How to solve the shrinkage of silicone in industrial grade molds?

When we use silicone to make molds, we often encounter mold shrinkage. Now let Hongtu Silicone analyze and explain why silicone molds shrink, and how to solve it.

Industrial-grade mold silicone curing is a process of liquid-to-solid transformation, resulting in shrinkage due to differences in molecules and density. Good silicone has a small shrinkage rate, while poor silicone has a large shrinkage rate.
1. Any material has a certain degree of shrinkage, and the shrinkage rate of silicone rubber is relatively small compared to many materials. The shrinkage rate of silicone gel in condensation molds is normal at 0.5-1%, while that in addition molding molds is around 0.2%.
2. The storage method of the mold is incorrect, and the mold cannot be stacked.
3. The larger the product size, the more significant the shrinkage.
4. No fiberglass or gauze was added to the large mold brush.
5. If the mold is not completely cured, there is a rush to de-mold or produce in advance, which causes the silicone mold to easily deform and shrink.

Regarding how to solve the problem of the high shrinkage rate of silicone in molds, Hongtu has summarized the following common methods:
1. The original model needs to be scaled up proportionally.
2. When the mold is not in use, pour gypsum water to store it, and then take out the gypsum product when it is ready for production so that there will be no shrinkage in the produced product.
3. Reduce the proportion of curing agent added, for example: the original addition of 3% is now reduced to 2%.
4. To make large product molds, fiberglass cloth should be added to prevent deformation or enlargement of the mold.
5. The mold must be demolded within the specified time of at least 6-8 hours and can only be used for production after 24 hours.

I hope the above methods are useful to you. By purchasing our HANAST mold silicone, we can provide you with different solutions during the mold flipping process. We welcome your inquiries.