How to customize high-quality silicone products.

How to customize high-quality silicone products? Silicone products have become core components in medical devices, food packaging, electronic devices, and other fields due to their high and low temperature resistance, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. However, customizing a silicone product that meets the requirements is not an easy task - according to statistics, about 60% of customization failure cases are due to unclear communication of requirements or improper process selection. From precise demand matching to the application of materials science, and then to the collaboration between precision molds and production processes, each link profoundly affects the performance and reliability of the finished product.

1. Requirement analysis: the cornerstone of successful customization
At the beginning of customization, it is necessary to clarify the product's functional parameters and application scenarios. For example, medical grade silicone gel needs to comply with ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards, while food contact products need to meet FDA or LFGB certification. Customers are required to provide detailed dimensional tolerances (usually ± 0.1mm), hardness range (Shore A 20-80 degrees), temperature resistance performance (such as -60 ℃~300 ℃), and other data. Manufacturers need to design based on production feasibility assessment, such as avoiding thin-walled structures smaller than 0.5mm to reduce the risk of cracking, or optimizing the demolding slope to simplify the manufacturing process.

2. Material selection: Balance between performance and safety
The silicone material directly determines the safety and durability of the product:
Ordinary silicone: suitable for non-contact scenarios such as industrial seals and buttons, with low cost;
Food grade silicone: certified by FDA 21CFR177.2600, used for tableware and baby products;
Medical grade silicone: requires sterile treatment and biocompatibility testing, suitable for implantable devices;
Special silicone: such as conductive silicone (used for electronic shielding) or flame-retardant silicone (used in fire-resistant scenarios).
When selecting materials, it is necessary to weigh the physical property indicators - for example, oil resistant seals require a tensile strength of ≥ 8MPa, while high-frequency silicone buttons need a tear resistance strength of 25KN/m or more.

3. Mold development and production process: the core of precision manufacturing
Mold accuracy is the key to quality assurance. The design of the parting surface needs to avoid the external view, and complex structures require the use of sliding blocks to assist in demolding, with a 0.5% mold repair allowance reserved. The choice of mold material also affects the lifespan: aluminum alloy molds (delivered in 7 days) are suitable for small-scale trial production, while stainless steel molds (with a lifespan of over 100000 times) are suitable for large-scale production. The production process requires strict control of process parameters:
Solid silicone molding: Low cost but low efficiency, suitable for thick walled parts.
Post processing includes freezing to remove burrs (burrs ≤ 0.1mm), secondary vulcanization to improve physical properties, and UV spraying to enhance surface wear resistance.

Customized silicone products are a systematic engineering that integrates material science, precision engineering, and quality management. From demand anchoring to mass production delivery, only by selecting suppliers with interdisciplinary technical capabilities (such as mold flow analysis, automated production) and complete certification (ISO 13485, etc.) can design defects and process risks be avoided, achieving the optimal balance between cost, efficiency, and quality.