When cutting silicone tubes into rings or gaskets, water is applied during cutting for these reasons:
- Cooling: Friction from the rotating blade generates heat. Heat would soften, melt or discolor silicone and cause sticking. Water removes heat and protects the cutting blade.
- Lubrication: Silicone is naturally sticky. Water forms a thin film between blade and silicone to reduce friction and prevent the cut gaskets from sticking to the blade.
- Flush away fine silicone debris, to keep cut edges smooth and free of burrs.
- Reduce elastic rebound of soft silicone material, so the thickness of finished gaskets remains consistent.
So in one word,water is used during cutting silicone tube into ring gaskets for cooling, lubrication, anti-sticking and flushing debris, to achieve smooth edges and stable dimension, while if your formulated silicone is also easy to cut without water,then water can be avoided.
The following video shows a double-spindle cutting machine slicing the silicone tubes into silicone gaskets with spraying water.