Elasto Proxy, global supplier of specialty seals and custom insulation, is announcing custom-fabricated rubber products made from FDA-approved silicone sponge. By converting sheets, rolls, and extrusions into specialty seals and custom insulation, Elasto Proxy is helping partners in the food, beverage, drug, and medical industries to meet their application requirements. A type of synthetic rubber, silicone is an inert compound that will not react with food products or food ingredients.
Applications for silicone extend beyond the food equipment industry, however, so suppliers use the term “food grade silicones.” Not all food grade silicones contain the same ingredients, however, and silicone sponge and solid silicone have different material properties. Many suppliers offer food grade silicones, but some describe their materials as “FDA compliant” or “FDA approved.” Typically, these compounds comply with only the FDA’s extraction requirement, or contain only a subset of ingredients that are FDA approved.
In other words, these silicones are food grade, but they’re not fully FDA compliant, and they’re not fully FDA approved. As an experienced custom fabricator with expertise in compound selection, Elasto Proxy understands how the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) specifies extraction test limits for rubber articles that come into contact with food. Elasto Proxy also understands how the FDA approves ingredients in food contact substances (FCS), and that all additives must be approved for a compound to be fully approved.
Food and beverage equipment manufacturers, the pharmaceutical industry, and medical manufacturers now have a new option for meeting their application requirements. Moreover, because this fully FDA approved silicone is a sponge rubber, its features include excellent compression set and recovery. This is important both for door seals and for baking mats where food products are dropped onto a packing line. –