How can we reduce the manufacturing time of LSR injection molding projects to 10 days or less?
Table of Contents
- How can we reduce the manufacturing time of LSR injection molding projects to 10 days or less?
- Basic information about liquid silicone rubber
- Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) has advantages over traditional silicone rubber.
- Characteristics of LSR materials and manufacturing processes
- Before shortening product manufacturing time: Understanding the main production processes of LSR injection molding projects
- Operations to shorten LSR product manufacturing time throughout the entire process from prototype to mass production
- Technical Challenges and Innovations in Rapid Manufacturing for LSR Injection Molding Projects
- LSR Rapid Injection Molding Technology
- Elimold’s liquid silicone injection molding solutions
- Conclusion
Liquid silicone rubber (LSR), also known as liquid injection molding (LIM), is widely used in numerous industries. This process requires highly specialized machinery, molding of silicone-based materials, and platinum catalyst components. Unlike traditional injection molding processes (such as thermoplastic injection molding), this molding process can save time. This article will explore the principles and flow of the LSR process, focusing on in-depth analysis of methods to shorten the complete LSR production cycle to 10 days or even less.
Basic information about liquid silicone rubber
LSR has been known since the 1970s and is now the material of choice for medical manufacturers. The advantages of LSR lie in its high strength, wide operating temperature range, and high durability. This material is an elastomer composed of a two-component platinum vulcanizate; it is an inorganic polymer composed of silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, which determine the properties of the final product. Catalysts are added during the manufacturing process to further strengthen the chemical bonds.
The two main catalysts used in the curing process of this material are platinum and peroxide. However, platinum-cured silicone rubber is more popular than peroxide-cured silicone rubber. This is because platinum-cured silicone rubber has better tensile strength and more stable properties. Furthermore, it does not leave residues like peroxide-cured silicone rubber.
Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) has advantages over traditional silicone rubber.
Compared to solid silicone rubber, LSR has a lower viscosity, meaning it can fill molds with more complex shapes and finer details, thus expanding the design possibilities for engineers and designers. Furthermore, the curing process of LSR uses platinum as a catalyst at room temperature, making production faster, more efficient, and more energy-saving. This process, known as addition curing, is significantly different from the peroxide curing method used in traditional silicone rubber, offering advantages in terms of environmental impact and product purity.
The advantages of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) lie not only in its mechanical properties but also in its superior elongation, tensile strength, and tear resistance. Compared to conventional silicone rubber, LSR maintains these excellent properties over a wider range of temperatures and operating conditions. These characteristics make LSR an ideal choice for numerous applications.
Characteristics of LSR materials and manufacturing processes
Whether it’s metal, plastic, or special materials, different materials have different properties. Below is a summary of some key characteristics of LSR materials and processes.
- Durability: Unlike other types of elastomers, LSR can withstand high and extreme temperatures. Its temperature range is -600°C to 1800°C, making it a durable material.
- Chemical resistance: It can withstand common chemical solutions such as acids and alkalis. Furthermore, it is also antioxidant and water-resistant. Therefore, it can be sterilized using various chemical methods before use without concern about performance degradation.
- Electrical properties: This material has excellent insulation properties, and as an insulator, it can also withstand high temperatures, making it the preferred material for various electrical projects.
- Biocompatibility: This material prevents interaction with biological tissues and body fluids. It is also hypoallergenic, making it ideal for skin contact products.
- Transparency and Colorability: LSR materials can also be presented in different colors. Liquid silicone rubber is translucent and its natural color is white. This property makes it easy to color, thus allowing for the creation of end products in various shapes and colors.
Before shortening product manufacturing time: Understanding the main production processes of LSR injection molding projects
If you want to produce LSR products in 10 days or even less, you must first understand the basic workflow of this process. Without understanding the process, you will inevitably struggle to control the project. LSR production requires a series of highly specialized mechanical processes. The injection molding machines use a mechanical mixing method to thoroughly mix the two platinum-cured LSR materials. The following is a brief overview of the production steps for liquid silicone rubber:
| Step 1 | During the LSR molding process, two containers are used: one for the molding base and the other for the catalyst. A metering device controls the release of the substances in a 1:2:1 ratio. In addition to mixing the two compounds in equal proportions, a separate container holds the pigment, which is added to the mixture to achieve the desired shape and color. |
| Step 2 | Injection molding machines are automated and can be customized to provide the appropriate injection volume based on the mold. Settings at this stage also include temperature, pressure, and injection rate, all based on customer or design requirements. |
| Step 3 | The machine’s molding components heat the mold cavity with appropriate temperature and clamping force. At this stage, material is injected into the mold cavity via the injection mechanism. |
| Step 4 | Appropriate heat and pressure are applied to the liquid silicone rubber within the mold cavity until it solidifies. The next stage is demolding. The various components of the injection molding machine are separated by an automated separation device. This can be achieved through an automated robotic system or, in some cases, manually. |
| Step 5 | After demolding, post-molding operations can be performed, such as printing or post-curing. These operations are often referred to as secondary processing or value-added processes. |
| Final step | Once completed, the molded parts will be removed and transferred to the next production stage, where they will finally be packaged. |
Operations to shorten LSR product manufacturing time throughout the entire process from prototype to mass production
In the development of liquid silicone products, the manufacturing time from prototype verification to mass production is crucial. If a supplier’s custom silicone service can provide an integrated “design-to-manufacture” approach and ensure a high degree of consistency in technical parameters between prototyping and mass production, thereby avoiding quality risks or communication costs, then the project’s manufacturing cycle can be controlled to be completed in 10 days or even less. The following practices are a summary of experience from Elimold’s professional liquid silicone manufacturing team after communicating with over 1000 clients.
