Rapid Tooling Techniques (soft tooling with silicone moulds, hard tooling with steel moulds)

This method of tooling makes it much faster to produce molds compared to traditional machining. This technique is 40 % faster cycles for building molds than conventional technology.

Liquid Silicone has the characteristics of recreating fine details in the resulting mould.  In Soft tooling with silicone moulds, liquid silicone is used when strict tolerances on dimensions and measurements are required. These moulds can be machined by experts to up to 0.005” in diameter to machine detailed finishes. Liquid silicone has the capability to provide parts with under cuts without the application of special tooling that is needed in thermoplastic injection molding. If the mold requires special features, hand pulls and manual slides are utilized by professionals to deliver the details. Silicone tooling is produced in an inexpensive method and cuts production time as well. That stated on productivity goes with a turn of Rapid Tooling procedures from prototype into full scale production tooling.

These new approaches of Rapid Tooling can minimize if not eliminate warping and metal stresses that results when heat is drawn from thick slabs of metal or hard to cool properties  in an uneven procedure when striving for greater productivity like bosses or ribs. It can be noticed on conventional tool making that is limited by the modest thermal conductivity of hard tooling with steel molds in the form H-13, P-20, also known as stainless which is favored for its hardness and resistance to corrosion. Traditional molders tried to lessen or limit the undesired yield of molds by inserting beryllium copper or much higher conductive alloys as cooling channels in deep crevices that can penetrate into the metal for heat extraction.

Rapid Tooling techniques have one thing in common and that is to create mold cooling insertions that adapts to the contour of the surface of parts that allows appropriate cooling making it possible to draw heat from hard to reach sections that is difficult to access with conventional tooling.

Rapid tooling molds or plastic molds can be done successfully when molders have the skill to use them properly being careful not to cool the tool quickly or the molds won’t get the desired filling, such as mouldplastic.org our new company's website.