Silicone, as a kind of high-temperature-resistant and corrosion-resistant material, is widely used in making various industrial products. As a silicone products wholesaler, have you ever wondered: Can silicone be injection molded? As a manufacturer, we will provide you with a detailed answer to this question.
Can Silicone Be Injection Molded?
Silicone can certainly be injection-molded. However, you should be aware that typically only LSR (liquid silicone rubber) can be injection molded.
The reasons why liquid silicone rubber can be an ideal injection molding material mainly lie in three advantages. And these can ensure that the products produced have good quality and high stability, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of your products.
- Strong fluidity: Firstly, this silicone has strong fluidity and can smoothly and comprehensively fill the mold under the high-pressure push of the injection molding machine, making the details of your products full.
- Liquid at normal temperature: Secondly, this material is a stable liquid at normal temperature. Only when it encounters high temperature after entering the mold, it will quickly cure and form, and it will not deform after curing, which ensures the quality of each batch of your goods is the same.
- Two liquid components: In addition, this silicone adapts two liquid components(base polymer and catalyst), which are stored separately. The two raw materials will not cure in advance, no matter how long they are stored before mixing. This can reduce the consumable waste in the production process and help you effectively control the overall procurement cost.
The Silicone Injection Molding Process
Parts And Mold Design
In order to precisely produce the product you desire, before the formal production begins, you need to provide us with specific details of the product. This includes the appearance, size, application scenarios, etc. Based on these requirements, we will design precise part drawings and molds, ensuring that the products produced meet your expectations.
Material Preparation
Precise dosage and proportion are the key to ensuring the quality of your product. The silicone injection molding uses two components and is placed in separate material drums. Part A is the base polymer; Part B is the catalyst. By precisely mixing the two liquids in a 1:1 volume ratio, your product can have better stability.
Besides, if you have color requirements, we can add pigments during the mixing process to color the product.
Injection Into Mold
The proportioned liquid silicone rubber is injected into the designed mold at high pressure and high speed through professional injection molding equipment. Due to the use of fully automated injection molding machines, your products can maintain extremely precise accuracy even in mass production, thus ensuring their availability.
Curing And Cooling
To ensure the stability of your product and prevent it from softening or deforming during subsequent use, the manufacturing process must include the steps of curing and cooling. By controlling the temperature and time during the curing process, the liquid silicone can fully react and form a solid silicone product. After this, the molded silicone product needs to be cooled slowly to protect the product from deforming or cracking due to excessive temperature differences.
Demolding And Finishing
Demolding and finishing processes can ensure that your products have a better appearance and texture, which enables them to meet the marketable standards. By adopting an automatic demolding machine, problems such as product deformation and damage caused by manual demolding can be avoided.
At the same time, after the initial production, your products will inevitably have burrs and rough edges. Therefore, it is very necessary to polish their surfaces and ensure their appearance is smooth. Only by using products with better production details can you help build a better reputation and enhance the market positioning of your enterprise.
Benefits of Silicone Injection Molding
Short Cure Time
Silicone injection molding can achieve rapid curing, which is very important for you to control the delivery time. Silicone injection molding adopts a high-temperature and rapid-curing process, and the curing only takes 30 to 60 seconds. Compared with the traditional silicone molding process, the efficiency is improved tens of times.
This means that even if you need to receive the finished products quickly, we can deliver them on time and not delay your business.
Precise And Complex Shapes
As silicone products are increasingly being applied in high-tech industries, higher precision requirements have been imposed on the finished products. Silicone injection molding can precisely control the errors of the products by using automated equipment, which thus significantly improves the qualification rate of your products.
At the same time, it can perfectly replicate complex product shapes and fine patterns, meeting your more personalized customization needs.
High Production Efficiency
To enhance production efficiency, we have adopted a fully automated production line. From material proportioning, injection molding, curing, to demolding, there is no human intervention throughout the entire process. This can effectively prevent the low efficiency and mistakes caused by manual operation, and achieve large-scale continuous production.
Not only will this allow you to receive the goods on time, but it will also help you reduce the purchase cost.
Excellent Material Performance
Because silicone injection molding maximizes the advantages of liquid silicone, it enables the product to have superior performance. Therefore, your product can be applied in various fields.
