INSIGHTS
Practical guides to silicone materials, product design, molding, overmolding and quality control for brands and product development teams.
Learn how retail and promotional brands transition from generic catalog items to fully custom silicone shapes, proprietary hardware, tailored pantone colors, and custom packaging.
Who owns the mold, who maintains it, how changes are handled and how a tool transfers - tooling terms to confirm in writing before a custom silicone project starts.
A good RFQ does not need to be complicated. But the more clearly a manufacturer understands the product, the easier it is to select the right molding route and avoid repeated quotation...
Silicone hardness is often the first material question in a custom silicone project, but it should not be selected in isolation. The right hardness depends on what the part must...
Delamination is one of the most common failure modes in silicone overmolding. The silicone may look properly bonded after molding but begin lifting after repeated flexing, water exposure, heat...
Silicone-to-plastic overmolding can improve grip, sealing, cushioning and product integration. The main challenge is that not every plastic bonds to silicone in the same...
Silicone overmolding can create sealing, grip, cushioning and soft-touch functionality in a single integrated component. It is also one of the easiest processes to get wrong if the insert,...
A practical guide to selecting silicone for skin-contact products, covering material documentation, comfort, surface finish, sweat exposure, bonding and cleaning.
Explore possible causes of silicone yellowing and color change, including formulation, processing, exposure, cleaning and storage conditions.
Review metal inserts, coatings, magnets, positioning and bonding risks when developing silicone-to-metal overmolded components.
Compare LSR and HCR silicone molding by part geometry, tooling, automation and production volume to choose a suitable process for your custom component.