Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR): Why It's Transforming Technical Component Manufacturing

When Conventional Rubber Isn't Enough

There are applications where standard elastomers — NBR, EPDM, neoprene — simply cannot deliver the required performance. Operating temperatures that swing from -50°C to +220°C. Contact with aggressive cleaning agents. Exposure to UV radiation, ozone, and biological fluids. In these conditions, Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) is not a luxury; it is the only viable engineering choice.

Italstock has developed significant expertise in LSR injection moulding, producing precision components for clients in the food processing, medical device, household appliance, and high-performance industrial sectors.

What Makes LSR Different

Liquid Silicone Rubber is a two-component platinum-cured elastomer that is injected in liquid form and vulcanized at high temperature. The resulting material has a molecular structure fundamentally different from conventional rubbers, conferring a set of properties that set it apart:

Thermal stability: LSR retains its mechanical properties from -50°C to well above +200°C, far beyond the range of most organic elastomers.

Biocompatibility: USP Class VI and ISO 10993 compliant grades are available, making LSR suitable for direct contact with food and the human body.

Chemical inertness: LSR is resistant to water, many solvents, steam, and most cleaning agents including those used in industrial CIP (Clean-in-Place) processes.

Optical clarity: Transparent LSR grades are available for applications requiring visual inspection or light transmission.

Compression set: LSR exhibits very low permanent deformation after prolonged compression, making it ideal for long-life dynamic sealing applications.

The LSR Injection Moulding Process

LSR processing requires specialized equipment and expertise. The two liquid components are metered and mixed in precise ratio, then injected into temperature-controlled closed moulds at high pressure. Because LSR flows with very low viscosity, it can fill extremely fine features and produce parts with very tight dimensional tolerances.

Italstock's LSR production cells are equipped with automated dosing systems, closed cold-runner moulds to minimize material waste, and in-line quality monitoring.

Applications We Serve

Our LSR components are currently found in domestic appliances (steam iron valves, coffee machine seals), food processing equipment (pump membranes, valve seats), and industrial instrumentation (diaphragm seals, sensor housings). We also produce co-moulded LSR components where the silicone is bonded directly to plastic or metal substrates in a single production step.