Fast, Economical Silicone Molds with 3D Printed Patterns

Silicone molding, also known as room temperature vulcanization (RTV) molding, is an affordable solution for prototyping, functional testing, product demonstrations and short--run production. The molds are made by pouring liquid silicone rubber over a pattern; the resulting firm but flexible mold can reproduce extremely complex geometries and intricate details with tight tolerances. The traditional mold making approach is to machine the patterns, but this can prove costly, require lead times of one to two weeks, and restricts the geometric complexity of the molded parts. Design changes to machined parts require substantial lead times. Stratasys additive manufacturing is a more cost-effective and efficient solution for silicone molding -- reducing time, labor and cost. The 3D printing process also enables you to easily produce a prototype pattern for customer review, with a typical lead time of less than 24 hours. For more on silicone molding with 3D printed patterns: http://ow.ly/yEGot In this video you will learn the step by step process of creating silicone mold patterns using PolyJet based 3D printing from Stratasys. For more information about Stratasys 3D Printers: http://ow.ly/yEH0T