The silicone products produced by injection molding have excellent temperature resistance. They can withstand temperatures ranging from -100 to 300℃. Even under extreme temperatures, they can ensure that your products will not easily age or deform.
In addition, they also have excellent flexibility and tear resistance. They can be molded into various shapes you want, and are durable and long-lasting. Meanwhile, silicone injection molding products have biocompatibility, so even when they come into close contact with the human body or chemical substances, they will not cause any adverse reactions.
Clean Automated Process
If you need to order food-grade or medical-grade silicone products, cleanliness and safety are the factors you must consider.
The entire silicone injection molding process adopts a closed and automated production method, which makes the production environment sterile and dust-free, and maximizes the safety of your products.
Meanwhile, liquid silicone itself is non-toxic and odorless, and no harmful substances are produced during the manufacturing process. This also enables your products to easily pass safety certifications.
Reduced Scrap And Material Savings
If production generates a great amount of waste, your procurement cost will increase significantly. Because the large number of consumables generated will force you to purchase more raw materials to ensure the output rate of the products. However, silicone injection molding through controlling accurate ratios and automated production can minimize the waste of materials, which is significantly better than the traditional molding process.
Applications Of Silicone Injection Molding
Consumer And Baby Products
This is the field where silicone injection molding is most widely applied.
Because the silicone injection molded products are non-toxic, the safety of your customers has been maximally protected. Especially for infants and toddlers, high-quality silicone pacifiers, bibs, tableware, and other items are directly related to their healthy growth.
In addition, silicone buttons, silicone furniture seals, etc., are also flexible and soft, which can provide a good usage experience for your customers.
Automotive And Industrial
If your product needs to be applied in industrial fields such as automobiles, the silicone injection molding process can endow your product with better performance.
Products made by this process, such as silicone gaskets, O-rings, or silicone water pipes, have high temperature resistance and oil resistance, and are therefore very suitable for making engine compartment components. Meanwhile, this silicone product also has excellent rebound resilience. The shock absorber made from it can reduce the wear of components caused by vibration.
Electronics And Electrical
The rapid development of the electronic and electrical industry has led to an increasing number of silicone injection molded products being applied in such scenarios, so it is also an area that you need to focus on.
Because of the precision molding of silicone injection molding, it can well meet the high precision and miniaturization requirements of electronic and electrical equipment. Meanwhile, these products are also waterproof and insulated, and thus are widely used in the manufacturing of cable seals and sensor casings.
Medical And Healthcare
The medical and health field has the strictest requirements for silicone products. Your product must meet the strict requirements of these fields before it can be put into use, and the silicone injection molding process precisely achieves this.
Fully automatic closed production ensures that the products are sterile and hygienic, which can help your products pass medical tests easily. At the same time, precision molding features also make your products suitable for the manufacture of medical components and surgical instruments.
FAQ
Do I Need To Pay For Custom Silicone Injection Molds?
You need to pay for the custom mold, and at the same time, the ownership of the mold belongs to you. If you continue to purchase this product and the cumulative purchase quantity reaches the agreed quantity, we will refund the mold cost in full.
Can Silicone Injection Molds Be Reused?
The molds can be reused for a long time. If you need to repurchase, you don’t have to pay the mold fee again, which greatly reduces your long-term procurement costs.
Is Silicone Injection Molding More Expensive Than Conventional Molding?
For short-term and small-batch purchases, due to the cost of molds, choosing silicone injection molding might be slightly more expensive for you than traditional molding. However, if it is a long-term and large-scale purchase, silicone injection molding is actually more cost-effective. Because it can save labor costs and reduce the generation of waste.
For Small-Batch Customization, Silicone Injection Molding Or Traditional Molding, Which Is More Suitable?
It’s better to choose silicone injection molding. If traditional molding adopts small-batch customization, the proportion of labor costs is high, and it is difficult to ensure stable quality. While silicone injection molding can flexibly adjust the minimum order quantity. Although you need to pay some mold costs, the products can be delivered quickly, and the quality is guaranteed, which will make your worries less.
Final Thought
If you want to use the silicone injection molding process to enhance the quality of your products, this is undoubtedly a wise choice. As a professional silicone product manufacturer, Legensilico is an excellent partner for you. If you hope to know more relevant information, just feel free to contact us.
