Silicone vs EPDM vs NBR: How to Choose Sealing Material Choose the sealing material by three factors, in order: temperature, media exposure, and cost. Silicone (VMQ) wins for wide temperature ranges, food/medical contact and long-term flexibility; EPDM wins for outdoor weathering, ozone, steam and water at a lower cost; [...]
Custom Colored Silicone Products: Pigment Selection and Color Control Custom Colored Silicone Products Color is one of the first features customers notice in a silicone product. It influences brand recognition, product positioning, retail presentation, and the perceived consistency of an entire product collection. However, producing a [...]
Flame-Retardant, Conductive, and Anti-Static Silicone: How Are They Made? Standard silicone rubber is known for heat resistance, flexibility, weatherability, electrical insulation, and stable performance across a wide temperature range. However, many industrial and electronic applications require silicone to do more than provide sealing or insulation. A high-voltage connector [...]
LSR vs Solid Silicone: Which Is Better for Your Custom Part? When buyers say “silicone,” they often mean two very different manufacturing routes: LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber): a two-part, flowable silicone designed for injection molding, typically platinum (addition) cured. Solid silicone (often called HCR / HTV – High [...]
Temperature Aging and Heat Cycling: How Silicone Parts Change Over Time Silicone rubber is prized for its wide temperature range and long-term stability, but over time even silicone parts gradually age and change. Under sustained heat, silicone can undergo chemical and physical transformations: it typically hardens, loses elasticity, and [...]
LSR vs Compression vs Transfer Molding: Choosing the Right Process for Your Part Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) injection molding, compression molding, and transfer molding are three primary processes for manufacturing custom silicone parts. LSR injection molding (also called liquid injection molding) is best suited for high-volume production of precise, [...]
Silicone parts are used in demanding applications (automotive, medical, industrial, consumer, electronics) where markings must endure heat, chemicals, and abrasion. Fortunately, several printing and marking technologies have been adapted for silicone. The choice depends on the artwork, part geometry, durability requirements, and production volume. Below we compare the most [...]
When specifying silicone seals – whether O-rings, gaskets, boots, or hoses – one of the most critical properties to get right is the material’s Shore hardness. As a silicone parts manufacturer, we often guide engineers and purchasing agents through this choice. Shore hardness (measured by a durometer) directly affects [...]
In liquid silicone rubber (LSR) injection molding, flash refers to excess rubber that seeps out of the mold cavities—typically along parting lines, vents or gate areas—and remains on the finished part. This unwanted material is essentially “rubber burrs” caused by any tiny gap or leakage path in the mold [...]
Silicone rubber comes in several forms – the most common being liquid silicone rubber (LSR), high-consistency rubber (HCR, also called “gum” silicone), and room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) silicone. These elastomers share the basic silicon-oxygen backbone that gives silicone its flexibility, heat resistance, and chemical stability, but they differ greatly in consistency, [...]
