A review of liquid silicone rubber injection molding: Process variables and process modeling

Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is an elastomer molded into critical performance components for applications in medical, power, consumer, automotive, and aerospace applications. This article reviews process behavior, material modeling, and simulation of the (LSR) injection molding process. Each phase of the LSR injection molding process is discussed, including resin handling, plastication, injection, pack and hold, and curing; and factors affecting the molding process are reviewed. Processing behavior of LSR is marked by transient interactions between curing, shear rate, temperature, pressure, and tooling. Therefore, current LSR models for curing, viscosity, pressure, and temperature are discussed. Process dynamics and material modeling are combined in LSR injection molding simulations with applications in mold design, troubleshooting process-induced defects, and management of shear stress and non-uniform temperatures between LSR and substrates during overmolding. Finally, case studies using commercial simulation software are presented, which have shown cavity pressure and flow front advancement within 3% of experimental values. Optimization of LSR materials, data collection, model fitting, venting, and bonding remain areas of continued interest.