Knowledge Base
How to Remove Molds Using Silicone Release Agents
Not sure how to remove molds using silicone release? Struggling with silicone-silicone bonding? Come to us for help! Silicone is a multi-functional material. It can be used to mold silicone products, but it can also be used as a lubricant and mold release agent for thermoplastic, rubber, and urethane materials.
Release agents, such as our A353 spray release, are incredibly useful for improving the efficiency of the molding process by releasing your products quickly, reducing the amount of cleaning your molds require, and preventing damage or defects in your products.
How Does Silicone Spray Release Work?
Silicone spray mold release builds a thin layer of lubrication across the surface of your production molds. This layer of lubrication will prevent your charge material – rubber, plastic, or whatever other material your product consists of – from adhering to your mold.
Material sticking to your mold is what causes defects and damage. So, do you know how to remove molds using silicone release? With our aerosolized products, you can simply spray and go!
How to Remove Molds Using Silicone Release
If you work with molded products, you must know how to remove molds using silicone-based release agents. Silicone aerosol agents and liquid agents can be applied to any non-silicone mold. Silicone-based agents can damage or corrode silicone products, and these shouldn’t be used together.
Here’s how to remove molds using silicone release agents:
1. Clean the mold surface thoroughly before applying your silicone mold release. A clean surface is essential to an effective release agent and a successful mold process.
2. If using an aerosolized agent, shake the aerosol silicone spray to ensure adequate pressure.
3. Apply the silicone release in an even layer across the surface of your mold. Too much release can pool in your mold, resulting in errors and poor quality in your molded parts.
4. Wait for the mold release to dry onto the surface to ensure a proper hold, as the liquid release agent might mix with or interact with liquid charge material.
Note that this is only a general guide for removing molds using silicone release. Always follow your specific mold spray or liquid release instructions to ensure maximum effectiveness.
How to Release Silicone from Silicone?
Suppose you have a molding process that involves making two-part molds or casting silicone into silicone. In that case, you can find yourself struggling to prevent sticking or even permanent damage to your mold as you de-mold the product. It is possible to release silicone from silicone, but this requires a silicone-free release agent or other formulation.
· One of our silicone-free release agents will provide a clean release with minimal elbow grease and other work. An aerosolized release agent like our E302 Rocket Release can give an even layer of release agent that will quickly penetrate the deepest parts of your molded good.
· A mixture of 2-parts isopropyl alcohol and 1 part dish soap can be used for some silicone-silicone mold release. Still, the mixture can be more difficult, slippery, and inefficient to manage.
· Lastly, petroleum jelly is a cheap and widely available product that can be used in some product cases. Once again, this method is less efficient than a dedicated mold-release product.
Whenever investing in a new mold release product, you should do a small-scale test to ensure that your production won’t be held up or harmed by unexpected errors or process changes. If you request a sample from us, you can have the perfect amount of non-silicone release agent to try out for yourself!
What Are the Most Common Silicone Release Agent Mistakes?
Are you unimpressed by your experience with silicone release agents? The molding industry relies on products like these to produce high-quality molded goods daily. However, there are subtle issues that can reduce the effectiveness of these products. To effectively use silicone release agents, you should look out for these common errors:
· Applying too much release agent: Over-applying mold release agent can lead to buildup and pooling of the agent, which can result in poorer quality results
· Not allowing the release agent to dry before starting: Mold release agents must dry to create a protective layer for your mold’s surface. Beginning the molding process before it has dried can result in sticking or bonding issues.
· Using the wrong release formula for the injection material: The molding industry uses dozens of materials. Each material has unique uses, concerns, and difficulties and will require tailored cleaning, sealing, and release agents.
· Neglecting mold maintenance: Molds, whether metal or other material, require regular cleaning to ensure that you enjoy their use for a long time. Neglected molds can also damage the product, giving your customers lower-quality goods.
These are easy mistakes to make across the industry and apply to other release agents.
Solve All Your Molding Production Issues with Stoner Molding Solutions!
Your production of molded goods probably relies on silicone at multiple steps. This material is at once extremely useful and a bit temperamental. We are here to help you find the right formula for your products! We are experienced with the goods of hundreds of industries and dozens of materials and are always excited to share our knowledge with you!
We are a leading expert on the industry’s most valuable products. Contact our experts, and we can answer questions like ‘How to remove molds using silicone release?’ we can help you develop a unique formula for your production, or we can advise you on a product to test out and experience the difference it makes for yourself. Call us today!
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Unlike many mold release brands, Stoner Molding Solutions formulates, manufactures, and distributes our own products. Check out our full line of mold releases, sealers, cleaners, rust preventatives, and lubricants. In stock products are ready to ship now!