Optical Liquid Silicone Rubber: A New Fixture in Molding

Injection Molding Resilience

In plastic design, thick and thin parts are not easily achieved without sacrifice. That doesn’t necessarily ring true with OLSR design. You can achieve thick and thin geometries that oftentimes can be as thin as 0.010 in. (0.25mm) and as thick as 2 in. (50mm), all within the same part geometry because you don’t have issues with material flow, sink, or voids.

OLSR is extremely resilient against the molding issue that frequently create problems with thermoplastics, including the ability to create micro details. You also can design in negative draft angles without the need for expensive tooling that normally requires lifters, collapsible cores, and side-actions.

When to Use

As you learn about the benefits of OLSR, the applications where you can use OLSR are numerous:

• Reducing part count in your design with built-in gaskets
• Lenses of all types
• Lightpipes or guides
• Marine and wet environments
• Outdoor and indoor light fixtures
• Low- and high-heat environments
• High impact parts

To learn more about optical liquid silicone molding and other molding, machining, and 3D printing services at Protolabs, visit protolabs.com. You can also contact us at  [email protected] or 877.479.7541 to speak with one of our knowledgeable applications engineers.