Multi-material · silicone + electronics
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 heat and the connectors are planned before anything is poured.
The detail
Silicone and electronics encapsulation, at group level.
Silicone protects electronics well — it's flexible, it seals, it handles temperature swings. But it has to cure around a board without stressing components, inhibiting on contaminants or flooding the connectors you need to keep clear.
We work with assemblies you supply, and coordinate with your electronics team on what can be covered and what must stay accessible.
Back to Projects that need more than one material, coordinated as…
What's involved
Six parts of the work.
Potting and encapsulation
Low-viscosity silicones poured into a housing or mould around your assembly.
Moulded covers and keypads
Silicone parts that fit over and seal electronics, designed for the button feel you want.
Cure without harm
Cure temperature and chemistry chosen to suit your components.
Contamination control
Flux residues and some materials inhibit cure; we agree cleanliness up front.
Keep-out zones
Connectors, test points and vents masked so the unit stays serviceable.
Trial units first
A small batch encapsulated and returned for your functional testing.
How it runs
Four steps, in order.
- 01
Assembly review
Your board, housing, keep-out zones and test requirements.
- 02
Material choice
Silicone grade for flow, hardness and cure temperature.
- 03
Trial batch
A few units encapsulated and returned for testing.
- 04
Production
Run to an agreed process, with records per batch.
Is it right for you?
An honest fit check.
A good fit when
- Your product has to survive moisture, dust or vibration
- You need a sealed silicone keypad or cover
- You want a flexible alternative to rigid resin potting
- Your electronics team needs a moulding partner for the enclosure side
Probably not the answer when
- You need us to design or assemble the electronics — we don't
- The assembly can't tolerate any cure heat or handling — we'll say so
- Hard resin potting is specified — we work in silicone
FAQs
Common questions.
Do you build the electronics?
No. You supply the assemblies; we handle the silicone side.
Can encapsulated units be reworked?
Some silicones can be cut back for repair. If serviceability matters, tell us and we'll choose accordingly.
Who tests the electronics afterwards?
Your team, on the trial units. We'll adjust the process to your findings.
Related
The rest of this service.
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…
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…
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…
The group
Delivered across the group
This work is coordinated by TCI Group and carried out by whichever of the four divisions suits your part.
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