Within marketing materials, you’ll find that many manufacturers will highlight the fact that their facilities are “silicone-free”. Why is this?
Manufacturers promote their silicone-free environment because silicone is widely recognized as a possible contaminant. Silicone contamination disrupts the adhesive bonding process and it can compromise the quality of the end product. Contamination is not always visible to the naked eye.
According to SMTnet:
Silicone contamination is known to have a negative impact on assembly processes such as soldering, adhesive bonding, coating, and wire bonding. In particular, silicone is known to cause de-wetting of materials from surfaces and can result in adhesive failures. There are many sources for silicone contamination with common sources being mold releases or lubricants on manufacturing tools, offgassing during cure of silicone paste adhesives, and residue from pressure sensitive tape.
The decision to go silicone-free can be met with resistance. After all, silicones make excellent lubricants and mold-release agents.
Yet, per Controlled Environment Magazine:
Some of the same physical and chemical properties that make silicones attractive, namely a high degree of chemical inertness, thermal stability and resistance to oxidation, make silicone contamination a ubiquitous problem.
Manufacturers are better off erring on the side of caution and adhering to a silicone-free policy to avoid silicone contamination that can poison the adhesive and affect the performance of the product being manufactured. Facilities can be tested by outside laboratories to confirm that the manufacturing environment is silicone-free.