Color Customized Rapid Prototyping Plastic Parts Shell Silicone Mold Vacuum Casting

Rapid Prototyping Custom Plastic Parts Shell Silicone Mold Vacuum Casting

Product Description

Crida's silicone vacuum casting plastic parts play a key role in many fields with their unique process and excellent characteristics.

Silicone vacuum casting is a common process for manufacturing plastic parts. First, the master mold is made by 3D printing, CNC machining, etc. It determines the shape, details and precision of the final part. The surface needs to be highly polished or retain a specific texture, and a release agent is sprayed to facilitate subsequent operations. Then the master mold is placed in the frame and filled with liquid silicone. The air bubbles are sucked out by a vacuum machine to avoid defects inside the mold. Then it is heated and cured at 40-60℃. The silicone is cut along the parting line and the master mold is removed to form an elastic mold. Subsequently, the resin is poured into the silicone mold under a vacuum environment, and the air is removed so that the resin can better fill the cavity. After curing, the part can be obtained.

Crida's silicone vacuum casting plastic parts have many advantages. In terms of high-precision replication, it can accurately reproduce the characteristics and details of the master mold, with a dimensional accuracy of ±0.1mm/m (critical size), and can clearly reproduce 0.2mm fine textures, 0.15mm sharp corners and 0.05mm deep etching marks. The surface quality is good, with a smooth surface similar to injection molding, and the original texture reaches Ra 0.4 - 0.8μm. It can be directly processed by painting, electroplating and other secondary processing, reducing the workload of post-processing. The material selection is diverse, covering flexible elastomers, rigid structural materials, transparent optical grade materials, high temperature resistant materials, imitation metal texture materials, flame retardant materials, etc., to meet the needs of different scenarios. High design flexibility allows complex designs and undercut structures to adapt to diversified product designs.

In the small batch trial production stage of product development, Crida's parts are cost-effective, with low mold costs and short production cycles. It only takes 10-15 days from design to the output of functional parts. In the field of consumer electronics, it can be used to make mobile phone shells, tablet computer frames, etc.; in the automotive industry, it is used to manufacture non-metallic parts around engines and interior parts; in the aerospace industry, it can produce air ducts and some aircraft external parts.

Advantages

1. Significant cost advantage. Crida uses a silicone vacuum casting process with low mold making cost. Only one silicone mold needs to be made, which greatly reduces mold expenses compared to traditional injection molding, which requires making multiple expensive metal molds. Moreover, silicone materials are affordable and can be reused. There is less material waste during the production process, which is very friendly to small batch production and effectively controls costs.

2. High production efficiency. Silicone mold production takes a short time and can usually be completed within 1 day. A single mold can produce about 30-50 parts within 20 days, which can achieve continuous production. Compared with CNC processing and 3D printing, it does not require complex machine preparation processes; compared with injection molding, it does not take weeks to make aluminum molds, greatly shortening the production cycle and quickly responding to market demand.

3. Extremely high replication accuracy. The process is based on 3D models to make molds, and the finished parts are highly consistent with the model, with key dimensional accuracy up to ±0.1mm/m. Operating in a vacuum environment can effectively eliminate bubbles, avoid defects in parts, and ensure stable part quality. Even fine textures such as 0.2mm, sharp corners of 0.15mm, and etching marks with a depth of 0.05mm can be accurately reproduced.

4. Strong flexibility in materials and design. Crida provides a wide range of material options, including flexible elastomers, rigid structural materials, transparent optical-grade materials, high-temperature resistant materials, imitation metal texture materials, flame-retardant materials, etc. It can simulate various material properties according to product functional requirements to meet the use requirements of different industries and different scenarios. In terms of design, complex structures and undercuts are allowed, providing broad space for product innovation design, whether it is complex internal structure or unique appearance, it can be easily achieved.

5. Excellent surface quality. The surface finish of the parts is excellent, and the native texture can reach Ra 0.4 - 0.8μm, which is comparable to the surface quality of injection molded parts. Such surface quality can be directly processed by secondary processing such as painting, electroplating, and silk screen printing, reducing post-processing procedures and costs, and helping products enter the market faster.

