Who moved my mold? Uncover the mastermind behind the “poisoning” of additive liquid silicone

Who Moved My Mold? Uncovering the Mastermind Behind Poisoning in Liquid Silicone Molding

Mold poisoning, also known as curing inhibition, is a frustrating problem in LSR molding where the silicone fails to cure properly on certain areas of the mold surface. This article investigates the root causes and solutions.

Common Causes of Curing Inhibition:

1. Contamination: Traces of sulfur, amines, tin, or other heavy metals on the mold surface can poison the platinum catalyst used in LSR curing.

2. Improper Cleaning: Using the wrong cleaning agents or incomplete removal of mold release agents can leave residues that inhibit curing.

3. Material Incompatibility: Certain substrate materials or previous molding residues can interfere with LSR curing.

Solutions:

- Thorough mold cleaning with appropriate solvents

- Use of mold release agents specifically formulated for LSR

- Surface treatment of substrates (plasma cleaning, primers)

- Material selection to avoid known incompatibilities