Platinum Silicone Rubber: All you Need To Know

In the fields of baby products, medical devices, and food contact silicone products, “Platinum Silicone Rubber” has become synonymous with safety, purity, and high-end quality. Over the past 10–15 years, we have clearly observed in actual projects that European and American brands are increasingly specifying the use of platinum-cured silicone, rather than ordinary peroxide silicone, during the new product development stage.

Based on 26 years of practical experience in silicone product OEM/ODM, and incorporating customer project feedback, third-party testing data, and market research, this article systematically explains from multiple perspectives—engineering, procurement, branding, and compliance—what platinum silicone is, why it is safer, when it should be used, and how to correctly select and control its use.

What is Platinum Silicone?

Platinum silicone rubber refers to silicone rubber materials that undergo cross-linking reactions using a platinum-cured/addition curing system. Unlike traditional peroxide curing, platinum silicone rubber without produce byproducts or leave any odor during the curing process, and its molecular structure is more stable. 铂金硅胶是一种仅使用铂（贵金属）作为催化剂的硅胶，除了硅胶的其他特性外，还提高了其质量。

This is the ideal material for manufacturing molds or products that will come into contact with food. The safety and quality of each one of its components also makes platinum silicone the ideal material for baby bottle nipples or surgery materials for hospitals.

Simply put: Platinum silicone is the highest possible grade you can get when it comes to food products. That is why we chose it when making the silicone baby feeding products—we want to make sure your family is getting the best possible quality products. Platinum grade silicone is the only grade that ensures absolutely no toxins are being absorbed into your child’s food, making it ideal as a material to be used for making the silicone baby plate, silicone baby bowl, silicone baby cup, silicone baby spoon, etc.

Medical grade silicones are also cured with platinum – which is what we use. The great silicone baby products are free of BPA, BPS, BPF, PVC, lead, cadmium, phthalates, formaldehyde, PAHs and nitrosamines.医用级硅胶是用铂固化的——这就是我们所使用的。优质硅胶婴儿产品不含 BPA、BPS、BPF、PVC、铅、镉、邻苯二甲酸盐、甲醛、PAH 和亚硝胺。

There are various grades of silicone, including standard silicone, food grade, and medical grade. Silicone is cured (a.k.a. bound together) through the use of either peroxide or platinum. Curing with peroxide is the most cost effective, but fillers are needed in the process and the final product contains contaminants and byproducts, similar to plastic. Standard and food grade silicones are cured with peroxide. On the other hand, curing with platinum is more expensive, but the resulting silicone is cleaner and purer, and does not contain any fillers or byproducts.

Cure silicone mold rubber, platinums exhibit the lowest long-term shrinkage and have the longest library life of all mold rubbers (with a price tag to match). While good for making molds for casting a variety of materials, platinums also have application and physical properties that other rubbers do not. As a result, they are used for other applications. For example, some are certified “skin safe” and can be applied directly to human skin. They are also used for making prosthetic and orthotic devices, skin safe appliances and effects, etc. Some are certified “food safe” for culinary applications.

What is Curing?

In accordance with Wikipedia definition, ‘Silicone Curing’ is a fundamental chemical process used in polymer chemistry for cross-linking polymer chains. It is a crucial process of elastomer industry for hardening or solidifying un-cured synthetic or natural rubber material into a desired shape and size. Curing is normally done either by adding chemical additives (curing agent or hardener) or without chemical additives by using heat or UV system.

Silicone Rubber Curing

Since Silicone elastomer is also made out of a polymer chain,  it also needs a similar kind of curing before making finished silicone rubber products. Silicone rubber, when not cured or solidified is a sticky, gummy and thick fluid. To harden it, it has to undergo cross linking and cure mechanism (hardening mechanism) which is done by a catalyst reaction i.e. cross link a liquid polymer system where it sets up and solidifies. Silicone is brought to an ideal shape and size mostly by a two-step process. This is done at the point of manufacture and then continued in an after cure process. The operative elements while curing vary synthetically to give the finished result with various properties. This process is irreversible.

For silicone rubber, there are two most commonly used curing systems. Platinum Cure System, and Peroxide Cure System.

Platinum-Cure System

Platinum-cure technology has been accessible for quite a while, especially for applications which need high purity products like medical equipment, food & beverage processing industry, and pharmaceutical application. In platinum cure silicone system two different chemical groups react in the presence of platinum. It is also called as “addition cure” or two-part system. The detailing is more complicated as compared to peroxide compounds. It necessitates that the base silicone polymer contains vinyl functional groups.

Dissimilar to the peroxide cure system, platinum is a genuine catalyst. It is not ingested through the process. Practically, in the platinum cure system, the activity has to be technically decreased as the platinum-catalyzed response happens even at normal temperature and pressure. This first request response happens considerably more rapidly than one started by peroxide, as it doesn’t confide in the rate-deciding step.

