Liquid Silicone Rubber(LSR) Injection Molding
Our facility is state-of-the-art and features lights-out capable, fully-automated liquid injection molding (LIM) cells with inline vision technology, value-added operations stations, and finely tuned quality systems – all of which ensure we deliver high-quality, high-volume LSR parts to our customers.
Custom LSR Injection Molding Manufacturer
Elimold has strong strength. The factory covers an area of 25,000 square meters, with 300 employees, 70 LSR injection molding machines, 70 sets of feeding systems, 36 VOC cleaning furnaces, 30 measuring instruments, and all molding and production workshops are 100,000-class clean rooms. And through all SOPs and certifications such as ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, SO13485, providing cost-effective LSR injection molding makes us an important partner for medical, automotive and other key industries.
Our team has complete and professional knowledge of a full range of silicones covering various characteristics and performances. Compared with other silicone molding manufacturers, Elimold’s production team is more experienced and more dynamic. We always regard custom LSR injection molding production as the top priority of our business, focusing on bringing customers the most suitable solutions and reliable products.
It is important that the experts in our advanced material laboratory can help you make the right material selection. Our material scientists are experts in the full range of silicones. One of our material scientists will help you determine if the in-spec requirement is the best choice for your application, or if an alternative, non-spec material option will provide a higher level of quality, reliability and performance for the final product.
Therefore, whether it is large or small batch production, we have the skills and expertise to customize according to your requirements and deliver on time. Our strict quality control enables us to adhere to extremely tight tolerances in a demanding manufacturing environment.
After long-term development and improvement, we have established a strict and complete quality management system to test and evaluate product quality at every production link.
LSR Parts Production
Elimold offers a wide range of options for LSR part production. We carefully evaluate each project to determine the best LSR injection molding technology for producing components: LSR, LSR two-shot, LSR multiple-shot, or LSR overmolding.
We have state-of-the-art facilities, and our production areas are clean with minimal human contact as our LSR, LSR 2k, multi-shot, and overmolding manufacturing cells are fully automated.
Many medical products have stringent cleanliness requirements that require specific ISO-certified hygienic production requirements. To meet these requirements, elimold is equipped with single and secondary LSR lines.
Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding Turnkey Solutions
Design & Prototype Service
Mold tooling Design and make
Rigorous Material Selection
CNC machining
Medical Molding Method in Clean Room
Secondary Operation
Our Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding Capabilities
Liquid silicone rubber injection molding is gaining a foothold in the market due to its ability to produce complex elastic parts in short cycle times. At Elimold, a rubber and silicone molding company, we rely on this material for its biological inertness and long-term product stability. Below are our capabilities for injection molding liquid silicone parts.
Liquid Silicone & Rubber Overmolding
For reducing costs, improving the quality of our products, and extending their lifetime performance, we utilize liquid silicone and rubber overmolding techniques. Due to its biocompatibility, we use silicone overmolding to produce a broad array of parts.
Silicone Micro Molding
We use Silicone Micro-Molding, the latest trend in LSR manufacturing, to produce small, high accuracy and high precision parts. As the parts our customers require become smaller and smaller, we strive to provide our customers with incredible accuracy and precision in all of our LSR products.
LSR Compression Molding
Our team of experts utilizes this highly complex molding technique for producing composite components assembly in high production volume. LSR compression molding procedure involves low tooling costs. This is best for manufacturing large items and thicker parts, and is cost-effective for short production runs.
Silicone Prototype
For any industry, we create silicone prototypes with a lot of patience and experience. We know that without prototypes, it is extremely difficult to move forward. That’s why we provide silicone prototypes to verify that your design will work as expected.
Silicone Insert Molding
At Elimold, we use Silicone Insert Molding products and technologies to mold silicone through a substrate to produce the final part. By combining the advantages of both materials, the process supports variations in hardness and stiffness.
Quality Inspections And Finishing Options
Depending on your application’s requirements, you can choose from the following when requesting a quote for your silicone rubber products.
- Quality Inspections available for on-demand manufacturing orders
- Designing for Manufacturability (DFM) Feedback
- Scientific Molding Process Development Report
- In-process CMM inspection and machine monitoring
Ready to Get an LSR Injection Molding Quote?
What is LSR Molding?
Liquid silicone rubber or LSR injection molding is a thermosetting process where two substances are mixed. This two-component material is heat-treated with a mold conductor and mold to form a finished piece. Liquid silicone molding substances are acquired from Part A and Part B components. These substances are usually mixed in a one-to-one ratio, with pigment added during the blending procedure before the treatment.
