How can anti-stick silicone be used on high-speed plastic rollers to prevent performance degradation caused by frictional heat?
Publish Time: 2025-09-17
In modern industrial automated production, plastic rollers are widely used in key processes such as film conveying, lamination, coating, printing, and slitting. As production line speeds continue to increase, rollers often operate at speeds of hundreds of meters per minute. High-speed friction inevitably leads to a sharp rise in roller surface temperature. In this context, anti-stick silicone, as a key functional material on roller surfaces, must not only effectively prevent adhesion and facilitate smooth peeling of plastic films such as PC, PET, PE, PP, and OPP, but also maintain stable physical and chemical properties under sustained high temperatures. Otherwise, if the silicone layer softens, ages, or degrades due to thermal effects, it will directly cause film deviation, sticking, scratching, and even downtime. Therefore, ensuring that anti-stick silicone does not degrade in high-temperature friction environments is a key challenge in ensuring its suitability for high-speed operation.1. Thermal Stability Design of the MaterialThe heat resistance of anti-stick silicone depends primarily on its base polymer structure. High-quality anti-stick silicone utilizes a high-purity, high-crosslink density polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) system, cured via a platinum-catalyzed addition reaction to form a three-dimensional network structure. This structure exhibits excellent thermal stability, capable of withstanding surface temperatures exceeding 150°C during long-term continuous operation without decomposition or softening. Furthermore, the introduction of heat-resistant modifiers such as phenyl and fluorosilicone further enhances the silicone's glass transition temperature and thermal oxidative stability, effectively suppressing molecular chain breakage and crosslinking degradation at high temperatures, thereby maintaining the material's hardness and elastic modulus.2. Efficient Thermal Conductivity and Heat Dissipation MechanismAlthough silicone itself has low thermal conductivity, in roller applications, it is typically applied as a thin layer to the surface of a metal roller. The metal substrate has excellent thermal conductivity, rapidly transferring heat generated by surface friction to the interior and ends, preventing heat accumulation in the silicone layer. Furthermore, some high-performance anti-stick silicones incorporate trace amounts of thermally conductive fillers into their formulations to enhance the overall thermal dissipation of the material without sacrificing flexibility. This results in a more uniform surface temperature distribution and reduces the risk of cracking or delamination caused by thermal stress concentration.3. Surface Structure and Friction Coefficient ControlUnder high-speed operation, frictional heat generation is closely related to the contact area and friction coefficient. Anti-stick silicone reduces frictional resistance by precisely manipulating its surface microstructure, such as by using micro-texture embossing or a matte finish. This reduces the actual contact area with the film. Furthermore, its inherent low surface energy effectively weakens the van der Waals forces between the silicone and the film, achieving a "weak adhesion" state. This low-friction design not only reduces the source of heat generation but also reduces mechanical wear on the silicone material itself, extending its service life.4. Anti-oxidation and Anti-aging ProtectionHigh temperatures can accelerate the oxidation process, causing yellowing, hardening, or surface powdering of the silicone. To address this issue, high-end anti-stick silicone incorporates high-efficiency antioxidants and free radical scavengers into its formula to inhibit free radical chain reactions and slow the aging process. Furthermore, the dense cross-linked network structure inherently limits the penetration of oxygen and free radicals, further enhancing the material's long-term thermal stability. Even after thousands of hours of continuous operation, it maintains excellent elasticity and anti-stick properties, preventing micro-cracking and flaking caused by material embrittlement.5. Process Adaptation and System SynergyIn addition to the material itself, the performance of anti-stick silicone also depends on the correct coating process and roller system design. Uniform coating thickness ensures consistent thermal stress distribution, preventing localized overheating. Appropriate hardness selection strikes a balance between flexibility and wear resistance. The roller's dynamic balancing and cooling system assist in temperature control at the equipment level, forming a comprehensive high-temperature protection system encompassing "materials, processes, and equipment."For high-speed plastic rollers, anti-stick silicone creates a multi-layered thermal stability defense through optimized material molecular structure, thermal conductivity design, low-friction surface control, antioxidant protection, and system-level synergy. This not only ensures long-lasting and effective anti-stick properties in high-temperature friction environments, but also ensures continuous, stable, and efficient operation of the production line.
