Urethane molding is a rapid prototyping technique used to produc

The saturation of industries made the main aim of the manufacturer not only to manufacture products but also to use innovative methods in order to produce more products in a shorter span of time to increase production. With the development of technology, different rapid prototyping techniques are available to the manufacturers which can be used in order to produce products in less time with higher efficiency.

These methods in addition to time-saving are also cost-effective. One such rapid prototyping technique being employed these days is urethane molding which is quite similar to injecting molding with slight differences. This technique produces the best functional prototype with the desired characteristics.

Urethane molding is a rapid prototyping technique used to produce products with soft rubber parts which cannot be machined with the help of a CNC machine or any other such machine. Urethane molding uses a 3-D printed master pattern and silicon molds which are used to produce the desired high-quality products up to the size of 30 inches.

This process is quite similar to injection molding in which a hard tool is used instead of a soft silicone tool. Precautions must be taken while designing the master pattern for urethane molding to ensure that it should possess the desired properties. A functional plastic part is the result of urethane molding that can be presented as a model or used in a fully functional product.

Generally, four steps are followed in Urethane Molding as enlisted below

1. Firstly a master pattern is designed and printed by rapid prototyping or 3-D printing technique. A master pattern is basically the original part or the representation of it. This master pattern is also used to create the molds that can be utilized in casting. This is designed accurately as the dimensions of the products depend upon this master pattern. Also, there are several machining options that can be used in this case.

2. In the second step, the master pattern produced is encased in liquid silicon in order to produce an accurate mold.

3. After the mold is cured, it is cut into two halves. The resulting cavity produced is used for the casting of the end product.

4. In the final step, the manufacturer injects urethane or some other resin to fill the voids. After the material is cured, it will be removed from the tool. This process is repeated until the desired product is produced.