Liquid silicone is a versatile and cost-effective material used to make molds for industrial and household products. Its qualities can be adjusted to meet specific needs, and it is chemically inert and water-resistant. Liquid injection molding allows for uniform mixing and faster setting times.
Liquid silicone is a type of silicon polymer that is often used to make molds for various industrial products. It is most commonly used in molds for rubber, resin, foam and metals that have a low melting point. Household items such as rubber spatulas, baking trays and bottle nipples are also made from this material. Generally, liquid silicone is preferred over other materials for these applications due to its flexibility, viscosity, strength, versatility, and lower cost.
Most silicone rubbers have a high tolerance to heat, fire and cold. This makes them ideal molds for some metal alloys, as they will be able to hold metals that melt at reasonably low temperatures. The cost of liquid silicone molds is generally lower than the ceramic molds typically used for metals. Liquid silicone is also chemically inert, making it a good candidate for products that contact food or for molds that contact more reactive compounds. It is also water resistant due to its chemical structure, which includes hydrophobic or water fearful methyl groups.
The qualities of the liquid silicone can be adapted to the specific needs of the manufacturer because it is an adjustable silicone mixture. For example, chemicals added to the silicone mixture could strengthen it as an electrical insulator or turn it into a conductor. The colour, opacity, firmness and texture of liquid silicone can also be adjusted, making it a practical choice for a wide range of household products.
Liquid silicone is usually molded into molds or manufactured through a process known as liquid injection molding. During this process, silicone rubber is loaded into a plunger and pumped into a mixer, along with a catalyst and any coloring materials or other chemical additions. A device called a dispenser allows you to carefully control the mixing reaction, as it maintains a slow release of the silicone and the catalyst in precise quantities. The catalyst, which typically contains platinum, activates the silicone, causing it to harden once the mix is pumped into the mold. After that the mold is sealed and closed with a mold clamp until the silicone has hardened, then it is removed and the silicone product is almost complete.
The liquid injection molding technique allows for more thorough and uniform mixing of silicone in its liquid form. This makes the finished silicone products chemically and structurally consistent, and also means that separate products that have the same mix formula will be more consistent with each other when manufactured this way. The process also allows for faster setting times for liquid silicone rubber.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