DFM Forward-looking Design Collaboration
When you want to start an LSR product injection molding manufacturing project, your partner manufacturer can incorporate mass production process standards into the prototyping phase, avoiding designs that are easy to mold but difficult to mass-produce. This will shorten the project timeline.
Standardized transfer of process parameters
Choose a manufacturer that has established a comparative system for prototyping and mass production process parameters. Their manufacturing team has standardized core parameters in the workflow, such as injection pressure and vulcanization temperature, and compiled them into standardized documents. This allows for rapid production regardless of the quantity of parts required.
Gradual integration of mold technology
Partnering with manufacturers who have in-house mold manufacturing facilities and mold design engineering teams is highly recommended. Experienced manufacturers can use consistent cavity designs for prototype molds and mass production molds, ensuring complete compatibility of runner designs and cooling systems. This reduces the time required to optimize product prototype designs and shortens mass production cycles.
Building a comprehensive quality system
When professional manufacturers possess testing standards for LSR product development and utilize tools to build complete lifecycle quality archives, they can ensure the closed-loop operation of their technical systems and management processes. This “prototype-as-product” delivery capability can shorten time-to-market by up to 40% and ensure technological consistency, thereby building a sustainable competitive advantage.
Rapid mold manufacturing by combining different manufacturing technologies
Traditional LSR mold making can take weeks. In contrast, rapid LSR prototyping, using CNC-machined aluminum molds or 3D-printed inserts, can deliver usable parts in just 1 to 3 days. This acceleration can speed up iterations and significantly reduce time to market.
Technical Challenges and Innovations in Rapid Manufacturing for LSR Injection Molding Projects
While manufacturing time for liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molding projects can be accelerated through various technological and workflow changes, several technical challenges remain. The primary issue is materials. Below is a summary of our thoughts and solutions regarding materials issues in rapid LSR part manufacturing projects.
How to control the low viscosity of materials
While low viscosity is advantageous for filling complex molds, it can also lead to flash and overflow, resulting in material waste and defective parts. Innovative approaches to address this issue include developing precision mold designs and integrating advanced process control systems that can precisely adjust injection parameters to minimize material leakage.
How to maintain the consistency of material properties
Another technical challenge lies in maintaining the consistency of material properties, such as viscosity and reactivity, which can vary due to storage conditions or batch differences. To address this challenge, Elimold has developed a variety of material formulations and storage solutions. Please contact our team for more information.
LSR Rapid Injection Molding Technology
The future development trend of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molding emphasizes automation, high precision, and integration with digital technologies. This technology is experiencing a boom in smart manufacturing practices, with LSR injection molding processes becoming increasingly automated and monitored using sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. This digital transformation enables real-time data acquisition and analysis, resulting in more efficient, flexible, and responsive production lines.
Furthermore, advances in materials science are driving the future development of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molding technology . Specialized manufacturers are focusing their research on developing new formulations of novel LSR materials to enhance their performance, such as improving biocompatibility, temperature resistance, and elasticity. These innovations are expected to open up new application prospects in fields with extremely high performance requirements, such as aerospace and medical devices, where extremely high performance standards are the norm.
Furthermore, the emergence of advanced manufacturing technologies is also driving changes in the manufacturing methods of LSR parts. The combination of liquid silicone rubber injection molding and additive manufacturing (3D printing) is becoming a rapidly developing trend. This combination enables the rapid creation of mold prototypes and the production of complex parts that are difficult or even impossible to manufacture using traditional methods, thereby significantly shortening development time and reducing costs.
Elimold’s liquid silicone injection molding solutions
Elimold has completed over 10,000 LSR injection molding projects to date, so we have a complete range of mold specifications to meet your product needs. Our molds, with their modular design, broad process range, and flexible control, provide ideal solutions for your high-precision liquid silicone injection molding projects, and can be completed quickly (within 10 days or even less). Our manufacturing technology can mold not only high-precision single-component silicone products, but also ensure high-yield inserts or multi-component self-adhesive products.
Our manufacturing team has years of cross-industry experience in rapid prototyping technology for silicone, enabling us to deeply understand the rheological properties and molding principles of liquid silicone rubber. Our process systems consistently meet TWI global elastomer bonding technology standards and are seamlessly integrated with 3D Systems additive manufacturing solutions.
Furthermore, we have innovatively combined five-axis machining with liquid silicone injection molding technology to develop a comprehensive system encompassing material selection and mold temperature control. This system aims to optimize the curing process, thereby solving foaming problems that plague the industry, such as residual bubbles and dimensional shrinkage. Based on experience data from over 10,000 silicone rapid prototyping projects, we have established a complete solution from design to mass production.
Conclusion
To quickly shorten the production time of LSR injection molding projects, optimization is essential, encompassing aspects such as materials, process history, manufacturing procedures, and operational improvements. Only by fully understanding the materials and related processes can you control the production details and thus shorten the project’s production cycle.
As an advanced rapid prototyping and manufacturing technology, rapid liquid silicone rubber molding (LSR) is playing an increasingly important role in accelerating innovation across industries. With its high efficiency, design flexibility, and ability to quickly deliver precision parts, LSR molding helps companies turn concepts into reality faster.
Partner with Elimold to embark on a collaborative journey from concept to full-scale production. Our team boasts over 10 years of experience in liquid silicone molding, ensuring your products benefit from deep technical expertise and reliable processes.