Group service · when one material isn't enough
Projects that need more than one material, coordinated as one job.
Some parts want silicone in one place and polyurethane in another. Or a rubber gasket on a silicone body. Or a hard shell around a soft core. We coordinate those across the divisions so you don't end up managing two suppliers.
When it's right
Four situations where this service earns its keep.
Overmoulded or two-shot parts
A soft grip on a hard body. A silicone seal on a plastic frame. One team plans both shots.
An assembly with mixed parts
A cast body from one process, a moulded gasket from another. Coordinated so they mate first-time.
A tool plus a compatible material
The tool is silicone. The part it makes is PU or resin. We spec both so they release cleanly and don't cross-cure.
Prototype in one material, production in another
PU cast lets you validate fast. Silicone LSR is the production intent. Same team plans both stages.
How it flows
Four stages, in the usual order.
- 01
Combined DFM
Both materials reviewed together. Interfaces, tolerances and cure interactions checked.
- 02
Sample witness parts
For anything unusual we make small witness samples of the material pair before committing to full tooling.
- 03
Tool build with the pair in mind
Draft, vents, gate positions designed for both materials, not just the primary one.
- 04
Assembly or shipping decision
We can ship components for you to assemble, or assemble on our side and ship finished units. Your call.
What we need from you
To scope it properly.
Both materials specified or a brief for us to spec them. If you know both, tell us. If you know one, we'll recommend the other.
Where the parts mate. Interference, clearance, adhesive, mechanical — critical to how the tools get built.
Assembly volume. One-offs get hand-assembled. Volume assembly needs designing for fixture.
Go deeper
3 ways this service is usually put to work.
Each has its own page with the detail: what's involved, when it fits, and when it doesn't.
Silicone and polyurethane on the same job, planned as one.
PU parts cast from silicone tools. Soft silicone faces on rigid PU bodies. PU prototypes that stand in for a silicone production part. Each pairing…
Silicone moulded onto metal, bonded or captured.
Threaded bushes, mounting plates, brackets and pins, with silicone or rubber moulded around them. The bond, the insert location and the tool design…
Silicone around electronics, without cooking the board.
Potting, encapsulation and moulded silicone covers for electronics assemblies you supply. Keypads, sensor housings, sealed modules. The cure, the…
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
Which route suits your quantity
Swipe to see the whole diagram
FAQs
Common questions.
Can silicone bond to PU?
Depends on the grades. Some pairings bond mechanically, some need adhesive, some don't play well. We'll tell you which is which for your parts.
Do you handle the assembly?
Sometimes. For small volumes, yes. For larger volumes we usually ship components and let your assembly line handle it, unless you want us to.
How do you avoid cure inhibition?
Careful material pairing and, where needed, a barrier or interface layer. We test for it before committing.
Related
Where to read next.
We run four materials. We're not paid to push one over another.
Platinum-cure silicone, tin-cure silicone, polyurethane, and various rubbers pass through our workshop every week. That…
Design for manufacture, across five moulding routes.
A part designed for one process doesn't necessarily suit another. Our DFM review covers all five moulding routes we run…
Same engineer, prototype through to production.
You started with one hand-cast mould. The part is signed off. You're ready for a hundred a week. The engineer who built…
The group
This service sits at the group level
TCI Group is the umbrella brand. The specialists behind this service work across all four divisions.
Get in touch
Not sure which division? Tell us what you're making.
Send us a sketch, a photograph, or a paragraph. We'll come back with the right division, the right route, and an honest sense of what it will take.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Group, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Five brands, one teamMoulds, culinary, construction and contract products, all run from Bidford-on-Avon. See the divisions.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare