In extreme high-temperature environments, such as aerospace engine components and automotive turbocharger seals, high-temperature silicone, thanks to its unique molecular structure and deep integration with 3D printing technology, is becoming a key material to break through traditional manufacturing bottlenecks. These polymers, based on silicon-oxygen (Si-O) bonds in their backbone, have a bond energy of up to 121 kcal/g molecule, endowing them with thermal stability far exceeding that of ordinary polymers. They maintain stable performance across a wide temperature range of -80°C to 250°C, and some formulations can even withstand transient temperatures exceeding 300°C.
Structural Breakthroughs in Extreme Environments
Traditional injection molding processes often lead to high costs when manufacturing complex flow channel structures due to mold limitations. However, silicone 3D printing technology developed by companies such as Stratasys uses a "drop-on-demand" principle to deposit microdroplets layer by layer. Combined with UV curing and a secondary vulcanization process, it can directly print turbocharger seals with a honeycomb lattice structure. This structure maintains elasticity at high temperatures and absorbs thermal stress through lattice deformation, improving engine efficiency by over 5%. UV-assisted extrusion technology developed by a team at the China Academy of Engineering Physics has increased the mechanical strength of silicone prints by nearly 10 times compared to traditional methods. This technology has been successfully applied to the manufacture of special-shaped connectors for rocket fuel pipelines.