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Conventional VMQ silicone rubber provides excellent high- and low-temperature performance, but prolonged exposure to certain fuels, lubricating oils, and hydrocarbon media may cause swelling, softening, or loss of mechanical properties.
When a seal needs both the wide-temperature characteristics of silicone rubber and improved resistance to fuel, oil, or certain solvents, FVMQ fluorosilicone rubber can be considered as a candidate material.
However, FVMQ should not be selected simply because an application involves “oil.” The actual medium, temperature, exposure time, and sealing requirements must also be evaluated.
When an elastomer comes into contact with a liquid medium, molecules from the liquid may gradually penetrate into the rubber.
If the medium has sufficient compatibility with the polymer, the rubber may increase in volume. This is commonly described as swelling.
Swelling can lead to:
For seals that remain in long-term contact with fuel or oil, temperature resistance alone is therefore not enough. Media compatibility must also be considered.
FVMQ, or fluorosilicone rubber, is a specialty silicone elastomer containing fluorinated groups in the polymer structure.
This modification allows FVMQ to retain many of the wide-temperature characteristics associated with silicone rubber while improving resistance to fuels, lubricating oils, and certain hydrocarbon media.
For this reason, FVMQ is often evaluated for applications such as:
The important point is not that FVMQ is resistant to every chemical.
A better selection principle is:
When media resistance becomes a limitation for conventional VMQ, FVMQ should be evaluated as a candidate material.
“Oil” is not a single material.
The actual medium may be:
Different fluids can interact with elastomers differently.
For accurate material selection, the specific medium should be identified rather than simply requesting an “oil-resistant rubber.”
Media resistance and temperature are closely related.
At elevated temperatures, penetration of a liquid medium into the elastomer may become faster and changes in material properties may become more significant.
For this reason, three pieces of information should normally be considered together:
medium + operating temperature + exposure time
Short-term fuel contact and long-term immersion create very different requirements.
For long-term sealing applications, evaluation should focus on changes after exposure, including:
Visual appearance immediately after exposure is not enough to confirm suitability.
FVMQ gum is only the base polymer of the final rubber formulation.
Finished-part performance also depends on:
Therefore, different formulations based on the same FVMQ gum may provide different final properties.
FVMQ may be worth evaluating if an existing VMQ seal shows:
The next step should not be to assume that FVMQ will automatically solve the problem.
A controlled comparison is more reliable.
A practical evaluation process is:
Define the medium → Confirm temperature and exposure time → Run VMQ/FVMQ parallel tests → Compare property changes → Verify the finished component
Important properties may include:
For critical sealing applications, final selection should be based on testing with the actual medium and finished component.
KIMITER MY110F is a fluorosilicone gum designed as a base polymer for heat-vulcanized fluorosilicone rubber formulations.
When an application requires a combination of wide-temperature performance and improved resistance to fuels, oils, or certain solvents, MY110F can be evaluated as a candidate base polymer through formulation and media-resistance testing.
Whether it can replace an existing VMQ material should be confirmed using the customer's own formulation, processing conditions, and finished-part requirements.
VMQ can perform adequately in some oil environments, but actual resistance depends on the type of oil, temperature, and exposure time. Long-term exposure to fuels or hydrocarbon media should be verified by testing.
No. FVMQ offers advantages when improved fuel, oil, or hydrocarbon resistance is required, but the need for FVMQ depends on the actual operating conditions and performance targets.
Not necessarily. Material selection should consider the specific fuel, operating temperature, exposure duration, and acceptable changes in volume and properties.
Not necessarily. Changing the base polymer may affect mixing, curing, and final mechanical properties. Parallel laboratory testing is recommended before replacement.
The specific medium, operating temperature, continuous or intermittent exposure time, finished-product type, and required mechanical and sealing properties should be defined first.
Product Reference: MY110F Fluorosilicone Gum
Final material selection should be confirmed according to the actual medium, operating temperature, formulation, processing conditions, and finished-part testing.