Cure silicone mold rubber, platinums exhibit the lowest long-term shrinkage and have the longest library life of all mold rubbers (with a price tag to match). While good for making molds for casting a variety of materials, platinum also have application and physical properties that other rubbers do not. As a result, they are used for other applications. For example, some are certified “skin safe” and can be applied directly to human skin. They are also used for making prosthetic and orthotic devices, skin safe appliances and effects, etc. Some are certified “food safe” for culinary applications.

When high quality, crucial quantities, or recurrent purification is all-important, platinum cure system is the best choice.当高质量、关键数量或反复纯化至关重要时，铂金固化系统是最佳选择。

Why Choose Platinum Cured Silicone？

Enhanced safety: Easier to meet regulations such as FDA, LFGB, and EN14350.

Odorless and non-migrating: Suitable for baby products and food contact.

Long-term stability: Less prone to yellowing and cracking.

Brand premium: Platinum silicone has become a premium selling point.品牌溢价：铂金硅胶已成为溢价

Who Needs Platinum Silicone Rubber？谁需要铂金硅橡胶？

Platinum Silicone is particularly suitable for the following customers:

Baby and toddler product brands (pacifiers, teethers, feeding utensils)

Medical and healthcare product manufacturers

High-end kitchen silicone product brands

Wearable devices and products that come into prolonged contact with skin长时间接触皮肤的可穿戴设备和产品

When Should You Specify Platinum Silicone？

Platinum cured silicone should be explicitly stated in the specifications in the following situations:

The product comes into direct or prolonged contact with infants and young children.

It needs to pass LFGB certification, not just FDA approval.

There is a clear history of customer complaints regarding “odorless” labeling.

The product is positioned as mid-to-high-end or has a medical/health attribute.产品定位为中高端或具有医疗/保健属性。

How to Produce Platinum Silicone Rubber Products？如何生产铂金硅橡胶制品？

The core of producing platinum silicone rubber products lies in precise raw material proportioning, strict vacuum degassing, low-temperature gradient curing, and prevention of contamination. The entire process, from raw material preparation to final molding, mainly consists of the following key steps:

I. Raw Material Preparation and Mixing

Raw Material Proportioning: Platinum silicone rubber consists of component A (vinyl-containing polysiloxane) and component B (hydrogen-containing polysiloxane and platinum catalyst), which must be precisely mixed in a 1:1 weight ratio. The proportioning error must be controlled within 0.5% to ensure the performance of the finished product.

Mixing and Softening: Components A and B are placed in a rubber mixing mill for mixing and softening. Colorants, additives, etc., can be added, and softeners can be added as needed (up to 400%) to adjust the softness of the final product.

II. Vacuum Degassing
The uniformly mixed rubber compound needs to be continuously stirred under a vacuum of 0.098 MPa for 15 minutes to completely eliminate air bubbles. This is a crucial step to ensure the product is free of internal defects. III. Molding and Curing

Molding Method: Select according to product requirements:

Pouring/Coating: Pour or coat the material into the mold. Suitable for complex shapes or coatings.

Compression Molding/Injection Molding: Place the material into the mold and press it into shape. Suitable for mass production.

Curing Process: Stepped temperature curing is recommended to avoid internal stress:

Pre-curing: Heat at 60℃ for 30 minutes to initially form the skeleton structure.

Final Crosslinking: Heat to 120℃-150℃ (adjust according to the product) to complete the final crosslinking and curing. This process can be completed within a few hours, much faster than room temperature curing.

IV. Post-processing and Quality Control

Demolding and Finishing: Carefully demold after curing, scrape off excess silicone (flash) with a tool to make the surface smooth.

Surface Treatment (Optional): To improve wear resistance or appearance, a protective layer can be sprayed onto the surface and dried.

Quality Inspection: Inspect product dimensions, surface finish, elasticity, and for defects such as bubbles and cracks.

V. Key Precautions

Dedicated Containers and Tools: Always use containers and tools that have not come into contact with condensation-type silicone or other contaminants; otherwise, the addition-type silicone surface may become sticky or fail to cure.

Environmental Cleanliness: The operating environment should be kept clean to prevent dust and other impurities from falling into the silicone compound.

The core of the entire process lies in precision, cleanliness, and temperature control. Strictly following these steps will ensure the production of high-quality platinum silicone rubber products.整个过程的核心在于精度、洁净度和温度控制。严格遵循这些步骤将确保生产出高质量的铂硅橡胶产品。

More FAQ for platinum silicone

Why does “platinum silicone” still have a smell?

Investigate raw material purity, mold contamination, and secondary vulcanization process.

Passed testing but still facing market complaints?

LFGB + sensory testing dual standards.

Is platinum silicone really safer for babies?

Yes. Due to the absence of byproduct residue, platinum silicone is widely used in baby-grade products.

Platinum silicone vs. food-grade silicone?

Food grade is an application-grade definition, while platinum refers to the curing system; the two are not contradictory.

In summary

Jution Silicone Rubber is experienced, reliable and customer-centric silicone rubber products manufacturer which makes & offers silicone baby products, platinum cure products, food grade products, and other custom silicone rubber products as per your requirements. They possess the extensive experience to work with platinum cure silicone systems and can guide you in your decision and all through your development to achieve the execution levels you require.