Knowing the materials that comprise your molded silicone keypads is a big part of the educational process with our clients. We want you to be familiar with exactly what’s in your product so you can better understand its functionality.
Our silicone injection molding process is pretty fascinating. Let’s take a look at some key points:
- Liquid injection molding requires liquid silicone rubber (LSR) and other types of elastomeric materials for the creation of many durable yet pliable products.
- Those products include membranes, seals, electrical connectors, kitchen goods and medical products.
- Our liquid injection molding, or LIM for short, uses a mechanical mixing process that results in a high level of consistency. This is better than relying on labor-intensive processes, i.e., compression molding.
- The LIM process utilizes many materials, from fibers and silicones to acrylics and additives.
Silicone Rubber: An Ideal Material For Molding Keypads
Here at Si-Tech, we are careful to only use the highest quality materials in our molded silicone keypads. Why silicone? Well, it enjoys a low viscosity and can readily flow into hot molds without trouble and at low pressures.
The mold we use will depend on its thickness and how each cycle will be produced. The areas in which the two halves of the mold come together (called the parting line) also come into play. So does the depth of the vent tracks. This enables the correct fill before the silicone begins curing.
The interesting thing about LSR molding is that it shrinks when cool, so we always take this into account when planning out our molds.
Silicone rubber is able to completely fill the mold’s finish, so your end product gets a clean, matte finish or polished for a shiny texture if you choose.
Our closed loop system helps to mold liquid silicone rubber (LSR) together thanks to special machines that mix and measure with precision. The way we approach this helps to lower the risk of contamination, plus it increases the product’s precision and repeatability – both crucial factors in the process.
Why Liquid Silicone Rubber?
We like working with Liquid Silicone Rubber for many reasons, not the least of which is how well it can fill and cure more rapidly than its gum stock or high-consistency silicone rubber (HCR) cousins.
LSR infiltrates all the intricate and complex mold parts to result in quick cycle times and higher temperature tolerances. The curing process all goes on inside the mold, which means fewer waste products than you would get with, say, HCR. Plus, no trimming is needed. For these reasons and more, there are many benefits of the materials used in molded silicone keypads.
Contact Si-Tech
Si-Tech only uses the highest quality materials and molds to produce your items. So to inquire more about the Silicone Injection Molding Materials we use, please contact us or check out our application guide download.
