Theming, Display & Décor
Polytek®’s mold making and casting materials are widely used in zoo and museum exhibits, haunted attractions, theme parks, restaurants, retail outlets, hotels, casinos, and other venues to create themed environments, displays and unique décor.
A wide variety of effects and objects can be created using Polytek® materials, including faux glass objects, faux bronze objects, lightweight foam décor and facades, lightweight architectural elements, still figures, signage, life-like silicone displays, realistic scenery and much more.
Once an original design is created by an artist, a flexible polyurethane or silicone mold or rigid plastic mold can be made of the original. A variety of casting materials can then be cast in the finished mold, including plastics, foams, polyurethane and silicone casting rubbers, plaster, concrete and more.
In some cases, and especially in theming and scenic design, foam carvings are hard-coated with a fire-rated plastic shell to provide a durable outer coating which can be easily painted.
Looking for materials for Prop Making? Visit the Prop Making page.
View popular product options for theming, display and décor applications below:
Polytek® silicone mold rubbers are most often used when making molds for resin or foam casting. Release agents are generally not needed for either process, which is why they are sometimes preferred over polyurethane mold rubbers. For resin castings that need to be painted after casting, silicone mold rubbers are recommended. Tin-cured (TinSil®) and platinum-cured (PlatSil®) silicone options are both available.
The silicone mold rubbers listed below are pourable, but can be easily thickened for brush-on application when desired. PlatSil® silicones can be thickened with PlatThix Liquid Thickener for brush-on application and TinSil® silicones can be thickened with TinThix Liquid Thickener.
Select an option below for more detailed product information or browse all silicone mold rubbers:
POPULAR OPTIONS
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
A platinum-cured, medium-soft silicone that can be demolded after 1 hour. |
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A platinum-cured, medium hardness silicone that can be demoded after 4 to 5 hours. It has a longer pour time than PlatSil® 73-20, so is useful for making larger molds. |
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A platinum-cured silicone that is harder than the previous options and offers great dimensional stability. |
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A tin-cured, medium hardness silicone with a long pour time of 30 minutes and a demold time of 24 hours. TinSil® silicones have a shorter library life compared to PlatSil® rubbers and also shrink slightly (~1%) on cure. |
NOTE ON CURE INHIBITION: Sulfur-containing clay and other sulfur/tin/amine-contaminated materials and tools will cause cure inhibition in platinum-cured silicone rubbers, which means that the rubber that is in contact with the contaminated surface will remain gummy or uncured. Make sure to test cure the rubber on your surface before full-scale application. Use a polyurethane or tin-cured silicone rubber if you know that you’ll be working with any of these inhibitors.
Polytek® polyurethane mold rubbers are most often used to make molds for casting wax, plaster and concrete. Release agent is generally not required when casting wax and plaster, but is needed when casting most concrete mixes. Resin casting can also be done in polyurethane molds with an appropriate release agent (e.g., Pol-Ease® 2300 Release Agent). Polyurethane molds are economical (less expensive than silicone mold rubbers) and long-lasting.
Select an option below for more detailed product information or browse all polyurethane mold rubbers:
POPULAR OPTIONS
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
A medium-hardness rubber with a simple 1A:1B mix ratio and 16-hour demold time. Can be thickened with PolyFiber II or Fumed Silica for brush-on application. |
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Fast-setting rubbers for quick turn-around molds. Available in several hardness levels. Can be thickened with PolyFiber II or Fumed Silica for brush-on application. |
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A self-thickening system for brush-on application. |
Thin, brush-on or spray-on molds require a supportive mold shell. Mold shells can be made with a number of materials, including plaster, polyester resin and fiberglass and thickened polyurethane plastic. Polytek® offers strong, fast-setting polyurethane plastics that are widely used in mold shell construction.
Select an option below for additional product details and buying information:
POPULAR OPTIONS
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
A polyurethane casting plastic with a 5-minute working time. Thicken with PolyFiber II for brush-on application. |
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A polyurethane casting plastic with slightly longer working time (10 minutes) than Poly 1512X. Thicken with PolyFiber II for brush-on application. |
Use Polytek® polyurethane casting resins to create a number of finished objects and décor.
Select a product line below for individual product options or browse all polyurethane casting plastics:
POPULAR OPTIONS
| Product Line | Description |
|---|---|
A fast-setting, low-viscosity white plastic that can be used for a variety of purposes. Can easily accept fillers like Bronze Powder and be colored with PolyColor Dyes. This plastic has a simple 1A:1B mix ratio by volume and a fast demold time of 15 to 30 minutes. |
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A translucent, amber version of EasyFlo 60. Color with PolyColor Dyes for colored, translucent castings. |
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| EasyFlo Black Liquid Plastic | Cures to a deep, black color without the addition of PolyColor Dyes. |
A fast-setting, white plastic often used for slush-casting or rotational casting to produce lightweight, hollow castings. This plastic has a simple 1A:1B mix ratio by volume and a fast demold time of 15 to 30 minutes. |
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A fast-setting, UL-94 (V-0) fire-retardant polyurethane plastic. |
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Water-clear plastics that can be used as is or tinted with PolyColor Dyes. |
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A slightly flexible plastic that is sometimes used for parts that require a hard plastic that bends slightly. |
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A low-density (floats in water) rigid plastic for making lightweight parts. |
Hardcoat foam carvings with a fire-rated plastic shell to provide a durable outer coating which can be easily painted.
