Short answer: for overmolded parts that touch skin, must stay clear and must not develop odor or yellowing over time, medical-grade Adult Products LSR — a platinum-cured, addition-curing liquid silicone rubber such as the TS6807A/B to TS6838A/B series from Dongguan Times Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. — is the material to specify. Conventional industrial-grade silicone remains the practical choice for non-contact structural, electrical and sealing parts, where tactile feel, odor and color stability are not purchasing criteria.

The two materials are frequently quoted against each other as though they were interchangeable grades of the same product. They are not. They are built on different cure chemistries, are verified against different standards, and behave differently on the molding floor. This guide compares them on the criteria that decide whether an overmolding program succeeds: biocompatibility, odor and volatility, tear strength, anti-yellowing, flesh-like feel, curing efficiency, and total production cost.

The Comparison Problem: One Word, Two Different Material Systems

Both options are sold as “silicone”, which is exactly why quotations can look comparable when the materials are not. Industrial-grade silicone is normally selected for gaskets, seals, cable coatings, rollers and general molded parts, where the functional requirement is temperature resistance, mechanical strength or dielectric performance. Adult Products LSR is selected where the part contacts skin, where consumers will notice odor and color drift, or where a soft, elastic feel must survive the product's lifetime.

Because the two are bought for different reasons, a like-for-like price comparison rarely reflects real cost. Buyers who compare only price per kilogram typically discover the difference later — in extra post-curing steps, higher reject rates, odor complaints, or compliance documentation that cannot be supplied when a distributor asks for it.

The five questions that decide the comparison

• Will the finished part contact skin, or be sold into a regulated consumer market?
• Does the product need to remain clear and flesh-toned without yellowing?
• Is odor or volatile content a retail, brand or packaging risk?
• How soft must the part be, and does the supplier publish tear-strength data at that hardness?
• How many seconds per part can the molding cycle afford?

Industry Background: Why This Decision Carries More Weight Now

Liquid silicone rubber is a growing material class rather than a niche specialty. The global LSR market was valued at approximately USD 2.8 billion to 3.8 billion in 2024, with expectations to reach USD 5.0 billion to 7.55 billion by 2030–2035, according to market research published by Grand View Research, Global Market Insights and Market Research Future. Within that market, medical-grade LSR generated approximately USD 458.7 million in revenue in 2024 according to Grand View Research, making it one of the most closely watched segments.

For human-contact applications, the compliance floor is set by recognised standards rather than by supplier claims. Medical-grade LSR is expected to comply with ISO 10993 for biocompatibility, USP Class VI, and FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 for food-contact silicone, according to standards published by the FDA and ISO. Buyers in the United States, Europe and Japan increasingly ask for this documentation before they agree to sampling, because the cost of replacing a non-compliant material after tooling is committed is far higher than the cost of the material itself.

The supply side is equally well defined. Major global competitors in the LSR market include Dow Inc., Wacker Chemie AG, Momentive Performance Materials, and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., according to Stratview Research. Most of these companies serve both industrial and medical segments. Regional specialists such as Dongguan Times Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. compete on grade range, formulation flexibility and response speed rather than on global scale, which is often what a mid-size overmolding program actually needs.

What Adult Products LSR Is, in Material Terms

Adult Products LSR for Overmolding is an addition-curing liquid silicone rubber that is platinum-cured rather than peroxide-cured. In the TS6807A/B, TS6825A/B, TS6830A/B, TS6835A/B and TS6838A/B series produced by Dongguan Times Silicon Industry Co., Ltd., the base polymers are vinyl polydimethylsiloxane and hydrogen-containing polysiloxane. The material is supplied as a two-component AB system, is clear in appearance, has a viscosity range of 4000 to 25000, and spans a hardness range of 7±1 to 38±1 Shore A. It is designed for overmolding and bonds well to plastic and hardware substrates.

Because the cross-linking reaction is addition-based, curing depends on a platinum catalyst rather than on heat-activated peroxide. That catalyst is itself a formulated product: the platinum catalyst range from the same manufacturer (TPL-1000, TPL-2000, TPL-3000, TPL-4000, TPL-5000, PTR-3000 and PTR-5000) has a transparent appearance, a platinum content of 1000 to 5000 ppm, a viscosity of 320 to 1000 mPa·s and volatile matter of 10% or less. The practical consequence for buyers is that cure chemistry — not only the base gum — drives odor, volatility and cycle behaviour.

The functional requirements placed on this series are stated explicitly: food/medical-grade certification, odorless and low-volatility behaviour, anti-yellowing performance, high resilience, environmental friendliness and non-toxicity. In the finished part these properties appear as soft touch, elastic support, sealing and waterproofing, bonding and fixing, and a realistic flesh feel.

Adult Products LSR vs Industrial-Grade Silicone: Side-by-Side Comparison

Note on the figures: the curing-efficiency and cost figures above describe the comparison used in this guide. Cycle time and yield depend on part geometry, wall thickness and tooling, so buyers should convert these ranges into their own per-part calculation before finalising a material decision.

