Thinking of getting a silicone hose for your project? Check this video out first!

Silicone hoses are essential in many industries, and when compared to other solutions such as rubber hoses and aluminium pipes, they offer a much higher level of performance. However one of the most crucial factors that determine the performance of silicone hoses is their diameter. The diameter of a silicone hose determines the flow and temperature of the fluid passing through it.

The diameter of a silicone hose directly impacts the flow rate of fluid passing through it. A larger diameter hose will allow for a higher flow rate compared to a smaller diameter hose. This is because the larger diameter hose provides a larger cross-sectional area for fluid to flow through, reducing the pressure drop.

Many of our clients in the automotive industry need to understand this to ensure the appropriate flow rate of coolant, oil, or air. For example, a turbocharger system requires a large flow rate of air to function efficiently, and therefore requires a large diameter hose. On the other hand, a smaller diameter hose may be more suitable for intercooler piping, where the flow rate is relatively low.

The diameter of a silicone hose also affects its temperature resistance. A larger diameter hose will have a lower temperature resistance compared to a smaller diameter hose. This is because a larger diameter hose has a larger surface area, which results in a higher rate of heat transfer. Choosing the right diameters is incredibly important for the specific temperature requirements, for example clients in the refrigeration industry will have different requirements than those in the automotive industry. After all, one g̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ diameter doesn’t fit all.

It is important to choose the right diameter silicone hose for each automotive application to ensure efficient and reliable performance. By understanding the relationship between diameter and flow rate and temperature resistance, automotive engineers can make informed decisions about the appropriate hose for each application.

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

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Silicone hoses & the automotive industry. A match made in heaven

The automotive industry has undergone significant advancements in recent years, and the use of silicone hoses has played a significant role in this progress. Silicone hoses are increasingly being used in various applications in modern vehicles due to their durability, flexibility, and high-temperature resistance.

One of the most significant benefits of silicone hoses is their durability and longevity. Silicone hoses are made from high-quality materials that are resistant to high temperatures, chemical exposure, and abrasion. This makes them ideal for use in the harsh environment of an engine bay, where traditional rubber hoses may fail due to heat, chemical exposure, and physical stress. The durability of silicone hoses also means that they require less frequent replacement, which can save vehicle owners and manufacturers significant amounts of time and money. Furthermore, the longevity of silicone hoses can also reduce the need for frequent maintenance, making vehicles more reliable and reducing downtime.

Silicone hoses are also highly flexible, making them ideal for use in tight spaces and applications where movement is required. The flexibility of silicone hoses allows for a more streamlined installation, reducing the need for additional fittings and hoses, and freeing up valuable engine bay space, which is especially important for those who wish to mod their vehicle further.

Another significant advantage of silicone hoses is their high temperature resistance. Silicone hoses are capable of operating in high temperature environments and are commonly used in high performance engines. The high temperature resistance of silicone hoses allows them to be used in applications such as turbocharger inlets, intercooler piping, and radiator connections, where high temperatures are prevalent.

The high temperature resistance of silicone hoses also makes them ideal for use in vehicles that are used for racing and high-performance driving, where temperatures can reach extreme levels. This high temperature resistance ensures that the vehicle’s engine and cooling system perform optimally, reducing the risk of engine damage and failure.

The impact of silicone hoses in the automotive industry has been significant. Viper Performance’s range of silicone hoses offer durability, flexibility, high temperature resistance, and environmental benefits, in turn offering the performance, reliability, and sustainability needed for modern day automotive consumers & businesses.

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

Custom silicone hoses: Ever wondered how we make them?

Unlike their non-custom counterparts the process for manufacturing, designing and dispatching custom silicone hose orders can be much different than our usual processes, but by no means is a walk on the park. We have been blessed to continue supplying custom hoses in large quantities to many of our trade and retail customers, ever wondered how we design, build and make your custom hose? Look no further.

