Sugru

{{Infobox product

| title = Sugru

| image = Open Sugru packet (7032354607).jpg

| image_size = 250

| alt =

| caption = A packet of uncured Sugru

| type = Adhesive repair putty

| inventor = Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh

| inception = {{start date|2003}}

| manufacturer = FormFormForm Ltd
Now Tesa SE

| available =

| current supplier =

| last production =

| models =

| website = {{url|sugru.com}}

| notes =

}}

File:SugruHandgrip.jpg

File:First fix using @sugru (6922463409).jpg

Sugru ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|uː|ɡ|r|uː}}{{cite web|url=https://sugru.com/about|title=About|website=Sugru|access-date=2 December 2016}}), also known as Formerol, is a patented{{Cite book|url=https://sugru.com/pdfs/tds.pdf|title=Formeral® F.10/Sugru® Technical Data Sheet|publisher=FormFormForm Ltd.|year=2016|access-date=2 December 2016}} multi-purpose, non-slumping brand of adhesive silicone rubber that resembles modelling clay.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Sugru-Moldable-Glue-Black-White/dp/B00EU7DBNM|title=Sugru Moldable Glue - Black & White (Pack of 8)|publisher=Amazon.com|access-date=22 December 2016 |quote= It feels like playdough straight out of the pack, }} 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,{{cite web|url=http://lifehacker.com/5574595/sugru-is-moldable-silicone-perfect-for-all-your-diy-ideas-and-repairs|title=Sugru Moldable Silicone Is Perfect for DIY Ideas and Repairs|first=Jason|date=28 June 2010|website=Lifehacker|author=Fitzpatrick|access-date=29 July 2016}} 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,{{cite news| url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/sugru-an-amazing-silicon-modeling-clay-for-makers-and-hackers/ | work=Wired | first=Charlie | last=Sorrel | title=Sugru, An Amazing Silicon Modeling Clay for Makers and Hackers | date=1 December 2009}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://getsatisfaction.com/sugru/topics/is_sugru_resistant_to_oil_petrol_solvents |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722095421/https://getsatisfaction.com/sugru/topics/is_sugru_resistant_to_oil_petrol_solvents |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-22 |title=Is sugru resistant to oil / petrol / solvents? |access-date=2016-07-29}} 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.{{cite web

| title = About Sugru

| publisher = Sugru.com

| url = https://sugru.com/about/}} According to the company, if kept in a refrigerator, the remaining shelf-life is tripled.{{cite web | title = Technology Sugru | publisher = Sugru.com | url = https://sugru.com/technology}}

Sugru has not been tested for food safety, and the manufacturers advise against using it in contact with food or drink.{{cite web |title=Sugru Safety Information |url=https://sugru.com/safety |website=sugru.com |language=en}}

History

The idea for Sugru was developed by Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh from Kilkenny, Ireland.{{cite news|url=http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/Kilkenny-woman-invents-best-thing.6012334.jp|title=Kilkenny woman invents best thing since blu-Tack and Sellotape|date=25 January 2010|access-date=6 February 2010|newspaper=Kilkenny People|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201090423/http://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/Kilkenny-woman-invents-best-thing.6012334.jp|archive-date=1 February 2010|df=dmy-all}} 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,{{cite news|url=http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2010/jan/17/irish-woman-invents-sugru-the-most-useful-item-sin/|title=Irish woman invents Sugru, 'the most useful item since Sellotape'|first=Una|date=17 January 2010|newspaper=Sunday Tribune|author=Mullally|access-date=6 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125193619/http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2010/jan/17/irish-woman-invents-sugru-the-most-useful-item-sin/|archive-date=25 January 2010|df=dmy-all}} Ní Dhulchaointigh worked with retired scientists from Dow Corning{{cite web

| title = FormFormForm gets ready to launch the next big consumer adhesive brand

| publisher = Responsesource.com, 11 August 2009

| url = http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=49631}} and a silicone expert over a seven-year period at the materials department at Queen Mary, University of London{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/wired-meets-the-girl-behind-sugru|title=Wired meets the woman behind Sugru|publisher=Wired, Charlie Burton, 6 May 2010}} 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.{{cite news

| title = Sugru: A gripping tale of struggle and success

| publisher = CNN, Nick Glass and Tom Levitt, 26 October 2012

| url = http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/tech/sugru/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

| date = 25 October 2012 }}

In May 2015, the company launched a campaign to raise £1 million (US${{To USD round|1000000|GBR|sf=3}}) on the crowdfunding site CrowdCube.{{cite web

| title = Sticky putty Sugru crowdfunds in bid to rival Sellotape and Blu-Tack worldwide

| publisher = The Telegraph, Rebecca Burn-Callander, 25 May 2015

| date = 25 May 2015

| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/technology/11628408/Sticky-putty-Sugru-crowdfunds-in-bid-to-rival-Sellotape-and-Blu-Tack-worldwide.html}} The company reached its £1 million funding target in just four days{{cite web

| title = Sugru overfunds within its first week

| publisher = CrowdCube, Becca Lewis, 5 June 2015

| date = 5 June 2015

| url = http://blog.crowdcube.com/2015/06/05/sugru-overfunds-within-its-first-week/}} and continued on to raise well over £3 million.{{cite web

| title = Sugru raising £1,000,000 investment on Crowdcube. Capital At Risk.

| publisher = CrowdCube

| url = https://www.crowdcube.com/investment/sugru-19593}}

In December 2016, the company secured a further £4m investment from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks.{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/sugru-funding|title=Sugru secures £4m in funding for international expansion|last=Hunt|first=Gordon|date=21 December 2016|access-date=22 December 2016}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/manufacturing/investors-in-sugru-lose-up-to-90-of-their-money-1.3499398|title=Investors in Sugru lose up to 90% of their money|last=O'Brien|first=Ciara|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=17 May 2018|access-date=25 May 2018}}

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.{{cite web|title = Sugru / FORMEROL F.10 Safety Data Sheet (US)|url = http://sugru.com/pdfs/msds-usa.pdf|publisher = FormFormForm|access-date =12 October 2017|page = 1|format = PDF|date=May 2015}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

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.{{cite web|title = Sugru / FORMEROL F.10 Safety Data Sheet (EU)|url = http://sugru.com/pdfs/msds-eu.pdf|publisher = FormFormForm|access-date =12 October 2017|page = 1|format = PDF|date=July 2015}} However, both versions of the MSDS note that Sugru may cause irritation or skin sensitization.