Step-by-Step: How to Run the Comparison for Your Own Program

Step 1 — Define the contact and market requirement first

Start with whether the part will contact skin and where it will be sold. If the answer is yes to skin contact, the compliance baseline applies before any price discussion: ISO 10993 for biocompatibility, USP Class VI, and FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 for food-contact silicone. If the part is purely structural, this constraint can be removed and industrial silicone re-enters the shortlist.

Step 2 — Fix hardness and viscosity before comparing price

A material is priced at a hardness and viscosity, not in the abstract. In the Adult Products LSR series, hardness spans 7±1 to 38±1 Shore A and viscosity spans 4000 to 25000. Two quotations at different hardness points are not comparable, and neither are two quotations at different viscosities, because both change cycle time and the risk of molding defects.

Step 3 — Compare cure chemistry, not only hardness

Ask whether the material is platinum-cured addition-curing LSR or peroxide-cured. Addition cure depends on a platinum catalyst such as the TPL/PTR range with platinum content of 1000 to 5000 ppm, and this route avoids peroxide residues. That single chemistry difference explains most of the gap in odor, volatility and post-curing requirements.

Step 4 — Test odor, volatility and yellowing on cured parts

These three properties cannot be judged from a datasheet alone. Mold a sample, cure it under the intended production profile, then evaluate the part after a realistic aging period. Industrial-grade silicone may pass a fresh-sample inspection and still develop an odor or a color shift after storage, which is a retail risk rather than a technical one.

Step 5 — Verify bonding to your actual substrate

Overmolding performance depends on the substrate, not only on the silicone. The Adult Products LSR series is designed for overmolding with good bonding to plastic and hardware substrates, but the specific plastic or metal finish must be confirmed with a sample part, because surface treatment and mold design influence adhesion as much as the material grade does.

Step 6 — Calculate total cost per acceptable part

Raw material cost per kilogram is the least useful number in this comparison. Total production cost per acceptable part should include material price, cycle time, energy, post-curing steps, secondary inspection and reject rate. This is the level at which a higher-priced medical-grade LSR can still produce a lower total cost than an industrial alternative.

Step 7 — Validate on production-representative equipment

A sample that works in a laboratory press may not behave identically on a production line. Overmolding LSR runs through a dispensing machine, a vacuum defoamer, a vulcanizing press, an oven and mixing equipment. Validating on the same equipment class that will be used in mass production removes most of the scale-up risk. In 2023 the manufacturer also established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Guangdong Times Energy Storage New Material Technology Co., Ltd., focused on special silicone materials for the new energy industry.

Use Cases: Where Each Material Fits

Where Adult Products LSR is the right choice

The series is intended for the adult toy industry, daily necessities overmolding, the silicone products industry, and plastic & hardware overmolding processing. Applications already served across the United States, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia include silicone overmolding, body simulation molding, part bonding and assembly, and adhesive-backed processing — all cases where soft touch, elastic support, sealing, waterproofing and a realistic flesh feel drive the purchase decision.

Where industrial-grade silicone remains the practical choice

For cable and harness insulation, general gaskets, rollers, non-contact structural parts and industrial seals, the requirement is temperature, voltage and mechanical performance rather than human contact. In such parts, industrial silicone grades can satisfy the specification at lower raw material cost, provided the buyer accepts longer or post-cured cycles and does not need odor or color stability guarantees.

Evaluating the Supplier Behind the Material

The material comparison only matters if the supplier can reproduce the same grade consistently. Dongguan Times Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. was established in 2021 and officially commenced operation on July 1, 2022, specialising in the R&D, production and sales of new silicone materials. Its manufacturing facility covers 15,000 square meters, employs approximately 42 staff and includes a dedicated R&D team of 10 engineers, with annual production capacity of 5,200 units. Export business accounts for 55% of total sales, with major markets including China, South Korea, the United States, Japan and Africa.

On the compliance side, all products have obtained RoHS, REACH, FDA, LFGB and halogen-free certifications, and the company has passed ISO 9001 quality management system certification. For buyers comparing LSR sources, those two elements — documented product certifications and a certified quality management system behind them — are usually more decisive than a price difference at the quotation stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Decide on the Cure System, Then on the Price

The choice between Adult Products LSR and industrial-grade silicone is settled by two questions, in order. First, does the part contact skin, need to stay clear and flesh-like, and have to avoid odor and yellowing? If yes, the material route is platinum-cured addition-curing LSR, and the remaining work is selecting the right hardness and viscosity within the 7±1 to 38±1 Shore A and 4000 to 25000 viscosity range, then verifying certification evidence for that exact grade. Second, only after that, does the commercial comparison begin — and it should be run as cost per acceptable part, not cost per kilogram.

For industrial, non-contact parts, conventional silicone remains a legitimate and often cheaper specification. The error to avoid is applying industrial-grade logic — lowest material price, no compliance documentation, no odor or color testing — to a product that will touch skin and sit on a retail shelf.

Next Step: Sample and Quotation

Dongguan Times Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. supplies Adult Products LSR for overmolding in five model designations (TS6807A/B to TS6838A/B) with RoHS, REACH, FDA, LFGB and halogen-free certifications and ISO 9001 quality management system certification. To evaluate the material on your own substrate and hardness target, request a sample or quotation.

Email: 1412531738@qq.com  |  Tel: +86 13825718161  |  Website: timessilicone.com

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