The first step is for us to take your order, and discuss any of your requirements, for more specific custom hose orders we may need to spend extra time going over your ideas, once we have received your order we will look to see if we have stock in our warehouse.

From there, for custom silicone hoses, we will bring in the best quality silicone base material, using high-grade quality silicone pigments with no fading & high-tear strength fabrics. By using high-grade materials, we are able to provide a level of custom hose quality that won’t be found elsewhere, bringing you and your business an added level of comfort & security.

After all of these materials have been forged, our custom hose is beginning to take shape, from this using a calendar we turn the mix into a thick material used as liners or reinforces. This newly formed material is now cut and designed to your custom specifications.

Now your custom hose is starting to take shape we begin the process of ‘tube rowling’ turning this sheet into a custom silicone hose, while making every effort to avoid creases & air traps that can hinder the product’s usability. By making every effort to remove such issues, we can ensure performance meets the expected level of quality that we try to achieve with every silicone hose dispatched from our warehouse.

Once we are happy with the quality, we can now begin building our custom silicone hose, using a specifically crafted shaped tool, allowing us to speed time smoothing out the joints and surfacing any imperfections. Once the silicone base is set, we begin the process of applying our logo onto the hose (so you know you are getting quality every time you see it).

The next taping stage is incredibly important and binds the silicone under pressure and heat, giving the silicone hose its glossy finish. By going one step further and completing this step by hand we can ensure there are no imperfections. Now our glossy tool is oven-cured at high temperatures we can begin to do the opposite and now cool it down for the demoulding stage of our silicone hose.

All of our hoses are thoroughly checked at this stage for any possibly missed defects, and to make sure they meet the specifications of the custom order. Once this is done we can move into the final stage of trimming, where we cut the silicone hose to the customer’s specification, and dispatch them to you or your business!

We always enjoy taking custom silicone hose orders, and we are happy to announce that despite a surge in initial demand we are still taking orders with the goal of a start-of-quarter-two dispatch to all customers!

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

Did you know Viper Performance offer bespoke Silicone Hoses & Aluminium Pipes?

Custom silicone & aluminium hoses are versatile and practical solutions for many businesses and offer a vast number of benefits when compared to their non-bespoke counterparts. These specialized types of flexible tubing can be designed to meet the specific needs of your business, which can save time and money, and can come in custom sizes, shapes, and fittings, as well as different colours or markings. 

The versatility and workability of custom hoses allow them to meet industry (and business-specific) safety and performance requirements meaning they are particularly useful in technical (high-quality) industries, where certain performance criteria are required to be met, with many of our clients appreciate the quality offered when compared to non-bespoke hoses.

Using custom silicone hoses and aluminium pipes can also save time and money in the long run, and by designing hoses to meet your specific needs, you can eliminate the need for multiple hoses and fittings, which can reduce costs and improve efficiency. Giving you a potential advantage over the competition who avoid custom hoses.

As with aluminium pipes, custom silicone hoses can be incredibly useful when created in a bespoke manner, which is why many of our customers come back time and time again to us.

Viper Performance are proud to announce that we are now re-taking customer silicone hose orders, following a successful final quarter of sales, and backlog management we are now clearing our schedule for future orders that we plan to send by the end of the second quarter. Be sure to get in touch sooner rather than later, and avoid any disappointment!

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It’s not often we get to mix two of our favourite past times, mechanical engineering and Lego! Fortunately for us Lego has announced the creation of 5 cars to their popular speed champions collection. The cars are much smaller than their real-life counterparts (believe it or not), and are missing an engine (so no Viper Performance silicone tubing to admire).

The collection includes a stunning range of cars from Ferrari to McLaren (so you are in pole position for recreating some of your favourite F1 races). The cars have a lovely set of wheels so you can really get some good speed going, but in terms of configurations you are limited to what you can work with. So unfortunately, no life changing decisions or whether to choose rubber or silicone hoses (silicone is better though)!

