Sugru – the silly putty that isn’t so silly

Sugru is a moldable silicon modeling clay that sets to a tough, flexible silicon allowing users to modify or repair just about anything. Coming in a range of colors this Play-Doh-like material boasts the potential to be used to modify a wide range of objects as it is self-adhesive, waterproof, flexible, dishwasher-proof and is highly temperature resistant.

Upon removing the sugru from its packaging you’ve got 30 minutes to fashion and mold the material before it starts to harden. It then takes around 24 hours to cure at room temperature for sugru a thickness around 3-5mm deep. Once cured sugru is waterproof and durable and able to withstand temperatures from -60 to 180 degrees Celsius (-76 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit).

sugru forms a strong bond to aluminum, steel, ceramics, glass and Perspex and when it cures it is flexible, meaning it can be used to repair things that need to be able to move, like textiles, cables, or even shoes. Like other silicons it is also durable in harsh soapy conditions making it dishwasher and washing machine friendly.

The nifty material is the brainchild of a young lass from Ireland named Jane who had the idea for the material while she was studying product design at RCA London. She got in touch with a couple of materials scientists named Ian and Steve to invent the new material that is designed to “hack things better.”

Read more . . .

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Tags: modeling clay, play doh, silly putty, sugru

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 11:04 am and is filed under Innovation, gizmag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.