Rubber mold
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A mold consists of two plates and alighment pins for a sure fit.The upper and lower plate each having grooves and recesses for the actual product and the excess material. Products such as o-rings and tires are made using such molds. Molds can vary greatly in sixe from a few inches across the several feet across and weighing thousands of pounds. They are usually made of hardened steel for wear resistance.
[change] Types of Rubber Molds
[change] Compression
Compression molds work by taking the empty mold and placing a piece of unshaped rubber inside. The mold is then pressed shut using high heat and pressure forcing the rubber to liquify and flow into the recess created for the part while excess rubber is forced into the molds dump groove. It is important when making a mold to keep in mind that when the part cools it will shrink slightly.
[change] Injection Molds
Injection molds work under the same principle as compression molds except that instead of pressing the mold together on the rubber the mold is first closed and the liquid rubber is then injected into a fill hole drilled into the mold. This is used more for plastic products.
