelet (like 1/2" wide) wont stretch as much as a bracelet that's 1/4" wide. I have multiple different writbands like this already and have put that theory to test with confirming results.... but the problem with my little experiment is that I have no idea if the bands have different silicone compounds because theyre all from diff manufacturer. so I'm thinking I could order a bunch of different sized wristbands (in width AND circumference) to test and see if I could just find a nice fitting one; then I can reach out to the manufacturer about creating a custom mold for my design


thanks again for the honest help

Finding the components may be hard but they should be online somewhere, even if it may be a patent, if you'd like to know a specific one send it to me and I may be able to find it. Also if you're going to order bands online try and get them from the same supplier so that the components are the same then you don't have to worry about it.