Throughout the existence of mankind, artisans have been using molds to make molds as well as modern consumer products. While the early molds were usually shaped in stone, thanks to modern tech the modern ones have made it possible to created molds using materials such as silicone.

Today, most industrial sectors rely on silicone molding to make a wide array of parts and products. Product developers, chefs, DIY makers, engineers and even chefs all use silicone in their day-to-day activities.

Silicone molding is a truly wide topic, to make things easier for you; we are going to briefly discuss everything that you need to know about this key manufacturing procedure.

What are silicone molds?

Silicone is an excellent material to choose especially as it comes with a wide array of benefits. With silicone molding you can create customized parts and products, the molds are also quite durable allowing them repeatedly before they wear and tear.

Its inorganic makeup makes it quite resilient against cold and heat, fungus, and even chemical exposure. Some of the key benefits that come with silicone molding include:

Stability

Silicone can withstand temperatures of about -65° to 400° degrees Celsius. Depending on your formulation, it can elongate up to 700%. Subjected to a wide range of conditions, silicone mold can be frozen, stretched without the need of being removed.

Durability

In some instances, you'll get longer runs with your silicone molds. But it's important worth noting that the lifespan of your molds depends on a wide variety of factors. The increasingly number of times you cast and, the more detailed and complex your design becomes and the faster it degrades.

To enhance the lifespan of your molds, you can wash them with a mild soap and water and dried thoroughly.

Flexibility

The flexibility of silicone molds makes it easy to work with them, the molds are lightweight and pliable. Once the part is also fully formed, they are also easy to be removed. Thanks to its flexibility, the fabricated part is less likely to chip or break.

Limitations

While there is a wide range of benefits that comes with working with silicone molding, they also have a few disadvantages that you need to know:

• Silicone will cost more than latex and organic rubbers. A quick look at Amazon or Alibaba shows that a gallon of silicone will cost you more than $100, this is twice as much as latex.
• Though it's quite flexible, silicone tends to tear if it is stretched out too much.
• Not all silicone can be formulated equally. You must always purchase your manufacturing material or silicone from a well-established supplier or manufacturer.

Silicone molding has slowly emerged as one of the most significant manufacturing techniques, it used in a wide variety of applications owing to its accuracy and cost-effectiveness. If you are looking to make parts and products, then silicone molding should be at the top of your list.