Chemical resistance. Extreme temperature endurance. Electrical insulation. Biocompatibility. It’s easy to see why precision liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is popular among Bio-Pharma, Life Sciences and Medical OEMs.
For many OEMs, finding a contract manufacturer with specialized LSR molding capability is a win. But to maximize the return on your LSR investment, there are many other issues that must be considered. Material Selection. Design for Manufacturability. Tooling. Assembly. These just top the list. Add speed-to-market, cost effectiveness, and other customer KPIs, and you need a contract manufacturing partner who can deliver more than molded LSR components.
Expect More with Vertically Integrated Capabilities
When your contract manufacturer combines proven liquid silicone rubber expertise with other vertically integrated capabilities, you gain a partner who can truly contribute to the lasting success of your products, equipment and devices. With greater visibility, understanding and accountability throughout your entire partnership, a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) can deliver results that meet your quality expectations, timelines and end-use application needs.
With decades of working with complex materials, we leverage our experience to proactively address challenges traditionally associated with LSR tooling and molding solutions. Whether you’re struggling to manage costs, overcome manufacturing complexities or efficiently assemble silicone parts and thermoplastic components into a larger device, you can count on Beacon MedTech to deliver the results you’re looking for.
With LSR expertise that spans engineering, tooling, liquid injection molding and post-molding assembly – all combined with other vertically integrated capabilities – we ensure:
SPEED TO MARKET
Meeting your rigorous timelines with early involvement and cross-functional collaboration.
COST EFFICIENCIES
Facilitating seamless transition from design for manufacturability to tooling to molding to assembly.
QUALITY CONTROL
Delivering parts to spec every time with ISO 13485-certified quality management.
PRODUCTIVITY
Designing manufacturing processes and environments that maximize output across capabilities.
5 Key Ways to Drive Greater Long-Term Value
Here are five key ways vertically integrated silicone injection molding capabilities can drive long-term value for your organization.
1. Effective Material Selection
By understanding and evaluating application requirements, in-house experts will help identify, test and select the right material to cost-effectively meet product specifications and performance needs.
Beacon MedTech has extensive experience working with a wide range of liquid silicone rubbers ranging from 20-80 durometer for clear and colored components.
2. Improved Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
Materials knowledge is also crucial to a repeatable design for medical liquid silicone rubber parts. Different material families (like silicones) perform differently in sealing, feel/grip, dampening/absorption, friction and spring.
As part of our Design for Manufacturing (DFM) process, these characteristics (as well as any integration of thermoplastic parts) are carefully evaluated to prevent any potential issues in quality or consistency during production.
3. Optimized Tooling
Liquid injection molding (LIM) is quite different from thermoplastic injection molding. The low viscosity of LSR materials means tight tolerances in tooling are crucial to avoid flash. In addition, LSR parts are often smaller which introduces venting and other challenges to the moldmaking process.
Leveraging deep knowledge and LSR moldmaking experience, customers count on us to design and build tools that optimize production performance and meet demanding specifications.
4. Precise Processing & Assembly
All areas of expertise come together in the production process. With Class 7 & 8 LSR cleanrooms, we provide controlled, sterile environments for molding and assembling products for any application – from Class II Medical Devices and Life Sciences products to high-technology Aerospace & Defense components.
With vertically integrated assembly capabilities, Beacon MedTech can deliver full product assemblies in a continuous, integrated workflow, managing your project from start to finish efficiently and cost effectively.
5. A Complete, Cost-Effective LSR Supply Chain Partner
As a vertically integrated contract manufacturing organization, Beacon MedTech is well positioned to maximize the ROI on your LSR investment. From start to finish, we can help you select the right material, ensure manufacturability, produce optimal tooling, and execute a seamless production process that delivers the greater value today’s OEM needs to succeed.
Ready to experience the value of a vertically integrated contract manufacturing partner for your next LSR part? Contact us today to discuss your application requirements.