Do suction cups need silicone to stick?(1)

Suction cups are an essential tool for professional glaziers and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all with different lifting capacities. These handy tools have many different uses, not just for glass.

To discover more about suction cups and whether they need silicone to stick, read on below.

What are suction cups?

A suction cup is a tool used to lift and carry large pieces of material - most commonly glass, as they are often called by different names. The various names for suction cups include: glass suction cups, glass suction cups and glass lifting tools. They can also be known by other names as suction cups, vacuum lifters, or suction cup tools.

Glass suction cups can be used to lift and carry other large, heavy and bulky objects such as large sheets of hard plastic, marble and metal. They are also particularly useful for lifting objects such as mirrors, kitchen countertops, appliances and furniture.

How do suction cups work?

Suction cups are made of a very strong, flexible material, either rubber or silicone, which allows them to be pushed onto a surface very easily. Although their material means they are strong enough to ensure a strong suction and hold.

The suction cups are all operated by hand, although you can get some larger scale suction cups that have to be operated with a hoist or machine. This would be used for large scale lifting - mainly for commercial construction and glass work.

Why are suction cups so useful?

Suction cups are useful in handling the examples listed above as they allow the user of these handy tools to safely manipulate materials and objects. This is the main and most important advantage of using suction cups. Materials such as glass panes, mirrors or kitchen countertops can easily break if struck in the wrong place, and they do tend to break, snap or crack in some way if not handled properly. Suction cups take this pressure away from the material, allowing it to be handled safely and minimising the chances of breakage or damage.

Suction cups in different shapes

Suction cups come in a variety of shapes and sizes, suitable for gripping different surfaces and also for gripping different weights.

Standard

We have standard suction cups, most likely to be found in most toolboxes, suitable for lifting flat and only slightly uneven surfaces - but mainly flat. This type of vacuum suction cup can be sucked up quickly due to its small size and high lifting capacity. Typical uses for such suction cups would include on surfaces such as glass, metal and plastic.

Corrugated tube

These are used on domed or circular surfaces. Their ability allows them to compensate for domed surfaces, unlike many suction cups can.