Then, the process involves melting and injecting the silicone material into a preformed mold. Specifically, it uses a mechanical injection unit to move material through a heated barrel and into a mold cavity. Elevated temperature level and molding pressures of the liquid silicone shot molding procedure boost the cure.
As the material cools and hardens it takes on the shape of the mold, providing accurate reproductions every time. Once the molded object is finished, any excess material can be removed and final touches added through additional refining steps such as machining and polishing.
How Does Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding Work?
First, a liquid silicone rubber molding tool is created using CNC machining. This tool must be a high-temperature tool in order to withstand the LSR injection molding process. The tool may then be polished to allow for different finish options.
Next, the finished tool is loaded into an LSR-specific injection molding press that is precision geared for accurate control of shot size to produce the most consistent LSR parts. Materials used include standard silicones and specific grades to fit different part applications. Because LSR is a thermosetting polymer, its molded state is permanent. Unlike thermoplastics, they can’t be melted again. Once the LSR injection mold parts are ready, they are removed from the mold and then put to use as prototypes or production parts.
Characteristics And Benefits Of LSR Molding
LSR injection molding offers custom manufacturing opportunities and is a sought-after solution due to its ability to mold complex part geometries, excellent mechanical properties, and purity. Other benefits include:
High- and low-volume Production
Through our efficient use of raw materials and advanced machinery, we carry out a widespread injection molding process to produce large volumes of LSR.
Free of Flash
Flash is removed during high precision production and strict quality control tests, ensuring our silicone molded parts meet flash tolerances between 0mm and 0.03mm.
Tight Dimensional Tolerance
As LSR fills in thin walls easily, we achieve tight tolerances within 0.01mm to ensure optimal performance from parts.
Chemical-resistance Parts
Resisting water, oxidation, and chemical solutions such as acids and alkali make our LSR more durable and stable.
Stability
Withstanding extreme temperatures ranging from -85° to +400°F, our LSR fits well in any tough manufacturing environment.
Minimum Contamination
Through our tests, we make sure all LSR prevent the growth of pathogens and bacteria while resisting corrosion and staining.
Designing and Creating LSR Prototypes with Manufacturing in Mind
Some customers call us after they discover the prototype they contracted to build was delivered with a minor flaw: unfortunately it couldn’t be manufactured. You’d be surprised how often that happens; in the haste to build a quick prototype, designers/engineers with limited elastomer experience end up with a seemingly perfect design, yet it’s impossible to manufacture at scale.
We collaborate with you early in the project to focus on quality and better understand the design input and output requirements of your custom parts. Allowing us to better understand the design intent of the product, will lead to a smoother product launch, greatly reducing future risk. Examples of questions we will help you answer include:
- Do you need an early-stage prototype or a manufacturing-quality replicate prototype?
- How many cavities will be needed in the tool to support the volumes needed for development?
- Where are your critical sealing surfaces and functional areas?
- Where can we place gates and parting lines?
- What are the general operating conditions as to temperature, fluid contact, cycles rates?
Alternatives
There are ways to create silicone-like parts without liquid silicone injection molding, by using an alternative process and/or material.
From a process perspective, the closest alternative is the injection molding of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) or thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV): these are pliable, impact-resistant plastics that are melted, injected, and solidified like other thermoplastics. An advantage of these materials is that they do not require metering and mixing. But although they have elastomeric properties, TPE and TPV are subject to theromoplastic weaknesses such as degradation in sunlight, and may not be suitable for certain medical applications.
Beyond injection molding, TPE is one of a handful of materials that can be made into a flexible 3D printing filament: a material used to additively manufacture rubberlike parts. TPU is another such material.
Applications
Some applications benefiting from LSR injection molding include:
- Medical device and patient interface components
- LED lenses and optics
- Electrical connectors and seals
- Infant bottle nipples, pacifiers, and toys
- Plumbing gaskets and seals
- Soft touch buttons/handles and appliance components
- Consumer goods
- Food and beverage preparation, dispensing and utensils
Industries
Regardless of the industry, our liquid injection molding cells allow for producing liquid silicone rubber parts or components that must withstand extreme conditions and make your products more effective. Industries and applications include:
Ready To Start Your Next Project?
Bring your project to life at Elimold, we use a variety of liquid silicone injection molding methods to create fast, precise parts. Contact us today or request a quote with your product specifications to see how we can help you complete your project.