February 17, 2012
Types of Silicone Rubber for Moulding
Silicone is a very useful material when it comes to moulding. Various industries depend on this material for moulding. Most industries that heavily depend on silikon and silicone rubber include medical, manufacturing, food processing, engineering. Also industries that deal in manufacture of toys and reproduction of machine parts use silikon and silicone rubber moulding technique. Silicone is specifically preferred for moulding due to its natural properties that makes it suitable to perform this function. In addition, moulds which are made of silicone rubber are preferred because they do last longer.Another reason why most industries prefer silikon and silicone rubber is because they make production of large volumes very possible. This is what busy companies need to expands their productivity. Silicone rubber material is available in two distinct components to be blended in equal volume ratio when making the mould. This material is usually polymers and is very toxic hence appropriate care must be taken when handling it. The mixer should wear respirator mask to protect his or her health. There are two kinds of silikon and silicone rubber material used for making mould. They include tin-cured silicone and platinum-cured silicone rubber.Tin silicone rubber is the most popular. This material comes in two parts that is based in tin component. This silikon and silicone rubber material cures and hardens up at temperatures of about 72oF. This is the temperature needed to turn this material into rubber for use in making moulds. It makes a very flexible rubber that has high tearing strength. To make moulds, the tin silicone rubber can either be poured on the model or brushed over it. This material is particularly preferred for making moulds that are easy and quick to realise. It is also preferred for making mould with resistance for high temperature.The second type is platinum-cured silicone rubber. This is similarly a two part component that is used for making compound moulds which are very flexible. The mould produced also has high strength for tearing. In particular, the platinum-cure silikon and silicone rubber can be used for making part moulds for polyester resins, wax, epoxies, and polyurethane. This category of silikon and silicone rubber material can also be used in medicine for casting prosthesis or to produce special makeup effects.
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