3/13/2015

Simtec, automotive supplier introduce new sealing part

Comments Email Print

By Mike McNulty

Simtec's liquid injection molding facility in Miramar, Fla.

MIRAMAR, Fla.—Simtec Silicone Parts L.L.C. has expanded its product base along with its reach with the introduction of a new sealing component.

The custom manufacturer of LSR parts and high precision LSR two-shot components partnered with a Tier 1 automotive supplier to produce the new liquid silicone rubber two-shot automotive sealing part.

They launched full production of the product in February with distribution planned for companies in North America, Europe and Asia, where the Tier 1 parts maker has production operations, a Simtec spokeswoman said. The customer is a leading parts and components supplier for the automotive industry, she said.

Components Simtec is producing in the U.S. are supplied to multiple locations on the three continents, she said.

The Tier 1 supplier's name was not disclosed, the spokeswoman said, because of a confidentiality agreement between the two companies.

Simtec produces the component using high cavitation 48+48 cavity LSR and polyamide two-shot tools, one of the largest cavitation tools available, Simtec said. In the process, it said, LSR is molded directly into the polyamide in the same tool where the polyamide was originally molded.

Each time the tool closed, 48 polyamide parts are produced and an additional 48 parts are over-molded with LSR, the company said.

“This component was a challenge due to its extreme tight tolerances (in the hundredth of a millimeter) and the fast time-to-market requirements,” Simtec President Enrique Camacho said.

Working with the company's customer, tool builders and a selected injection molding machine supplier, “we were able to demonstrate the importance of trust, competence and clear expectations for successful, fast-paced teamwork,” he said.

The new sealing product “is part of an incipient and growing demand for features that assist in preventing accidents,” a spokeswoman said. “Consumer/driver behavior and fast moving regulations are pushing the automotive industry to bring self-driving cars to market.

“This has required the development of new systems that detect people, pets and moving—as well as stationary—objects and alert the driver of the obstacle while automatically maneuvering the vehicle around it.”

She said those types of systems require cameras, sensors and numerous safety features and use components manufactured by Simtec.

“Simtec adds value to this system by manufacturing a high-tech, high-precision component employing LSR two-shot technology that enables the integration of several functions and materials into a single component,” she said.

Camacho noted that with the firm's highly experienced team that specializes in LSP two-shot technology, combined with the very latest in equipment and infrastructure, Simtec is able to deliver complex components for large scale programs.

Based in Miramar, Simtec manufactures LSR and LSR two-shot components for the automotive, medical device, cosmetic, consumer goods, food and beverage, appliance, technology, industrial and home entertainment industries globally.