If only a few plastic parts are needed as part of a limited run production, Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) rubber tooling may be the best solution. Using an SLA or SLS master pattern, RTV rubber molds are created and used to cast polyurethane duplicates.

RTV tooling is inexpensive, offers good accuracy and finish, and the parts produced are adequate for prototypes or small production runs. The characteristics of different polyurethane materials can vary widely from soft to rigid and varying levels of thermal and impact resistance. Wide ranges of colors are available.

Polyurethane duplicates can be painted and textured to simulate injection-molded parts, resulting in parts that are suitable for marketing or trade show samples especially when multiple samples are required.

SLA Master Patterns

• An SLA part is the most common master pattern for making RTV tooling. The shrink compensated SLA part is finished to a 3A level with a coat of primer. The pattern is measured, verified and checked for quality before it is used in making the RTV tooling.

Metal Master Patterns

• When high accuracy and great details are required in polyurethane castings, a metal master pattern can be used in fabrication of the RTV tooling. The metal part is made from CNC-machined aluminum or from a pre-existing metal part.

RTV Tooling Highlights

Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) rubber tooling is the ideal choice for:

• High quality prototypes
• Short runs of 25 to 50 prototypes
• Prototypes requiring materials with plasticity, high temperature, high strength or flexibility.