What Is Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding?
LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) injection molding is a specialized manufacturing process used to produce high-quality silicone parts and products.The LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) molding process consists of two main components: A (matrix) and B (catalyst). These two substances are injected directly into a closed mold, where they mix and start to cure into the exact shape of the part. Once the curing process is finished, the machine ejects the completed part.
This method allows for the large-scale production of silicone products, with fully automated operations in an ISO Class 8 clean room. LSR materials are known for their excellent heat resistance, chemical stability, and biocompatibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications, including medical devices, automotive parts, consumer electronics, and kitchenware.
Advantages of LSR Injection Molding
Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) is a highly versatile material known for its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and resistance to chemical reactions, making it ideal for a wide range of applications including machine parts, household appliances, medical devices, and silicone keypads. The LSR injection molding process is a state-of-the-art technique that has transformed rubber manufacturing, allowing for the production of complex designs in higher quantities with unprecedented precision.
- Complex and Custom Designs: LSR injection molding excels in creating intricate and custom designs, enabling the production of highly detailed silicone keypads and other advanced components.
- Repeatability: This process ensures consistent quality and precision across multiple production runs, making it ideal for applications requiring uniformity and reliability.
- Minimal Waste: The LSR injection molding process generates minimal flash, resulting in reduced material waste and cost-efficiency for large-scale production.
- High Efficiency at Affordable Rates: Capable of producing large quantities of high-quality silicone keypads and other parts at competitive prices, this method offers both cost savings and high productivity.
By leveraging our advanced LSR injection molding technology, we provide superior silicone rubber products tailored to meet your specific needs with exceptional accuracy and efficiency.
Process of LSR Injection Molding
LSR injection molding is a precise manufacturing process used to produce high-quality silicone parts.
The process of silicone injection molding includes the following main steps:
Raw Material Preparation: First, liquid silicone rubber (LSR) material is mixed with silicone crosslinker and silicone-based fillers to form an LSR compound.
Injection by Injection Molding Machine: The prepared LSR compound is fed into the hopper of the injection molding machine. The machine then heats and injects the LSR compound into the mold cavity.
Mold Filling and Curing: In the mold cavity, the LSR compound quickly fills the entire cavity and then cures due to its inherent heat-reactive properties, forming a solid silicone rubber product.The curing time can vary depending on the part's size and thickness but typically ranges from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Cooling and Demolding: After molding, the mold requires cooling to stabilize the silicone rubber. Once cooled, the mold opens, and the solid silicone rubber product is removed, completing the demolding process.
Trimming and Inspection: The extracted silicone rubber product may need trimming to remove excess edges or flash to ensure a clean finish. Then, the finished product undergoes quality inspection to ensure it meets the required specifications.
Post-processing: For certain applications, post-processing such as surface coating, printing, or bonding may be required.
Why Choose Us for LSR Injection Molding
We have more than two decades of experience, we have manufactured billions of custom parts for our partners. We continuously enhance our technology and expertise to deliver precise, reliable, and high-quality LSR components. Our commitment to innovation provides significant advantages, including:
- Advanced Molds and Automation: Our Class 101 LSR production molds and automated handling systems are designed for continuous, hands-free production. These systems are integrated with our cutting-edge molding technology to ensure optimized manufacturing, enhanced productivity, and high-yield output.
- Innovative Molding Technology and Quality Assurance: We utilize state-of-the-art LSR molding technologies, including LSR 2-shot, LSR overmolding, and LSR multi-shot processes. Certified to ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and IATF 16949 standards, our quality metrology lab, proactive quality planning, and dedicated project management ensure consistently high-quality parts.
- Enhanced Services: Our integrated approach includes planning and automating post-molding operations within the manufacturing cells. Secondary processes are performed robotically to enhance precision, streamline the manufacturing process, and shorten supply chains, adding significant value.
- Versatile Part Geometries: We utilize the strengths of LSR and liquid injection molding to produce a broad range of part geometries, from simple to complex and small to large, using single or multiple materials. Our extensive expertise in LSR technologies makes us as a leader in producing high-quality silicone rubber keypads and other custom components.
Choose us for your LSR injection molding needs and benefit from our advanced technology and comprehensive services. We specialize in producing high-precision silicone keypads and other components using a variety of LSR molding options, including LSR, LSR two-shot, LSR multi-shot, and LSR overmolding. Each project is meticulously evaluated to determine the most suitable molding technology to achieve optimal results.
Our state-of-the-art facility is climate-controlled and maintained to the highest cleanliness standards. With fully-automated manufacturing cells for LSR, LSR 2K, and multi-shot, we ensure minimal human contact, enhancing precision and consistency in every silicone keypad and other LSR product. Trust us to deliver exceptional quality and performance with our cutting-edge molding solutions.
Quality Inspections and Finishing
Options
When requesting a quote for your silicone rubber parts, you can select from a range of options tailored to meet the specific needs of your application.
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
• First article inspection (FAI) and process capability report of FMEA