Processes
Plastic injection, LSR or rubber: how should a product team choose?
The right molding platform follows the product requirement, not the process a supplier happens to sell.
Begin with performance
Plastic injection, liquid silicone rubber injection and rubber molding solve different combinations of geometry, production volume, flexibility, sealing, chemical exposure and temperature performance. Selecting the process too early can lock a team into the wrong material family or an unnecessarily expensive tool.
A better sequence begins with what the part must do, how it interfaces with the rest of the product and how consistently it must be produced.
A practical starting point
These guidelines are useful for an initial conversation, but final selection should follow material data, part geometry, tolerances, validation requirements and economics.
- Plastic injection is often the strongest path for rigid or semi-rigid engineered components, complex repeatable geometry and high-volume cost efficiency.
- LSR injection is well suited to flexible, durable parts that need excellent consistency, sealing behavior, temperature performance or clean processing.
- Rubber injection or compression molding can be effective for elastomer components where compound selection, compression set, mechanical behavior and program economics drive the decision.
Design and process must be reviewed together
Parting lines, draft, undercuts, wall thickness, venting, gate strategy, dimensional behavior and secondary assembly can change the business case. The process choice is therefore an engineering and product decision, not simply a purchasing category.
Vulcan keeps the three molding platforms visible early so a product team can compare realistic paths before committing capital.