ENGEL Convenes LSR Technical Symposium

An exclusive, one-day LSR Technical Symposium hosted by ENGEL North America and its cosponsoring partners was recently convened to bring news of the latest developments in LSR parts manufacturing to over 35 attendees.

ENGEL North America, a world leader in the design and manufacture of injection molding machines and parts-handling automation, along with the premier suppliers of  liquid silicone rubber (LSR) materials, molds, and metering equipment held an invitation-only technical symposium on May 6 in Corona, CA to discuss and to demonstrate the latest developments in highly productive LSR parts production.

Among the presentations at the technical sessions were the following:
• Liquid Silicone Rubber – Advanced Overview; Classifications, Applicability, and Newer Developments, by Gregory Dull of Wacker Silicone, (Adrian, MI; www.wacker.com);
• Materials for 3rd Stream Metering into LSR, by Bob Bradley of Gayson SDI (Barberton, OH; www.gayson.com );
• LSR Metering & Mixing Equipment – Developments and Trends, by Gary Bauer, of 2KM North America Inc. (CDN Parry Sound, ON; www.2kmna.com);
• Specifying a Silicone Mold, by Rick Finnie, of M.R. Mold & Engineering (Brea, CA; www.mrmold.com ), and
• Selecting the Correct Machine for LSR Applications, by Steve Broadbent, of ENGEL

In addition to the informative technical presentations and a question-and-answer session, ENGEL and its partners also demonstrated advanced LSR manufacturing technologies at the symposium.
In 16-second cycles, flapper valves were molded on an all-electric, 55-ton ENGEL e-max press equipped with a 12-mm screw. A pumping unit from 2KM equipped with the company's PFM hydraulic cartridge feeding system and an 8-mm static mixer delivered a medical-grade LSR from Wacker Silicones designated Silpuran LSR 6000/50 to a four-cavity, water-cooled, cold-runner mold with four heating zones from M.R. Mold.

Although the total shot size for this mold was just .08 cu. in., ENGEL North America effortlessly ran a “duckbill” valve-gated, single-cavity, cold-runner LSR mold from Roembke Mfg. & Design Inc. (Ossian, IN; www.roembke.com) with but a .005 cu. in. shot volume during a symposium convened late last year at its York, PA headquarters.