Custom Silicone Rubber Molding

 

Advantages & Benefits of Using Silicone Rubber Molding

Getting to market faster, quicker, better iterations and significantly lower project development costs are benefits that every newtop customer enjoys. Our custom silicone molding prototyping services gives you the ability to receive quotes fast and rapidly make silicone parts and silicone prototypes.

In addition to the many benefits of using newtop there are several key advantages to using a silicone injection molding process, including:

Flexible and Resilient

• Impact and drop protection
• Soft tactile feel (ergonomic)
• Great sealing performance

No taste or smell

• Inert material
• FDA and Medical grades available
• Used in food, medical industries

Great durability

• Good weather resistance
• Performs over wide temperature range
• Chemical resistance

Non-conductive

• Electrical insulator
• Available in UL certified materials
• Commonly used in electronics industry

Efficient silicone molding process

• Molding creates economical parts, fast
• Great for medium to high volume production
• Many options: durometer, finish, color

Where do you find silicone parts?

Due to silicone’s unique set of properties it has become one of the most popular elastic materials and you can find examples of custom silicone molding across many industries. Here are some industries where silicone rubber injection molding is used:

Automotive Industry

• Valve Membranes
• O-rings and gaskets
• Vibration dampeners

Food/Appliance Industry

• Silicone baking dishes
• Flexible ice cube trays
• Baby bottle nipples

Consumer Electronic Industry

• Cell phone cases
• Gaskets and dampeners
• Tactile buttons

Medical Industry

• Catheters Implantable cartridge
• O-rings, Gaskets and Plugs
• Storage devices

Other industries

• Aviation/ Aerospace Industry
• Industrial/ Construction industry
• Personal Care Industry

Types of Silicone Rubber Molding

We offer two different types of custom silicone molding; LIM (Liquid Silicone Injection Molding) and compression molding. What makes these two types different is the technology, process and machine that is used to mold the parts. While both processes are great options your part geometry and complexity will likely determine which process to use. Here is some more information on each process:

LIM Silicone molding:

Also known as LSR silicone molding (Liquid Silicone Rubber), this is a liquid injection molding process, where a high-viscosity liquid comes in two parts, Part A and Part B is loaded into the molding machine. The machine mixes the two parts just before it is injected into the mold cavity, where a chemical reaction causes it to cure very quickly. After the part is cured the part is either ejected or manually pulled from the mold. Liquid Rubber Molding has some distinct benefits:

• Create high tolerance parts
• Eliminate/reduce contaminates due to closed system molding
• Create complex geometries

Compression molding:

The process involves placing a silicone rubber sheet onto a heated mold cavity. The rubber sheet is compressed between the two mold halves and fills to the mold cavity due to heat and pressure. The part is allowed to cool and is removed from the mold. Compression molding has some distinct benefits including lower molding and manufacturing costs. This makes compression molding the ideal choice for parts with low to medium complexity such as o-rings and sealing gaskets.

Differences Between LIM and Compression Molding

The big difference between the two is cost and shape complexity. The LIM process requires a silicone rubber mold that can withstand high pressures while a compression silicone mold has low pressures. This leads to higher costs for LIM silicone molds compared to an equivalent compression silicone mold. In addition to higher mold cost, LIM silicone typically has a higher processing cost than compression molding.

The major advantage to LIM silicone molding is that it can produce more complex shapes — and at tighter tolerances — than compression molding. What’s more, LIM is a closed process, so there’s less risk of end part contamination, which makes this process ideal for creating parts for the medical appliance and food industries.

Unsure of whether LIM or compression molding is the better fit for your application? Contact NEWTOP today and let us help you select the right molding method for you.