The 5 pieces include the likes of the;

• Ferrari 812 Competizione
• Pagani Utopia
• Porsche 963
• McLaren Solus GT
• And the ever so fun McLaren F1 LM

With prices starting at £24.99, going up to £44.99, you are never breaking the bank and are guaranteed to have an amazing amount of fun, whether you are a Lego fan, or just a car enthusiast, this bundle is just for you.

Be sure to check out our blogs or go one further and sign up to our newsletter here, we promise not to spam you with lego products (but we’ll try keep it down).

Alternatively are you looking for silicone hoses that actually will work with your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here. (No Lego included).

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Silicone Hoses & their impact on the food and pharmaceutical industry

Silicone hoses are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their high resistance to heat, chemical corrosion, and contamination. These properties make silicone hoses ideal for transporting a variety of substances, including liquids, gases, and dry ingredients.

In the food industry, silicone hoses are commonly used in the transportation of beverages, such as beer and milk, as well as in the processing of cooking oils and other food products. They are also used in the transfer of hot liquids, such as soups and sauces, and for conveying dry ingredients, such as flour and sugar.

Being able to withstand high temperatures (with a melting point of around 300°C)! Another reason why many of our customer continue to use our silicone hoses is due to their versatility and ability to main it’s strength at even the lowest of temperatures (perfect for cold refrigerated environments)!

In addition to its temperature resistance, silicone is also highly resistant to chemical corrosion. This makes it suitable for use with a range of chemicals, including acids and bases, ask well as cleaning agents and sanitizers. This makes it an ideal material for use in the pharmaceutical industry, where it is used to convey a variety of substances, including medications and medical supplies.

Silicone hoses are also easy to clean and maintain, which is important in industries we work with where hygiene is a top priority. They can be easily sterilized using steam or chemical cleaning agents, and they do not harbour bacteria or other contaminants. This makes them particularly useful for use in the handling of food and pharmaceutical products.

In conclusion, silicone hoses are an important component in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their high resistance to heat, chemical corrosion, and contamination. They are able to withstand high temperatures and a range of chemicals, and are easy to clean and maintain. By using silicone hoses, companies in these industries can ensure the safety and purity of their products, as well as comply with strict industry regulations.

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

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Silicone Hoses: Coming to an F1 track near you today

When watching the high speeds and exhilaration of Formula 1 it’s very easy to forget the engineering that goes into the cars that you watch, from the dazzling heights of Red Bull & Mercedes, to Saab & Williams. How materials such as aluminium tubes and silicone hoses can be used, creating a drastic impact on the performance of the cars, and ultimately the performance of the team in the standings.

Silicone Hoses:

Silicone hoses are commonly used by many teams for the benefits they offer over steel. They have an extreme resistance too high temperatures allowing teams to run coolants under hotter temperatures and higher pressures, consequently allowing for the teams to push the engines harder for that competitive advantage.

Being flexible and very resistant to damage also allows them to be routed in a more optimal path while resisting tearing and damage from external sources, this reliability is useful for motorsport teams, as they are less likely to require pitting to fix issues or replace hoses, costing them valuable time.

However, despite this due to them being porous they cannot be used to for fuel and oil as the fluid would be absorbed and leak which would cause all manner of problems, so depending on their use case they are not always the best option to go for.

Aluminium Hoses:

Aluminium is also another material commonly used for hoses in motorsport usually in place of steel hoses and pipes. They’re lightweight being roughly 1/3^rd the weight of a similar shaped steel hose presents an extreme weight-saving technique in a sport where every lost KG counts massively, so being able to shave that much weight off a vehicle presents a key advantage for a team.

The material is also incredibly strong and durable thanks to its malleability allowing it to flex and bend under pressures and heavy loads as well as bounce back with surprising ease allowing it to remain a solid and durable choice throughout the race as it progresses.

Ready for F1 quality service and performance?

Get in touch today with our team of friendly expert advisors on all matters from bespoke hoses and tubing to silicone hoses & more! We look forward to speaking with you!

