Sigma, Momentive in link-up to optimise silicone elastomer moulding

Aachen, Germany – Injection moulding software specialist Sigma and materials supplier Momentive have joined forces to advance silicone elastomer moulding through moulding simulation.

The partners will work on collecting ‘precise material data and understanding of material’ to enable better predictions by simulation, Sigma announced 10 Jan.

The target, said the company, is to produce “high-precision components with high requirements that simultaneously exhibit the highest thermal expansion and the greatest compressibility of all elastomers.”

According to Sigma, standardised laboratory values for the definition of material laws in simulation is “not sufficient to describe the complex behaviour of components.”

Furthermore, the observation and consideration of process parameters during processing has not yet become part of conventional material data.

Using data from real injection moulding processing will help further refine and calibrate the material data, and thereby will improve the reliability of the simulation results.

According to Sigma, the partnership will offer high added value for the industry as a whole, due to the synergies created.

"Partnerships are formed to create something bigger together and offer added value to the market," said Thomas Klein, managing director of SIGMA Engineering.

The project, according to Momentive’s head of elastomers unit Holger Albrecht, can create advantage for companies in the silicone processing industry as it offers potential for “far-reaching optimisations in the manufacturing process."