Silicone Molding

Durable Parts for Demanding Environments
Outstanding Heat & Chemical Resistance
More Affordable Than Injection Molding

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Trusted by Industry Leaders

																			“Fathom has been a strong partner on our EV programs. They helped us optimize a few key components for weight and manufacturability, and they consistently hit the tolerances we need. Their fast turnaround times have kept our development cycles moving, which is critical in EV work.”
																		

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

EV Systems Supplier

																			“I’m impressed with your quality, expertise, speed, and customer service.”
																		

Professor James F. Antaki, PhD

Carnegie Mellon University

																			“The team at ICOMold continue to provide us with great service. Starting with initial DFM reviews, fast tooling development and quick turn-around times, ICOMold is a partner keeping us on track to deliver quality products to our customers. Thank-you to all the ICOMold team.”
																		

Tim Latham / Project Manager

Litepanels, Inc.

																			“We have been very satisfied with ICO’s performance in every aspect: pricing, delivery, quality, and customer support. It is a pleasure doing business with ICO, and honestly, I wish there were more companies like them.”
																		

Mark Merg / Procurement Manager

Alpha High Theft Solutions

																			“I want to thank you and the rest of the team for the great support. Over the 15 years that I have been working with mold vendors I have never seen such personal attention and such great communication efforts in addressing my concerns on samples. The fact that ICO went the extra step to provide me with a second set of samples at no cost and in two days to improve my texture concerns goes a long way. I know that I have made the right choice going with ICO. I’m looking forward to a long relationship with you and the rest of the ICO team.”
																		

John Doe

Level, LLC

																			“This is a huge milestone for our team. This product is no longer a vision… I received the parts today from ICOMold. They look and function great! I don’t see any reason why we cannot move forward now and order parts for the upcoming proto build.”
																		

Dave Boretti

Schneider Electric

																			“As a small, growing company, we cannot say enough good things about ICOMold. They have been willing and able to adapt to our rapidly changing needs and have helped us get out of a pinch on occasion. Special thanks to Brian and Carla – they have been great to work with!”
																		

Scott

SLight LLC

																			“It has been a genuine pleasure dealing with the ICOMold team. You have been very patient and have been a wealth of helpful information. Your response times to my questions and comments are superb and your answers are specific and to the point. Thanks for your patience and all the time it has taken to get the details worked out.”
																		

Scott Bixler

Polyvance

																			“We are very pleased with ICOMold. Response time is fantastic, customer support is great, and the online group project management tool is very helpful.”
																		

Connie Blevins / Quality Coordinator

Leprecon

																			“I have to say that so far I’ve enjoyed this process – having the customer portal (and your well-detailed DFM reports) makes it very easy to comply with the design requirements.”
																		

Cory Starr

Blaster One

																			“I just wanted to let you know, we have all been very impressed with the quality and turnaround time of our parts. We have used several shops in the past, but so far the quality of ICOMold has been the best we have ever received.”
																		

Gregg Garrett

VEGA

																			“I just want to compliment you and your team how you are managing this project with all of the changes on the fly. Kudos.”
																		

Mark Ezzo / Plastics and Composites Engineer

Materials & Chemistry Network of Excellence

																			“Our SteriPen product must meet the quality standards of a medical device — if it ever malfunctions, people will get sick. Yet it must be economical enough to permit many people to own one. And we need the design flexibility to keep pace with rapidly changing technology. Our production at ICO meets all three challenges.”
																		

Don Snoke / VP of Operations

Hydro-Photon, Inc.

																			“I was very impressed with your company’s ability and willingness to work with a novice in plastics as I am, and work through some design changes. I have learned a lot from you and hope this is a huge success for both of us. Frankly, I did contact two other companies and they acted like they had no time for me!”
																		

Kevin Jensen

Quik-Load

																			“After reaching out to over 20 manufacturers, ICOMold was the only one that was able to take on my project, create the molds and manufacture the parts I needed. What impressed me the most is that they were able to work overtime to meet my demanding deadline and get the parts to me on time.”
																		

Aziz Razakov

Berry Good Bottle

																			“I found it refreshing to work with a company with such a phenomenal online quoting tool. It allowed us to experiment with different materials, quantities, and mold configurations to see the cost impact in real time.”
																		

Mike Yin / Founder

Nunchuck Grips LLC

																			“The parts came in a few days ago and I wanted to thank you and your team on the very impressive quality of the parts. We were thoroughly impressed by the finish and clearness of the parts. Thank you for the great customer service and we are looking forward to using your expertise in future projects.”
																		

Akash Shankar

PMC Smart Solutions

																			“We appreciate the effort you put into making our order smooth. The molded parts are used in our device that makes water safe to drink in areas of the world that do not have access to safe water. Thanks again for everything!”
																		

