Silicone products have been used for a very long time, but the manufacturing industry has never fully utilized silicon until recently. With the changing economic times, there has been an immense increase in the number of people interested in arts and crafts. Not only it can turn into a home-based business and a means to earn additional income, but it can also help you in generating a new habit.
The process of silicone rubber molding is a type of soft tooling through indirect mold manufacturing methods. It is gaining popularity in recent times due to its durability and the fact that it is much more convenient than the traditional molding method by the use of iron molds.
What is molding?
It is the process of manufacturing that shapes liquid or other raw pliable material by the use of a rigid frame that is called mold. It is a hollowed-out solid block that is filled with the liquid of raw materials like plastic, glass or metal, that is allowed to harden in the mold and allowed to set so that it can take its shape properly. The key to molding is a reproduction, whether you want to replicate a statue or any other piece of art or make any kind of candles or soaps, you need to learn the basic method of molding.
While various materials are used for making the molds, silicone rubber molding is proving itself to be a popular choice in this ever-growing industry. There are different types of molding techniques that are used with the help of different raw materials and molding methods.
Some of the types of molding are:
- Blow molding: through this hollow plastic parts are manufactured and joined together, like in glass bottles and other hollow shapes.
- Injection molding: it is a manufacturing technique that helps in the production of parts by injecting the molten raw material into the mold.
- Compression molding: the molding material which is generally pre-heated is poured into the mold which is then closed with top force, that pressures the material into the mold.
- Spin casting molding:
- Matrix molding:
Reasons why silicone molds are becoming a popular choice:
Not only it is much more convenient but also the materials used for silicone molds are very soft as compared to the traditional process of steel molds. Let’s look at some of the reasons why choosing a silicone mold is a great choice for the soft tooling industry specifically.
- While several other molding materials are available in the market, none other can compete with the reproduction capacity and durability provided by the silicone rubber molds.
- They offer good chemical resistance that permits the use of various and a wide range of casting materials.
- The curing and working time can be controlled better in silicone molds by the use of different catalyst combinations.
It can be cured even at room temperature; therefore, the cost of expensive drying ovens can be eliminated. It offers high dimensional quality because the shrinkage in these molds is very low.
