Silicone mould tooling and vacuum casting enables the production of components in a wide range of available polyurethane resin, specifically chosen to mimic properties of the intended thermoplastic mass-production materials.
The process is an economical way of producing near production parts for exhibitions, market research and batch prototyping or in some instances low volume production. It furthermore enables the reproduction of sculptures and statues in exclusive limited batches.
Polyurethane vacuum cast components provide valuable feedback in terms of design, intended production material and actual look and feel. The process is ideal when requiring limited quantities of a product or final prototypes in need of specific material properties, colours, translucency and other general aesthetics.
The Product Development Technology Station makes use of the process to give innovators and product developers access to limited functional batches of their newly developed products, which in-turn allows for testing, market exposure and final re-design prior to full scale production and official market entry.
RTV silicone moulds are produced by means of a master pattern responsible for creating the required component geometry and finish. If a master pattern does not yet exist, a suitable high resolution 3D printed prototype is hand-finished to the required specifications. Limited run production requirements are made possible via multi-cavity or multiple sets of silicone mould tooling. Depending on the specific component geometry and chosen polyurethane, moulds can normally produce 20 – 40 castings per impression.