Sarah Yoder

WaterStep

																			“Fathom brings an open mind to each project with a positive attitude to tailor their processes to meet my needs, from part design to mold build and molding. They work hard to make sure my needs are met with a professional attitude, expertise, on-time delivery and competitive pricing.”
																		

Bob Rohr

RDR Design and Development LLC

																			“With their response time, quotes and communications, Fathom is highly regarded because they are always upfront. They say what they do and do what they say.”
																		

John Doe

Consumer Technology Company

																			“It is a pleasure to work with a company whose personnel are willing and able to think out of their box. With your commitment to staying on the cutting edge of technology, you supply tooling to us that is right on time and works first shot.”
																		

Norman R. Akens

Medical Murray

																			“Quick response time for RFQ, excellent lead time for rushed order and quality parts were manufactured and delivered on-time.”
																		

Manufacturer of Compressed Gas Storage Systems

																			“The workmanship was outstanding – we are over-the-top happy with the unit! The product that arrived at my door far exceeded our expectations, and all on short notice…amazing. Please pass our very best wishes on to everyone on your team who was involved in fast-tracking our prototype. It all started with you and your can-do attitude, Nate. I cannot thank you enough!”
																		

Larry Cole

TerraCube

																			“Fit and finish is great and the parts passed all our regulatory tests. Thank you for all your help and for the role you played helping the factory work through some of the stickier parts of the design.”
																		

Drew Macrae

Linkitz

																			“As a small, growing company, we cannot say enough good things about ICOMold. They have been willing and able to adapt to our rapidly changing needs and have helped us get out of a pinch on occasion.”
																		

M. Nasilevich

Morpho Detection

How Does Silicone Molding Work?

01 Preparation

Step one is to build the tool for your liquid silicone rubber (LSR) part, typically of steel or aluminum. Gating and venting of the tool is critical to prevent flashing. Guidelines for the design of draft, parting lines and undercut are similar to those of injection molding. Gates should be placed on a surface that is not dimensionally or aesthetically important because they tend to leave a mark or blemish on the surface of the cured silicone part.

02 Molding

Two components, a base forming polymer and a catalyst, are mixed at the molding machine, usually via an automated system. A colorant may also be added at this time. The liquid mixture is injected under pressure into the heated mold and cures from the heat. After it has cured, the press ejects the finished part. LSR has good adhesion to plastics and metals. That makes it an excellent material for two-shot overmolding.

03 Post-Processing

LSR’s low viscosity during molding can cause thin, unwanted material, or “flash,” to form at the mold’s parting line. It may be removed via manual, automated or cryogenic de-flashing, depending upon the volume of parts. In some cases, LSR parts may undergo a secondary post-cure to enhance or stabilize its properties. This is often done with parts used in medical and food-contact applications.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Silicone Molding

Advantages

Low Tooling Costs

LSR molds are simple to design and manufacture compared to injection molds. This makes silicone molding attractive for prototypes and small-to-medium production runs, where speed and cost-efficiency are often big priorities.
Material Versatility

A wide variety of silicone compounds are available, including formulations that serve specific purposes – such as creating parts that are flame retardant or meet medical grade specifications. Ultimately, the process serves the performance needs of a diverse range of industries.
Part Quality

LSR parts tend to have strong mechanical properties, outstanding heat resistance and good chemical stability. They are durable and maintain their performance in demanding environments.
Tight Dimensions

Silicone molding can produce parts with consistent dimensions and smooth surface finishes.
Well-Suited to Larger Parts

Silicone compression molding produces parts with thicker walls or larger sizes more effectively than some other molding processes. This includes injection molding with silicone.

Disadvantages

Longer Cycle Times

The mixing and curing processes required by liquid silicone molding result in a longer per-part production time than injection molding.
Labor Requirements

For best results, mold flow analyses should be performed to validate mold, gating and venting designs. Pilot production runs are also highly recommended to optimize the molding process. Once optimized, it’s a very consistent and reliable molding process.

What Industries Utilize Silicone Molding?

Silicone molding is widely used in industries requiring parts that are durable, heat-resistant and chemically stable. The method is a popular choice for medium-volume production runs that demand complex silicone formulations.

Medical Industry

Silicone’s biocompatibility, along with its ability to withstand sterilization processes, makes silicone molding ideal for medical devices and components. Typical products include valves and bladders, surgical masks, syringes and IV components and wearable health monitoring devices.

Automotive

The auto industry uses Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) for a wide variety of parts due to its durability, extreme temperature stability and resistance to chemicals and weather. It’s often used for seals and gaskets, electronic components and parts that require complex geometries or the over-molding.

Electronics

LSR’s electrical insulation properties and resistance to environmental elements make it useful for a variety of electronic parts, including enclosures, seals and insulating components.

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