What is the difference between solid-state silicone hot press vulcanization and liquid silicone hot press vulcanization?

Solid silicone hot pressing vulcanization and liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization are two important methods in the silicone molding process, and they have significant differences in material properties, molding processes, product applications, and cost-effectiveness.

Material characteristics

Solid silicone gel

Solid silicone is a saturated polymer elastic material with excellent characteristics such as high temperature resistance, cold resistance, solvent resistance, tear resistance, adhesion resistance, electrical insulation, and chemical resistance. It has high transparency, but sulfurizing agents need to be added during molding, and it is molded through open mold feeding. The raw material of solid silicone is solid blocks, which are mixed by a mixer, cut into appropriate sizes and thicknesses, placed in a mold, and molded by a pressure molding machine at a certain temperature. This material may have a certain fragrance or other masking agent odor during the vulcanization process due to the use of vulcanizing agents.

Liquid silicone gel

Compared to solid silicone, liquid silicone has the characteristic of strong fluidity. It has fast vulcanization speed, is safe and environmentally friendly, and can fully meet food grade standards. Liquid silicone gel is in liquid form with good fluidity. No auxiliary materials such as vulcanizing agents are added during molding, and it is sealed and fed for molding. The high transparency and safe and non-toxic properties of liquid silicone make it widely used in fields such as baby products, kitchen supplies, and medical supplies that can directly contact food and the human body.

Forming process

Solid silicone hot press vulcanization

Solid silicone hot pressing vulcanization, also known as compression molding, is a process of using molds to press and shape silicone raw materials at high temperature and high pressure. This process is mainly suitable for silicone products with complex shapes and large sizes. The advantages of compression molding are low material cost, low mold cost, and no need to clean the machine for colored products. However, solid silicone has no fluidity, high molding temperature, and long vulcanization molding time, which may result in more burrs and waste. In addition, the secondary bonding of solid silicone products after hot pressing vulcanization is not flexible, with poor flowability, large parting lines, and inflexible structure, which are also its limitations.

Liquid silicone hot press vulcanization

Liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization, commonly known as injection molding, is a process of rapidly vulcanizing liquid silicone into a mold under high temperature and pressure. The injection molding process of liquid silicone has many advantages, such as simple process flow, high product accuracy, high output, labor-saving, energy-saving, and material saving. The injection molding machine for liquid silicone can complete the entire process of molding, vulcanization, and demolding in a short period of time, greatly improving production efficiency. The product produced by hot pressing and vulcanization of liquid silicone has high transparency, no odor, and usually has an injection port, which gives it an advantage in products that require high transparency and high precision.

Product application

Solid silicone hot press vulcanization products
Solid silicone hot press vulcanization products are widely used in various fields such as daily necessities, industrial miscellaneous items, and automotive parts. Due to its high temperature resistance, cold resistance, and solvent resistance, solid silicone has been widely used in products that require extreme environmental conditions, such as automotive seals, industrial gaskets, and wire and cable sheaths. In addition, the tear resistance and anti adhesion properties of solid silicone also make it widely used in fields such as kitchen appliances and medical equipment.

Liquid silicone hot press vulcanization products

Liquid silicone hot press vulcanization products are mainly used in fields such as baby products, kitchen supplies, and medical supplies that can directly contact food and the human body. The high transparency, safety, and non toxicity of liquid silicone give it an advantage in products that require high transparency and safety, such as baby bottles, pacifiers, and medical devices. In addition, the excellent electrical insulation performance and chemical resistance of liquid silicone also make it widely used in fields such as electronics and chemical equipment.

Cost effectiveness

Solid silicone hot press vulcanization

The cost of solid-state silicone hot pressing vulcanization is relatively low, mainly reflected in material and mold costs. Due to the low raw material cost and relatively simple mold design of solid silicone, the overall cost of hot pressing vulcanization of solid silicone is relatively low. However, the products produced by hot pressing and vulcanization of solid silicone may have more burrs and waste, which increases the cost of subsequent processing. In addition, the secondary bonding of solid silicone products after hot pressing and vulcanization is not flexible and has poor fluidity, which also limits their application in certain fields.

Liquid silicone hot press vulcanization

The cost of liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization is relatively high, but it has significant advantages in production efficiency, product quality, and product added value. The injection molding process of liquid silicone can complete the entire production process in a short period of time, greatly improving production efficiency. In addition, the high transparency and safe and non-toxic characteristics of liquid silicone also give it an advantage in the high-end market. Although the raw material cost of liquid silicone is relatively high, its improvement in product added value makes the overall cost-effectiveness higher.

Development Trends

With the advancement of technology and changes in market demand, both solid-state silicone hot pressing vulcanization and liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization are constantly developing. There is still great potential for the development of solid-state silicone hot pressing vulcanization in improving production efficiency, reducing production costs, and minimizing waste. For example, by improving mold design and optimizing production processes, the generation of burrs and waste can be reduced, and the product qualification rate can be improved. In addition, solid-state silicone hot pressing vulcanization can also be combined with other molding processes, such as extrusion molding, rolling molding, etc., to expand its application fields.
Liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization has great potential in improving product quality and added value. For example, by developing high-performance liquid silicone materials, it can meet the needs of more high-end markets. In addition, liquid silicone hot press vulcanization can also be combined with other materials such as plastics, metals, etc. to develop composite materials with more functionality. These composite materials have broad application prospects in fields such as electronics, automobiles, medical devices, etc.

In summary, there are significant differences between solid-state silicone hot pressing vulcanization and liquid silicone hot pressing vulcanization in terms of material properties, molding processes, product applications, and cost-effectiveness. The choice of vulcanization method depends on the specific requirements of the product, the complexity of the production process, and considerations of cost-effectiveness.