Injection Molding Prototypes
How will a product work? What material will best suit its design? How can a design be best translated for production? These are the first questions you should be asking during the fabrication process for any new part. High-quality prototyping helps answer them, allowing designers to collect valuable information and feedback about a new product while testing its engineering and streamlining the workflow and manufacturing process.
With over 30 years of manufacturing experience crafting specialty polymer products, the team at Elastomer Technologies, Inc. (ETI) offers the expertise necessary to bring new products to life.
Introducing: Project Forecaster
The ETI team fully analyzes each of our clients’ designs in order to transform their ideas into working parts optimized for ideal functionality and manufacturability. Our proprietary Project Forecaster analysis tool allows us to analyze client input about a part in order to create a smart molding solution that meets customers’ exact cost, timeline, and quality expectations. Through this tool, we comprehensively analyze the following part characteristics:
- Product function
- Environment and application
- Physical requirements
- Material demands
Based on this information, we create high-quality injection molding prototypes that enables us to produce accurate solutions allowing for critical fit and function, tight tolerances, thin wall sections, and complex geometries.
Prototype Molding Services and Capabilities
Working from part drawings, 3D CAD models, and project sketches, silicone and rubber injection molding prototypes serve as highly effective tools in product development. Form, fit, function, and feasibility are all tested through the prototyping process, allowing engineers to identify ideal tolerances and materials while isolating issues in part design and behavior.
Silicone prototyping allows several iterations of a design to be tested against each other in real time, in turn allowing manufacturers and designers to set specific benchmarks and measure performance.
At Elastomer Technologies, we offer the following types of prototyping services:
- Pour molding of room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) silicone — This process is used to create mockups or rough working prototypes from a material with properties that do not compare to those of liquid silicone or high-consistency rubber (HCR) silicone.
- Transfer/compression molding of HCR silicone or liquid silicone — This type of protyping allows for the production of high-quality parts in the client’s material of choice. It is ideal for lower-quantity production needs. Once client goals are met — whether customers are aiming to meet a market-entry plan, establish proof of concept, or ensure high engineering performance — injection mold tooling can be built.
- Injection molding of liquid silicone rubber or HCR silicone — This prototyping service is used for projects requiring a large quantity of repeatable parts.
After reviewing clients’ timeline requirements, cost and budgetary parameters, quality requirements, overall risk, and ultimate end goals, our expert team helps them select the best prototyping process for their unique application. All prototyping timelines are driven by tooling delivery requirements, which are at the discretion of the mold-making shop.
Prototype molding services create real parts for measuring performance while allowing for optimal cost efficiency. This reduces the potential for reworking and shortens overall production cycles.
Common Industries and Applications
Successful new product development depends upon optimal speed, efficiency, and accuracy. Rapid rubber prototypes helps designers address technical challenges clearly and immediately. And the wide range of silicone formulations available makes for straightforward engineering of a prototype model with ideal characteristics, whether working with micro parts, medical devices, or accessory overmolds.
Injection molding prototypes are useful in a wide range of industries, including:
- Dentistry
- Medicine
- Energy
- Film
- Packaging
- Aerospace
- Defense
- Recreation
- Consumer products
Industry-Leading Silicone Prototype Manufacturer
At ETI, we approach every project as an opportunity for partnership, and we remain dedicated to creating complex, long-lasting, high-quality components. Offering liquid injection molding, compression and transfer molding, and die cutting, our team brings innovation to life.
To learn more about our services for injection molding prototypes, or to discuss your project with an expert, reach out to the team today.
