Silicone wristbands

Silicone wristbands

Silicone wristbands also called rubber wristbands are smart, practical and they are here to stay.

Looking for a reliable supplier of silicone bracelets and rubber bracelets? We can help you find the right solution for the right price.

History

The first silicone wristbands appeared in 2004 in the United States and Western Europe. It was most in connection with fund raising and charity that they were used. What really gave a boost and lead to the popularity of silicone bracelets was the "Live strong" yellow silicone bracelet, which came about because of the cyclist rider Lance Armstrong. Armstrong contracted testicular cancer in 1996 but managed to overcome the disease and returned strongly to bicycle riding sport. He then established the Armstrong Foundation in 1997 to support cancer research, later renamed to Livestrong. Armstrong Foundation and the main sponsor Nike joined forces to design the now-known yellow Livestrong silicone wristband. 6 million wristbands were produced to start with and were sold in a very short time. The surplus revenue went to the Armstrong Foundation in support of cancer research. After years, it turned out that Lance Armstrong was using prohibited drugs while taking part in cycling races and was stripped off his titles. By the time the scandal with Armstrong broke out silicone wristbands were not associated so much with Armstrong and did not lose their popularity because of the scandal.

Applications for silicone wristbands

Silicone wristbands are still used for charity by foundations and organizations. By wearing silicone wristbands on the wrist, a clear message is projected of what you support or stand for. These wristbands are also widely used for advertising. Companies and others organizations use it as a give-away. Special shape wristbands like braided silicone wristbands are also used as ornaments and fashion jewelry.

Production and materials

Our silicone bracelets are made of 100% latex-free rubber and tested safe against allergic reactions. The material is soft, elastic and very comfortable to wear. Silicone in its raw form is transparent. Colouring agents may be added to the raw silicone in order to achieve different base colours for the wristbands. Other popular additives to the raw silicone are glitter flakes in different sizes and ‘glow in the dark’. Marble and segmented colour effects are achived by blending one or more colours during the production process.

Debossed (sunken) areas on the wristbands may be filled with soft enamel colours which are also elastic allowing the wristbands to stretch without causing the filled colours to crack. Embossed (raised) areas of the wristbands may be colour printed using a special film.

Impacted silicone wristbands

Most popular in this category are debossed silicone wristbands. Coloured raw silicone is used for production. A mold is made according to the artwork provided (texts and logos) and heated silicone mixture is forced into the mold. At the next stage the silicone in the mold is cooled down and when it is hard enough it is released from the mold.
The logo / text is sunken typically half way into the thickness dimension of the wristbands or is raised above the surface of the wristbands when embossed.

Printed silicone wristbands

Printed silicone wristbands are divided into two groups. Silk-screen printed and offset printed, both are used for printing on blank silicone wristbands.

Silk-screen printing is the cheapest way to customize blank silicone wristbands with logo or text. Typically, one or two colours may be printed on the wristbands. When more than two printing colours are required, offset printing is used, where full colour images may be printed on the wristbands.

Printed or debossed colour filled?

In most cases we recommend customizing the wristbands by embossing and then colour-filling the wristbands. Colour filling is more durable and looks much better on the wristbands compared to printing. The difference in price between printed and debossed colour-filled is not so big which may be an attractive factor for choosing debossed colour-filled.

Silicone wristbands sizes and shapes

Although it is possible to produces silicone wristbands with adjustable sizes (as a watch straps) this option is not so popular. When it comes to silicone wristbands, fixed size wristbands have a higher demand. Standard basic molds are used in the production which allows a few different standard sizes such as extra-large, adults, youth, kids and babies.

Silicone wristbands can be produced into almost any shape, it is just a matter of costs. Special shapes of silicone wristbands require making a special basic mold. Braided, zigzagged, continues dots and watch shape are optional, just to name a few.

Design yourself silicone wristbands online

If you need engraved silicone bracelets with or without colour filling, you have the opportunity to use our advanced online designer, where you can design your bracelet directly on our website. This is an easy, convenient and manageable way to tailor your own product. You have options of choosing font types, sizes, colours, logos, locations etc.

Additional options

When variable data is needed on the wristbands like personal names, numbering, groups etc. laser engraving is used. The process starts by engraving blank wristbands. The depth of the engraving is regulated by the intensity of the laser beam. Laser engraver are controlled by a computer program which can process information from a spread sheet (or list).

RFID applications for silicone wristbands are becoming more and more popular. An RFID chip is embedded into the wristbands and allows easy carrying and scanning of the RFID chips by flashing the wrist close to a scanner. The silicone layer provides good protection for the RFID chip.

Silicone wristbands can be easily converted into keyhangers by using a metal clamp and a split-ring. A stainless-steel split ring is mounted on the wristbands and stainless-steel metal clamp is pressed on the wristbands to keep the split-ring in one place. These silicone keyhangers are popular in swimming polls and other venues where keys need to be carried on the wrist.

Delivery and transit time

Stock wristbands are normally dispatched same working day they are ordered. Customized silicone bracelet have a production time of about 18 days and some special bracelets have up to 24 days production time.

We deliver anywhere in UK and Republic of Ireland. Normally the transit time is about 2 days if your delivery address is in or not far from major cities in the UK and Republic of Ireland like London, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Calgary, Cork, Coventry, Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, etc. Delivery to remote areas in the UK may take an extra day or two.