Select an option below for additional product information:
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
A fast-setting sprayable polyurethane system to hardcoat rigid surfaces such as hotwire-cut EPS foam, MDF or wood. This thin, tough and easy-to-sand coating can be applied in one or more layers. This is a flame-retardant product: UL-94 (V-0). |
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EasyFlo Series Liquid Plastics & PolyFiber II |
For a fast-setting, brush-on hardcoat, add PolyFiber II thickener to EasyFlo-Series Liquid Plastics to bring these low-viscosity resins to a brushable consistency. Use EasyFlo 60 or EasyFlo 95 (a slower-setting version). |
Polyurethane and silicone foams are often used to produce lightweight objects, props, architectural elements and décor. They can be used to make finished parts, but are also used to backfill other casting materials, such as polyurethane plastic, polyurethane rubber and silicone rubber.
Select an option below for additional product details and buying information:
Rigid PolyFoams
Three rigid polyurethane foams at varying free-rise densities: 2.5, 5, and 8 lb/ft³.
Product |
Mix Ratio |
Free-Rise Density |
Molded Density |
|---|---|---|---|
1A:1B |
2.5 lb/ft³ |
4-8 lb/ft³ |
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1A:1B |
5 lb/ft³ |
8-20 lb/ft³ |
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1A:1B |
8 lb/ft³ |
8-20 lb/ft³ |
Flexible PolyFoams
Two flexible polyurethane product options at varying free-rise densities: 3 and 5 lb/ft³.
Product |
Mix Ratio |
Free-Rise Density |
Molded Density |
|---|---|---|---|
1A:2B |
3 lb/ft³ |
5-8 lb/ft³ |
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1A:1B |
5 lb/ft³ |
8-15 lb/ft³ |
PlatSil® SiliFoam Casting Foam
A platinum-cured silicone foam with a free-rise density of 15 lb/ft³.
Product |
Mix Ratio |
Free-Rise Density |
Molded Density |
|---|---|---|---|
1A:1B |
15 lb/ft³ |
15 lb/ft³ |
All Polytek® polyurethane rubbers can be cast into compatible molds, but PT Flex Series Casting Rubbers are very popular because of their low-viscosity mixes, simple 1A:1B mix ratios and fast demold times.
Select an option below for more detailed product information or browse all polyurethane casting rubbers:
| Product LIne | Description |
|---|---|
Fast-setting rubbers for quick turn-around. Available in several hardness levels. |
The following two products are specialty silicone products that are used often in prop making and special effects. All other Polytek® silicones can also be cast to create props and parts.
Select an option below for more detailed product information or browse all silicone rubbers:
| Product | description |
|---|---|
A platinum-cured silicone designed for making super-clear, glass-like rubber castings for special effects and prop applications. SiliGlass is designed to act and look like broken glass when hit. |
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PlatSil® Gels are contact-safe, platinum-cured silicone rubbers that are widely used in the special effects industry for creating hyper-realistic props and displays. These silicone gels are often used in conjunction with Deadener; an accessory that helps to remove the synthetic quality of rubber and mimic skin and tissue. |
A NOTE ON CURE INHIBITION: Sulfur-containing clay and other sulfur/tin/amine-contaminated materials and tools will cause cure inhibition in platinum-cured silicone rubbers, which means that the rubber that is in contact with the clay model or contaminated surface will remain gummy or uncured. Make sure to test cure the rubber on your surface before full-scale application.
Plastisol is a versatile material that is often used to make food props and other display items. Unlike the majority of materials listed on this page, Plastisol is not a room-temperaturing (RTV) curing material. Plastisol is a plasticized polyvinyl chloride resin (liquid) that is cured by heat (~350°F) to form a solid product once cooled; therefore, special heating equipment and heat-resistant molds are required.
California Medical Innovations (CMI), a Division of Polytek® Development Corp., has over 35 years of experience in custom formulation and compounding of Plastisol.
Plastisol can be custom-formulated to achieving varying final properties. Some customizable elements include: color (e.g., opaque, translucent, custom color matching), durometer (hardness ranging from Shore A5-D90), texture and finish, resistance properties, and more.
Video Tutorials
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How-To Articles & Customer Projects
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