Feel the difference with Aluminium Tubes

Aluminium tubes & pipes have important industrial applications as well as applications for modern-day consumer living. Many suppliers and customers trust for its lightweight properties and advanced durability. This means it finds great use in joining silicone and being fabricated into hard paperwork.

Lightweight:

Being a lightweight material, which is about a ⅓ of the weight of steel, aluminium is much cheaper and easier to transport than most of the other metals. Meaning it’s great for companies who wish to handle large quantities but worry less about the logistics of transporting and working with it.

Durability: 

When compared to other alternatives, aluminium tubes also offer stronger durability which means it is more suited for withstanding wear, pressure and damage incurred in everyday use. Given that it is recommended for high-intensity work where silicone and rubber alternatives won’t do the job.

With that in mind, aluminium has found its use in temperature-controlled applications such as solar panels, air conditioning and refrigeration.

Yet despite this many companies still favour other materials such as rubber and silicone despite the strong application that aluminium has on tubing & piping. Such industries that have made the switch include automotive, defence, food, wind & more who are quickly seeing the higher quality of use when choosing aluminium tubes & piping

Join the hundreds of companies and clients making the switch to Aluminium and discovering the benefits of aluminium tubes for their businesses.

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The impact of silicone hoses and vehicle performance

When you think of vehicle performance, your eyes will turn to a great engine, maybe a set of high-quality and durable wheels, items which are synonymous with performance and taking your vehicle to the next level.

However, it can be easy to cloud your judgement and easily forget about another component that impacts your performance both under the bonnet and out in the world, from tracks to dirt. That’s the trusty silicone hoses. Silicone hoses offer a valuable performance enhancement due to the high quality found in the silicone material itself. 

Compared to other applications such as rubber, silicone has become a trusted choice of many due to its number of advantages such as heat tolerance and overall durability and strength. 

When you use rubber hosing in your car, you are prone to cracking and dryness which you won’t find with silicone hoses. This is true to cars that get little to no track time, and those that spend the majority of their lives on the road. 

Benefits of silicone hoses for vehicle installation:

• More affordable pricing,

• Ease of making custom shapes,

• Flexibility

• Strength,

• Heat resistance.

Here at Viper Performance, we are proud stockists of a variety of silicone hoses that put quality above everything else. By choosing quality you are choosing reliability, consistency and trust that your vehicle will perform to the standard you expect. 

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

Solid solutions motorsport since 1998

Despite not being directly employed by a Motorsport Team, MSL has been supplying Formula 1 and Motorsport teams with measurement, scanning services and equipment since 1998. 

The company offers a wide variety of specialist products to help with a multitude of design, manufacture and inspection applications all relating to Motorsport. Some of their software’s enable them to engage directly with CAD OEM’s, additive OEM’s and design teams looking to optimise their design process. This is achieved by introducing generative capabilities to overcome the complexities of advanced additive manufacturing, taking into consideration light and weight, field driven data design and complex lattice material structures. 

MSL’s Creaform measurement and scanning products can then be utilised to perform dimensional and surface profile checks back to the designer intended CAD model. 

Their strategic partnership with Creaform enables them to cover a vast spectrum of design and manufacturing applications, with their handheld scanner, tactile probing, and photogrammetry solutions. The HandySCAN32, GO!Scan3D, MetraSCAN3D, and MaxSHOT3D provide point cloud data capture for 3D printing, reverse engineering and quality control. 

MSL’s latest strategic partner, Virtek Vision International, states that this fits perfectly within their manufacturing process. Through implementing the Iris 3D they are now able to support the production and build processes for composite lay-up fabrication, and guided assembly, projecting laser templates faster with innovative vision technology. 

With an expansion to their portfolio MSL can now offer complete end-to-end Design, manufacturer and inspection solutions. This enables them to offer solutions that are bespoke to our customers requirements in 2023 and beyond. 

To find out more click here.