What is Silicone Casting?

Silicone casting is a simple and accurate casting process that will forgive many mistakes. The silicone rubber material comes in two components that mix by a volume ratio of 1:1. Propanol alcohol is used to clean the polymers before they cure. The casting material used to make parts also mixes on a volume basis of 1:1.

What are the Different Types of Silicone Casting Processes?

1. Soft Tool Casting (Silicone Tool)

What are the Advantages of Silicone Casting?

• Accurate. Highly precise part creation with complex geometries available, even at higher batch sizes.
• Great for Prototypes. Relatively short lead times for silicone casting processes allow prototypes to be deployed and tested quickly in the product development lifecycle.
• High Quality and Flexibility. Resins can be manipulated and engineered to achieve a variety of material characteristics specific to the needs of the project.

What are the Limitations of Silicone Casting?

• Higher Cost. Silicone casting usually features a higher startup cost than urethane casting methods.
• Shrinkage. Some shrinkage, ~1%, can occur when using tin-cured silicone rubber.

Key Metrics

Standard Tolerance
.0127mm

Lead Time
15 Business Days

Maximum Size
24″×24″×24″

Minimum Feature Size
.127µm

Minimum Wall Thickness
500µm

Conclusion

Silicone casting is an established technology in the casting space that brings new-age materials to this traditional foundry process. Consider submitting an RFQ through manufacturing services such as ProdEX to get started today.