Multi-material · silicone + metal insert
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 are planned together.
The detail
Silicone and metal insert, at group level.
Insert moulding puts a metal part inside the tool and moulds silicone or rubber onto it. It removes an assembly step and gives you a part that won't come apart in service — if the bond and location are right.
We plan the insert preparation, primer and tool location as one design. Where bonding isn't needed, we design for mechanical capture instead.
Back to Projects that need more than one material, coordinated as…
What's involved
Six parts of the work.
Insert preparation
Cleaning, surface preparation and primer matched to the metal and the elastomer.
Bonded or captured
Chemical bond where it matters, mechanical capture where it's simpler and just as secure.
Location in the tool
Inserts held so they don't move under pour or pressure.
Keeping threads clean
Threads and faces masked or shut off so they come out usable.
Supplied or sourced inserts
Use your inserts, or we source them to your drawing.
Bond checks
Peel or pull tests on first-offs so bond quality is proven, not assumed.
How it runs
Four steps, in order.
- 01
Insert review
Metal, finish and critical faces agreed.
- 02
Bond method
Primer and elastomer selected; test pieces if new.
- 03
Tool design
Insert location and shut-offs designed in.
- 04
First-off and test
Parts measured and bond-tested before release.
Is it right for you?
An honest fit check.
A good fit when
- You're assembling rubber to metal by hand today
- A mounting or anti-vibration part keeps separating
- You want a threaded fixing inside a soft part
- You need one supplier for the insert and the moulding
Probably not the answer when
- The insert is a sensitive electronic assembly — see encapsulation instead
- Very low volumes where adhesive assembly is simpler
- Metals we can't reliably bond to — we'll say so after review
FAQs
Common questions.
Can you supply the metal inserts?
Yes, to your drawing, or we'll work with inserts you supply.
Which route does this run on?
Usually compression or cast, depending on volume. Occasionally LSR.
How do you prove the bond?
Destructive tests on first-off parts and at agreed intervals through the run.
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 around electronics, without cooking the board.
Potting, encapsulation and moulded silicone covers for electronics assemblies you supply. Keypads, sensor housings,…
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