According to the different materials, the molds produced by the indirect molding method are generally divided into two categories: soft molds and hard molds
The so-called soft mold refers to the mold made of silicone rubber, epoxy resin, polyurethane and other materials. It is named because the soft material used is different from the traditional steel material. Using rapid prototyping parts as master molds, pouring the above materials can form soft cavities to form soft molds. Such soft molds can be produced in small batches, such as injection parts, low melting point alloy centrifugal castings, etc.
Soft molds can be used as injection molds for trial production and small batch production, intermediate transition molds for manufacturing hard molds, and low-melting alloy casting molds. The most common is silicone rubber molds. The soft mold has good elasticity, copyability and certain strength. When pouring and forming a complex mold, it can greatly simplify the structural design of the mold and facilitate demolding.
Due to the low manufacturing cost and short production cycle of rapid soft mold manufacturing, it is highly valued in the development of new products as product function testing and market trial operation, as well as the production of single-piece and small-batch products in the fields of defense and aviation, especially It is suitable for the modern manufacturing mode with small batches, many varieties and fast modification.
