Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding

Typically, BEPL can maintain a machining tolerance of +/- 0.003 in. (0.08mm) with a linear tolerance of +/- 0.01 in./in. (0.01mm/mm).

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While 1 degree of draft is common in LSR parts, zero draft can occasionally be tolerated on shallow parts. The nature of LSR allows the rules of draft to be stretched more so than thermoplastics, if mold construction permits.

Wall Thickness

Recommended wall thickness considerations for LSR molding:

• Walls as thin as 0.010 in. (0.254mm) are possible, depending on the size of the wall and the location of adjacent thicker sections.
• Rib thickness should be from 0.5 to 1.0 times the adjoining wall thickness.
• The radii of inside fillets should typically be approximately equal to the wall thickness. Radii that are much larger or smaller than this may cause porosity.

Proper wall thickness will reduce the risk of cosmetic defects in plastic parts.

Undercuts

LSR molding has the ability to produce parts with undercuts. Many simple undercuts can be easily removed by the press operator without mechanical assistance. Each part will be reviewed on a case by case basis for feasibility.

Undercuts, such as those shown, can complicate and, in some cases, prevent part ejection, so eliminate them if possible.

Radii

Some part corners will have a radius rather than a sharp edge since we use an automated CNC milling process to make the mold for your parts. This typically does not require a change to your model, but resulting radii are identified before the mold is milled.