PU parts produced with silicone moulds are used when you want something close to the envisaged final product. Colour, surface, and function are closer to the final result compared to 3D printed models. With PU casting, we can simulate several different plastic characteristics, such as rubber of various hardness (20A-90A), fire-rated V-0, ABS, PC, or PP, and transparent materials.
At Polyshape, we can match the cast against an RAL or NCS code to create homogeneously coloured products. We also offer lacquering.
A silicone mould is produced by sanding and lacquering an SLA master with the desired surface structure to the VDI or Mold-Tech standard. It’s then cast in silicone. The lifetime of a silicone mould is related to the complexity of the part, but generally, the mould can produce 15-25 parts before degradation.
We can also simulate 2K, where we multicast a frame in a hard material with a soft rubber material, or a material in another colour. We cast the frame in PUR or print it out. This can be used to good effect if you want higher friction on a grip surface, or want a rubber surface for shock protection.
If larger volumes are required, more masters are produced, which are cast in multi-cavity moulds.
It’s possible to thread the plastic directly. We also have the possibility of putting threaded inserts into your models to obtain longer-lasting threads.
Polyurethane is one of the most widely used hard plastics on the market. The plastic material has been designed to suit many different areas of business, and is therefore found in most industrial applications in some shape or form. Polyurethane is used as a moulding compound in everything from the production of prototypes to products with extreme mechanical properties used in mining or other heavy engineering industries, where high resistance to wear and tear is required.
Leadtime from two days to two weeks for the first shot.
