AKRON—Shin-Etsu Silicones opened up its Liquid Injection Molding System Technical Center in Akron to showcase it to customers, in advance of the International Elastomers Conference and Exposition.
The event included a number of keynote speakers outlining the advancement of liquid silicone rubber and featured a demonstration of the liquid injection molding system.
"In the silicone industry, it's not enough just to supply a raw material," said Eric Bishop, Shin-Etsu's North America marketing manager. "We need to understand how that material processes and simulate that environment for our customers. Most of our customers have equipment like we have in here."
Shin-Etsu allows its customers to utilize the tech center to test their own molds using the company's commercial sized liquid injection equipment—provided by Arburg—that simulates the customer's environment. Customers can also get hands on training on how to use silicone materials.