How to Choose Clear Liquid Silicone?

Clear liquid silicone rubber &#; also known as optical silicone &#; is a transparent thermoplastic that is increasingly replacing glass in a range of applications. In this article, we discuss why and how so many manufacturers are incorporating clear silicone into their processes.

Link to OSi Silicone

CLEAR LIQUID SILICONE ENHANCES PERFORMANCE

Clear liquid silicone can enhance the performance of a product in many ways. It is:

• Lighter than glass and many other plastics, keeping the overall weight of a product down.
• More flexible than glass but stiffer than other plastics, which reduces the risk of breaking, particularly when exposed to continuous vibrations or other stresses.
• Optically and mechanically stable at extremes of heat and cold and capable of withstanding rapid shifts in temperature, making it ideal for indoor and outdoor use.
• Long-lasting, as it will not fade or lose transparency with long-term exposure to UV rays.

CLEAR LIQUID SILICONE ENHANCES DESIGN

Clear liquid silicone is more than just a strong, long-lasting material. It also has a number of properties that make it easy to work with and offer expanded design potential. For example:

• Its low viscosity makes it ideal for injection molding, as it can fill a mold easily, allowing for more complex shapes and finer details than would be possible when working with another material.
• It remains dimensionally stable as it cools, which makes it possible to design products with tighter tolerances.
• It may not require additional polishing once molded, which speeds up production times and reduces secondary costs.
• It is suitable for multishot and overmolding processes and can support undercutting and negative draft.

In short, clear silicone compares favorably to glass in almost all dimensional, mechanical and thermal properties. It is highly versatile, making it a good choice for any manufacturer that must meet strict production requirements while keeping costs down.

PROJECT IDEAS

Potential uses for clear liquid silicone include:

• Lighting: Lighting is an ideal application for clear liquid silicone. Manufacturers use clear silicone in bulbs, lenses and other optical components that would traditionally use glass.
• Automotive: Thanks to its ability to withstand impacts, vibrations and extreme weather conditions, clear silicone is also excellent for automotive use. Manufacturers use it primarily for headlight casings and related parts.
• Consumer goods: Clear silicone can be found in a number of consumer goods, ranging from electronics to novelty items.

Wondering if clear liquid silicone is the right choice for your project? SIMTEC can help. As a pioneer in injection molding, we regularly work with optical-grade silicone to manufacture items for businesses of any size. Call our office to learn more about the benefits of clear liquid silicone or to request a quote.

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Clear Silicone Rubber FAQs:

*not for use in ovens

What are the benefits of using translucent silicone rubber for mold making?

Clear RTV silicone is invaluable when you&#;re making two-part molds. When you need to cut the parting line between the two molds, the translucent rubber will help you see inside the mold so you can accurately part the two molds without damaging the rubber or the master part inside. If you&#;re creating a two-part mold with a very complex parting line, our AeroMarine clear silicone rubber should suit your molding material of choice.

AeroMarine clear liquid silicone is perfect for molding castings with polyurethane, epoxy resin, and polyester. Use it to mold technical articles and prototypes, and for replicating skin effects for animatronics. You can even color the translucent silicone by adding any tin-based silicone pigments.

Does AeroMarine offer brushable translucent silicone rubber?

You can brush your clear RTV silicone on a master part that you wish to mold. However, when you use a brush to apply silicone, you&#;ll also need it to expand so it&#;ll be thick enough for molding. Our brushable silicone rubber is made to be self-thickening, but it doesn&#;t come in a translucent appearance.

However, you can thicken your clear liquid silicone by simply mixing silicone thickener before you apply. Mix 1% thickener to your translucent silicone and it&#;ll expand after you&#;ve applied it to your master part. Do not add more than 10% thickener, or it might degrade the quality of the finished mold.

How long will it take for my clear silicone mold to be ready to use?

After you&#;ve applied your clear RTV silicone, wait 16 to 24 hours for it to cure. The exact cure time is dependent on how much silicone mold you apply.

Your clear liquid silicone has a pot life of about 45 minutes.

We offer FREE technical advice!

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If you need help choosing the right latex or silicone for your application or determining the right amount of to get, we offer free technical advice for all products! Browse AeroMarine Products&#; collection of offerings, including 2 part marine epoxy, food-grade RTV mold-making silicone, and silicone potting compounds.