The production of molded silicone products relies heavily on tooling. Traditional silicone compression molds typically consist of an upper mold, a middle mold, and a lower mold; specifically, the middle mold is often formed by two identical semi-circular plates, while the lower mold is equipped with a positioning plate to facilitate alignment.
With the advancement of additive manufacturing technologies, novel molding processes-such as the "Eggshell Mold" technique-have emerged. This technology is a 3D-printing-based sacrificial molding process, the core workflow of which comprises three steps: first, a thin, disposable mold is fabricated using 3D printing technology; subsequently, silicone is injected into the mold and allowed to cure; finally, the mold is peeled away to yield the finished product. This technique is particularly well-suited for the rapid production of small-batch, highly complex components.