Technical Parameters

Technical Support & Services

In today's highly competitive manufacturing industry, Crida's silicone vacuum casting plastic parts provide customers with a worry-free experience with excellent technical support and high-quality services.

Technical Support

1. Professional team: Crida has a professional team of experienced engineers and technical experts who have been deeply involved in the field of silicone vacuum casting for many years. They not only master cutting-edge casting processes, but also have a thorough understanding of the characteristics of various plastic materials. Before the project starts, the team will communicate with customers in depth to understand the product design concept, performance requirements and application scenarios, and provide customers with preliminary technical suggestions with professional knowledge to help optimize product design and ensure that the design plan meets the requirements of silicone vacuum casting process, thereby ensuring product quality from the source.

2. Process guidance: The technical team provides full process guidance throughout the production process. For the master mold production process, they will guide the selection of appropriate production methods according to the complexity and precision requirements of the product, such as 3D printing (light-curing SLA, etc.) for complex curved master molds with an accuracy of ±0.1mm; CNC processing is suitable for making high-hardness and high-precision master molds. During the silicone mold production stage, professional technicians strictly control the mixing ratio of liquid silicone, the time and temperature control of vacuum degassing, and the parameter setting of heating and curing, etc., to ensure the stable and reliable quality of the mold and lay a solid foundation for subsequent parts casting. When casting parts, key parameters such as vacuum degree and resin injection speed will be adjusted according to material properties and product structure to ensure the quality of part molding and achieve high-precision replication. The key dimensional accuracy can reach ±0.1mm/m.

Service Guarantee

1. Customized service: Crida is well aware that different customers have different needs, so it provides highly customized services. In terms of material selection, we can accurately match the performance requirements of customers for parts, such as the need for flexible elastomer properties for making seals (Shore A 30-90, elongation at break 500%), or rigid structural materials for manufacturing gears and housing components (bending strength 120MPa, heat deformation temperature 160℃), or transparent optical grade materials for lens and lampshade prototypes (transmittance 92%, haze <1%), as well as special materials such as high temperature resistance, metal texture imitation, and flame retardant. At the same time, in terms of surface treatment, whether it is the pursuit of smooth spray painting effect, electroplating treatment with metallic texture, or silk screen and pad printing for brand logo, it can meet the personalized needs of customers and help products create a unique appearance and brand image.

2. Quality control and after-sales: A complete quality control system has been established, from raw material procurement inspection, to multiple process inspections in the production process, to comprehensive quality inspection of finished products, to strictly controlling every link. Each batch of parts is tested for dimensional accuracy, appearance defects, and performance to ensure that the quality of parts meets or even exceeds industry standards. If customers encounter any problems during use, the after-sales team will respond quickly and provide a preliminary solution within 24 hours. For product failures caused by quality problems, we provide free repair or replacement services, regularly visit customers, collect usage feedback, and continuously improve product and service quality, so that customers have no worries.

FAQ

• Q: What is Vacuum Casting?
• A: This is a casting process for elastomers that uses a vacuum to draw any liquid material into the mold.

• Q: How can I get the accurate price?
• A: Please kindly provide us 3D CAD solid model in Step, IGS, X_T format. Normally, Two-dimensional(2D)drawings are not adequate for accurate quoting or parts making. Please tell us your requirements on quality, surface treatment, color, material, and application environment for accurate pricing. 

• Q: What Are the Advantages of Vacuum Casting?
• A: 1) The vacuum castings have high dimensional accuracy, clear outline and smooth surface. 2) The vacuum castings could be used in a wide range of industries. It can be used for single-piece small batch production as well as mass production.

• Q: Can you provide OEM/ODM service?
• A: Yes, we warmly welcome OEM orders. We accept OEM Logo & Package. For MOQ and price, please contact us.

• Q: Why need make rapid prototype?
• A: Prototypes allow the design team to test for functionality and ensure design and fit is correct. The prototypes can be used for
  sales meetings, customer presentations, and tradeshows overall time-to-market can be reduced since accuracy in design assures a
  streamlined project timeline.

• Q: Will Crida sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA)?
• A: Yes. If it gives you peace of mind to sign an NDA, we are more than willing to do so. But we have the right to keep your design in
  confidential no matter NDA is signed or not. All factories are camera-monitored.