Prototype and Mold Development Service

After you confirm the 3D drawing. You may need make the prototype to see them in reality. Here we offer you 2 methods: Rapid Prototype or Classic Mold Making. Here we offer you 2 methods: Rapid Prototype or Classic Mold Making.

Silicone Rapid Prototype

Rapid Prototyping is an important step in the design development and approval process leading to higher volume serial manufacturing. Speed, cost, and approximation to the final silicone product design (including material properties and dimensions) are key criteria when selecting a fabrication method for making a silicone prototype.

For silicone products, there are 4 ways to make the product development process for silicone products. Available processes for making silicone prototypes include:

  • 3D printing, selective laser sintering (SLA) and fused deposition modeling (FDM),
  • RTV (room temperature vulcanization) molding, RTVs will cure at ambient temperatures, albeit over hours, ovens are often used to accelerate the curing of the material.RTV is attractive because of the low capital equipment requirements and the availability of raw materials. RTVs can be a very close approximation to their LSR relatives. It is common that well-equipped R&D labs have the ability to manufacture tools from plastic and/or soft metal materials in-house. Once the mold is made, making parts is a simple fill-and-wait process. A skilled technician can make the first part within a day.
  • Transfer press molding using high-consistency rubber (HCR) materials or solid silicone Compress molding. Tooling can be made quickly and the production of parts is fast. The resulting prototypes are very close approximations of production parts. Complex geometries may not be possible. Longer cycle times than LSR.
  • Injection molding solutions. As we discuss these options, please keep in mind the majority of new silicone products are manufactured from LSR (liquid silicone rubber), injection molded in a durometer range of 30-70 Shore production equivalent injection molding press and production-grade materials are molded in soft metal tooling. Tooling can be made quickly and the production of parts is fast. The resulting prototypes are very close approximations of production parts. This can result in a higher cost per part for small runs of parts, since the initial tool cost can’t be amortized over a large number of parts.

Silicone Rapid Prototyping Comparison

MethodDescriptionSpeedApproximation to Production
SLA/FDM3D printing, Part is formed layer-by-layer from raw material.No tooling
1-25 parts: 1-2 days
25+ parts: Multiple days
Low: Shapes are similar, but material likeness has limitations. Typically has a “cloudy” finish.
RTVMaterial is injected by hand at low pressure. Cures at room temperature with various mold choices.Tooling: Days to weeks
1-25 parts: Multiple days
25+ parts: Days/weeks (due to cure times)
Medium: Silicone parts with an accurate durometer, but the manufacturing process might differ.
HCRTransfer molding with mold materials mainly metals.Tooling: Fast
1-25 parts: 1-2 days
25+ parts: Multiple days
High: Silicone parts with accurate durometer. The manufacturing process is typically the same as production.
LSRInjection molding with mold materials primarily metals.Tooling and parts: 3-7 daysHigh: Silicone parts with an accurate durometer. The manufacturing process is typically the same as production.
Silicone Rapid Prototyping Comparison

Classic Mold Making

We can directly develop a silicone mold to make the Prototype. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Mold Design and Manufacturing

Well-designed silicone mold optimizes its productivity of the silicone mold.

We offer our customers real molded silicone baby products by producing a “sample tooling” with only 1 cavity around one week.

So, mold design is our first step in prototyping. It is crucial to create a baby product with high manufacturability. Good mold design for each can contribute to improved silicone baby products quality and optimum cycle time, and optimize the productivity of the mold.

Our engineers are silicone tooling and mold makers with decades of experience designing the most robust and innovative tools in the industry. Contact our silicone tooling experts to get your silicone creation prototype.

Jution silicone can help our partners with customers through the entire development process. We offer 3D printing, compression molding, transfer molding, and LSR molding. Our focus is on your final manufacturing method and our ability to quickly deliver a prototype manufactured using that method.