Silicone Mold Rubbers
Polytek® manufactures a full range of two-part, room-temperature curing silicone rubbers that offer great flexibility, tear strength, chemical resistance, and release properties. Silicone molds can be used to cast a variety of materials, including polyurethane, polyester and epoxy resins, polyurethane foam, plaster, wax, concrete, low melting metals, and more.
One of the primary advantages of using silicone mold rubbers instead of other flexible materials, like polyurethane rubber, is that release agent is not needed when casting polyurethane resins, foams and other materials into silicone molds. This is especially important when cast parts need to be painted as paint will not adhere well to parts with residual release agent.
Polytek® manufactures two different types of silicone rubbers: platinum-cured (PlatSil®) silicones and tin-cured (TinSil®) silicones. Read about their differences below in the section titled A Comparison: PlatSil® vs. TinSil® Silicone Mold Rubbers.
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Polytek® manufactures two different types of silicone rubbers: platinum-cured (PlatSil®) and tin-cured (TinSil®). There are distinct qualities that each line offers and their primary differences are:
- TinSil® silicones are condensation-cure systems that shrink slightly on cure (~1%) compared to addition-cure PlatSil® silicones, which do not shrink on cure.
- Cured TinSil® silicones have shorter library life (2 to 5 years total) compared to PlatSil® silicones.
- TinSil® silicones are slightly less expensive than PlatSil® silicones.
- Liquid PlatSil® silicones are more sensitive to certain materials (e.g., sulfur, tin compounds, Bondo) and suffer from cure inhibition (uncured surface material) more often than TinSil® silicones.
- Cured TinSil® molds can inhibit some casting materials, including PlatSil® silicones, Poly-Optic® Clear Casting Resin and many polyurethane rubbers.
- There are skin-safe platinum-cured silicones available in the PlatSil® product line: PlatSil® Gels.
PlatSil® rubbers are platinum-cured (also known as addition-cure), room temperature-curing silicones that are used to make flexible, high-strength molds and parts. PlatSil® molds are often selected over other mold materials (e.g., polyurethane rubbers) because of their excellent release properties. They also exhibit long library life and low shrinkage on cure compared to other mold material options.
TinSil® rubbers are tin-cured (also known as condensation cure), room-temperature curing silicones. Molds made from these rubbers exhibit high tear strength, good release properties, and resistance to high temperatures.
PlatSil® Gels are the industry standard in the special effects industry for creating life-like theatrical prosthetic appliances for film, television and theater. They are also used for life casting, prop making and general silicone mold making.
