engineering

Sugru

Sugru is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sugru rather than just read about it. In short: Sugru (), also known as Formerol, is a patented multi-purpose, non-slumping brand of adhesive silicone rubber that resembles modelling clay. It is available in several colours and upon exposure to air, cures to a rubber-like texture.

Key takeaways

Sugru belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sugru to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sugru from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sugru (), also known as Formerol, is a patented multi-purpose, non-slumping brand of adhesive silicone rubber that resembles modelling clay. It is available in several colours and upon exposure to air, cures to a rubber-like texture.

Properties Sugru is malleable when removed from its airtight, moisture-proof packaging, retains its plasticity for thirty minutes, and is self-curing at room temperature in approximately 24 hours. The material adheres to aluminium, steel, copper, ceramics, glass, fabric, brass, leather, plywood, and other materials, including ABS plastics. When cured, Sugru has a 'soft touch' or slightly flexible, grippable texture similar to features commonly found in soft overmolds. It is waterproof and dishwasher-safe, and the material is thermally insulating, with a service temperature range between −50 and 180 °C (between −58 and 356 °F or 223 and 453 K). Sugru is not resistant to isopropyl alcohol. While early versions of the product had a short shelf-life, as of 2014, it was being advertised as staying fresh for 13 months from the date it was made. According to the company, if kept in a refrigerator, the remaining shelf-life is tripled. Sugru has not been tested for food safety, and the manufacturers advise against using it in contact with food or drink.

History The idea for Sugru was developed by Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh from Kilkenny, Ireland. Ní Dhulchaointigh studied product design as a post-graduate research student at the Royal College of Art, where she conceived the idea for the substance in 2003 while using mixtures of standard silicone sealants and sawdust in her work. After receiving business grants, Ní Dhulchaointigh worked with retired scientists from Dow Corning and a silicone expert over a seven-year period at the materials department at Queen Mary, University of London to develop a silicone elastomer that was mouldable, self-adhesive and self-curing. Her goal was to enable people "to easily and affordably repair, improve or customise things they already own". Sugru was developed by and is marketed by FormFormForm, a company in Hackney, London, with over 100,000 customers as of 2012, annual sales of US$2 million, and a staff of 30. In May 2015, the company launched a campaign to raise £1 million (US$1,280,000) on the crowdfunding site CrowdCube. The company reached its £1 million funding target in just four days and continued on to raise well over £3 million. In December 2016, the company secured a further £4m investment from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks. The name Sugru derives from the Irish language word "súgradh" for "play". In May 2018, FormFormForm was acquired by German adhesive company Tesa SE, a subsidiary of Beiersdorf.

Chemical compound The formulation of Sugru contains 25-50% silicone (polysiloxane), 25–50% talc, and the remaining additives including methyltris (methylethylketoxime) silane and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. The company claims its formulation can be varied to offer different levels of consistency, plasticity, softness, resiliency, surface adhesion, modulus and abrasion resistance, setting time, density, and ability to float. According to the company's MSDS for the U.S., Sugru is classified as "not hazardous" under OSHA's 2012 Hazard Communication Standard, and for Europe, Sugru "does not meet the criteria for classification in any hazard class" under EU Regulation No. 1272/2008 and Directive 1999/45/EC. However, both versions of the MSDS note that Sugru may cause irritation or skin sensitization.

See also Polymer clay Adhesive putty Silly Putty Polycaprolactone Polyvinyl siloxane

References

External links

Official website US required Safety Data Sheet EU required Safety Data Sheet

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sugru

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sugru claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sugru before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sugru ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sugru

In research: Sugru appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sugru in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sugru is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brand name materials, Handicrafts, Irish inventions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sugru outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sugru in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sugru means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sugru out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sugru in simple terms?

Why does Sugru matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sugru?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sugru.