By Miah Ayaan
Silicone rubber molding is become very popular day by day due to a large number of benefits this prototyping method provides. This is so easy that you can make one at your home or also there are many rapid tooling firms from wherein you can get your molds made. If you go for homemaking extraction of information online is very tough thus it is advisable to get them made by professionals however if you still wish to do it D-I-Y it is important to first learn about the correct molding material to start on the best foot.
What are the silicon rubber molds?
The silicone rubber molding material is a stretchy material by nature. This material is majorly used in the commercial industry range and also this has a rich use in home accessories. Silicon molds have become an integrated part of our life. the use of silicone in modern times is the clear elastics of clothes, muffin pans, potholders, sealants of showers and bathroom etcetera. The advantageous property of silicone that makes it so popular is that this is a very versatile material that can blend into any shape of caster it is put into. Thus due to this flexibility silicon rubber molds are used to cast various things ranging from medical devices to polymer clay, from jewelry components to makeup accessories from hobbies to food product packages, silicone molds can be used in them all.
Making of the silicone molds
The silicone molds are made from RTV silicone. The RTV is also known as the room temperature Vulcanizing. The RTV method consists of two main subparts. These two are amalgamated together to cater to a chemical reaction which helps in the vulcanization process of the rubber. This vulcanization causes the rubber to polymerize and hence form a very versatile, sticky and flowing material that is on the stick in nature and also stretchy and durable. There are many forms of silicone molds but two major forms that are popular amongst users are pourable silicone rubber and the silicone putty mold.
In other words, it can be said that the silicone rubber is an artificial copy of natural rubber. This artificial rubber is formed from a combination of a whole lot of elastomers and polymers. The benefit which hence can be extracted is that it does not have any natural proteins hence it does not cascade any allergic reaction. Therefore if you are allergic to latex rubber silicone rubber is your solution.
Brief descriptions of these materials
Below mentioned are the two major silicone rubber materials with their brief descriptions.
- The Pourable Silicon Rubber Mold material: in this, the two parts are mixed in an equal ratio of 1:1 or sometimes in 2 to a hundred parts ratio. Then a blanket mold is made. mostly this mold material is used to make the block molds. The block molding method is that you can pour the mold into a box that is carved out in the desired shape. These types of molds are easy to make and get ready in 30 to 45 minutes.
- The Silicone Mold Putty Material: herein the two components are semi-solidified that is unlike the purely liquid pourable form the putty is semi-solid in nature. The two components are mixed together in equal parts and knead together. After being perfectly mixed they are given the shaped and molded. This mold gets ready within 3 minutes and takes about a half-hour to get ready for use.
In order to conclude hence, it can be said that silicone molds are very versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes. The two major types of silicone rubber molding techniques use the molding putty and pourable silicone. Either of the two can be referred to for making your desired molds.
