Shin-Etsu Silicones of America (SESA) hosted an open house at its 7,000-square-foot LIMS Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, on September 17. The event brought together customers, suppliers, and industry professionals to learn about liquid silicone rubber (LSR) materials and processing technologies. Attendees observed demonstrations of three liquid injection molding cells featuring equipment from several manufacturers and SESA's silicone materials. The demonstrations included the production of optical components, baby care products, and test parts. Md Plastics and APSX also presented equipment for LSR processing, including a plasticating unit conversion system and a desktop injection molding machine.

The open house was followed by three days of LSR processing training courses, held September 22-24. The courses covered silicone fundamentals, dosing systems, injection molding equipment, tooling, processing parameters, troubleshooting, and maintenance. According to SESA, 24 industry experts with more than 500 years of combined LSR experience participated in the training. The events were intended to provide technical education and opportunities for collaboration among silicone manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and industry professionals.