Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molding is a thermoset process that mixes a two-component compound together, which is then heat cured in the mold with a platinum catalyst to produce a final part. LSR parts are formed through an injection-molding process similar to that of conventional plastic injection molding with one major difference - the material delivery system is cooled and the mold is heated.
Final LSR parts are strong and elastic with excellent thermal, chemical and electrical resistance. They maintain their physical properties at extreme temperatures and can withstand sterilization. LSR parts are also biocompatible, so they work very well for products that have skin contact. Those benefits lend themselves well to automotive, medical and food appliance industries, typically in the form of seals, gaskets, valves and cables.
Process The LSR molding process starts with proper part design. Anyone familiar with designing parts for injection molding should find designing an LSR part to be similar. However, the shrink rate on LSR is fairly high, and the material also tends to flash very easily during molding. Protomold helps mitigate challenges related to high shrink rates by planning appropriate tolerances and incorporating additional features into the mold design to help reduce flash. LSR typically fills thin wall sections with minimal challenges and is accommodating to variations in wall sections as sink is almost nonexistent. Mold production When an order is placed, Xiamen Meteor will then design an LSR molding tool. Due to the flexible nature of LSR, parts are manually removed from the mold, and thus, ejector pins are not built into the mold design. Like a standard Protomold aluminum tool, an LSR molding tool is fabricated using a combination of CNC milling and CNC electrical-discharge machining (EDM) to create a high-temperature aluminum tool built to withstand the LSR molding process. After milling, the tool is polished by hand to customer specifications, which allows six standard surface finish options: PM-F0, PM-F1, SP-C1, PM-T1, PM-T2 or SPI-A2. Others may be available by request. Mold production LSR mold production Part production The finished tool is loaded into an advanced LSR-specific injection-molding press that is precision geared for accurate control of shot size to produce the most consistent liquid silicone rubber parts. LSR molding shares many similarities with conventional injection molding, but there are a few notable differences. Unlike thermoplastic resin, which is melted before injection, LSR is a two-part thermoset compound that is chilled before being injected into a heated mold and ultimately cured into a final part. Note that Protomold uses an automated meter mixing pump to assure the exact combination of the two-part compound; nothing is hand mixed. Since LSR is a thermosetting polymer, its molded state is permanent - once it is set, it can't be melted again like a thermoplastic.
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