Do YOU Know the Differences in Silicone??

The majority of Cupping Canada's Silicone Massage cups are made from a high quality, medical-grade transparent silicone that is extremely durable, resistant to acids, alkalis and both high and low temperatures. They are easy to apply, easy to move, and easy to remove.  One set includes four cups in varying sizes which allows them to be used in a number of locations on the body, including the legs, back, abdomen, chest, arms, neck, wrists, ankles and even your face. 

Cupping Canada offers THREE different hardness levels for Silicone Cups - 55A, 60A and 65A. 

The 55A Silicone Cups are perfect for Dynamic Cupping where you require lighter suction and more glide. 

The 60A Silicone Cups are perfect for applications where you require more suction with slight glide.

The 65A Silicone Cups, while also good for suction, are better for stationary work.

 

Hardness Levels

Durometer is one of several measures of the hardness of a material such as silicone.  Higher numbers indicate harder materials; lower numbers indicate softer materials.  When dealing with silicone products, hardness is defined as a material's resistance to indentation. The durometer scale was defined by Albert Ferdinand Shore, who developed a device to measure hardness in the 1920s. 

The application that a product can be used for is determined based upon a number of factors, durometer being one of them. Measuring the durometer of any elastomer, using silicone as an example, can be a tricky task to a non-professional. It is important for the end-user to have an understanding of what a durometer is and what numbers like Silicone 55A mean. A better educated client is one that will make better choices and be a more satisfied client because they have a better understanding of the product they are purchasing. 

When it comes to off the shelf silicone sheet rubber products, the following silicone hardness are available: silicone 40A, silicone 50A, silicone 60A, and silicone 70A. These are listed from a soft silicone sheet (40A), to a hard silicone sheet (70A). 

Made to order products such as Silicone Cups will have variances in between each of the hardness levels outlined above.  It is important to know your silicone and ask the questions of your supplier so you are getting what you want and expect out of your product!   

Food Grade vs Medical Grade Silicone

Food grade silicone is a type of silicone that is safe for use with foods. The silicone is used frequently in making molds to use for food that begin as liquids and solidify. It is nontoxic; does not stain food, dishes or cookware; is easily removed from cast objects; and is safe for use on various plastic objects.

Medical grade silicone is tested for bio-compatibility and is appropriate to be used for medical applications and must meet certain high standards of manufacture, bio-compatibility and safety, e.g. EU Regulation 2017/745 (MDR) or ISO 10993.

How do you tell the difference between Food Grade and Medical Grade Silicone?  Look at the transparency...we placed a quarter underneath 3 different silicone cups to help demonstrate the difference.

 

 

When ordering your silicone products, be sure to ask the supplier what hardness level their cups are...if they don't know, don't order!!  It's always better to ask and KNOW what you are getting than to receive your cups and be disappointed with the quality.

 

 

 


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