What are the methods of liquid silicone injection molding?

Liquid silicone injection molding, as an advanced molding technology, plays an important role in multiple fields, especially in the production of electronic appliances, medical devices, automotive parts, and daily necessities. Its molding methods are diverse, each with its unique advantages and application scenarios. The following is a detailed analysis of several main methods of liquid silicone injection molding.

1、 Liquid Injection Molding (LIM)

Liquid injection molding is one of the most common and efficient methods in liquid silicone injection molding. This process involves injecting liquid silicone into a closed mold and solidifying it under heating and pressure to form a shape. This method is particularly suitable for mass production of complex shaped silicone products. Its advantages lie in fast production speed, precise product size, and rich details, which can highly meet the market’s demand for high-quality silicone products. Accurate control of parameters such as temperature, pressure, and time is crucial for ensuring product quality during the LIM process. For example, the temperature of the mold directly affects the vulcanization conditions of liquid silicone, the dimensional accuracy and performance requirements of injection molded parts.

2、 Injection molding

Unlike LIM, injection molding uses an open mold, where liquid silicone is placed in the mold and cured through heating and pressure. This process is relatively simple, with low equipment costs, and is suitable for small and medium-sized batch production. Injection molding has advantages in flexibility and can adapt to the production of products with different shapes. However, its production speed is relatively slow, making it more suitable for scenarios where product batch requirements are not extremely high. During the injection molding process, the strength and stiffness of the mold need to be guaranteed to withstand high pressure and high temperature environments. At the same time, the mold design needs to be reasonable to ensure that the liquid silicone can uniformly and quickly fill the mold cavity.

3、 Transfer molding

Transfer molding is another efficient production method, particularly suitable for producing products with complex shapes and multi cavity molds. This process injects liquid silicone into the mold cavity, fills the entire mold with pressure, and then heats and solidifies. Transfer molding can significantly reduce waste, improve material utilization, while maintaining high precision and consistency of the product. During the transmission molding process, pressure control is particularly critical as it directly affects the filling speed of silicone and the compactness of the product. In addition, reasonable mold design and temperature control are also important factors in ensuring product quality.

jection molding

Injection molding is a simple and intuitive method of liquid silicone injection molding, in which liquid silicone is directly poured into an open mold and cured naturally or by heating. This method is suitable for small-scale production and prototyping, with lower mold costs and flexible production processes. However, the production speed of injection molding is relatively slow and requires high skills from operators to ensure that the liquid silicone can be evenly distributed and fully cured. In injection molding, the viscosity and flowability of liquid silicone are also key factors affecting product quality.

5、 In Mold Injection Molding

In mold injection molding is an innovative liquid silicone injection molding technology that injects liquid silicone into a mold and combines it with other materials such as plastic and metal to form a mold. This process can achieve the perfect combination of different materials and produce composite products with excellent performance. In mold injection molding not only improves the overall performance of the product, but also simplifies the production process and reduces costs. In the process of in mold injection molding, the selection and proportioning of materials, the design of molds, and the adjustment of injection parameters all need to be precisely controlled to ensure the quality and performance of the final product.

6、 Dropping molding

Dropping molding is a refined liquid silicone injection molding method, in which liquid silicone is dropped into a mold through a dropper device for solidification molding. This method is particularly suitable for producing products with small batches, complex shapes, and fine structures. Dropping molding can achieve high-precision material control, ensuring that every detail of the product meets the design requirements. However, due to its slow production speed and high equipment requirements, drip molding is usually used for the production of high-end products.

summary

There are various ways to inject liquid silicone, each with its unique advantages and applicable scenarios. From large-scale production of liquid injection molding to flexible and versatile injection molding, transfer molding, and injection molding, to innovative combination of in mold injection molding and refined droplet molding, these molding methods together constitute a rich system of liquid silicone injection molding technology. In practical applications, selecting the appropriate molding method based on the specific needs and production conditions of the product is of great significance for improving production efficiency and product quality