After small and mini, silicone now goes micro
The starlim//sterner Group, which is based in Marchtrenk/Austria, leads the way with regard to the processing of liquid silicone, as impressively demonstrated by its latest innovation - the micro injection molding.
This consists of micro-components weighing less than 10 mg, which are manufactured in serial production quality using a special injection molding machine. Indeed, the micro molding of LSR components constitutes a new development.
With the naked eye it is almost impossible to recognize the fact that a part with dimensions of just a few millimeters has high-precision recesses or undercuts that are identical to those familiar from large components. What is more, such micro-components, which are used for example in watches, electrical micro-housings, insulin pumps, hearing aids and other medical devices, can even be produced using two-component technology, either in thermoplastic LSR, or in an LSR-LSR combination.
Micro molding is known in the branch and thermoplastic parts with micro-structured surfaces, micro-precision molded parts with tolerances in the micrometer range, as well as injection molded, mass produced micro-components with a minimal weight of 10mg, are already being manufactured. However, silicone components are subject to other laws and starlim//sterner is the first company to have succeeded in producing LSR micro-components with a weight of less than 10mg in large runs. In addition, all the LSR hardness degrees from 20-80 Shore-A can be employed.
Silicone is in our veins
starlim//sterner products are ubiquitous: they are in your car, in baby soothers, kitchen drawers, visible or not, to name just a few examples. starlim//sterner, the specialist for tools and for injection-molding, produces small parts made from silicone using single or multi-material processes.
We concentrate on mass production. As an international group, active in Austria, Canada, China, Italy, Germany, we produce more than 14 billion silicone parts per annum. starlim//sterner is a contract manufacturer, B2B supplier and TIER-2 and TIER-3 supplier for the automotive industry and the world's largest processor of liquid silicone rubber.
