SpeedFlex 300

The client is a designer and manufacture of props, special effects, creatures and animatronics for the motion picture industry.  We were asked to develop a flexible UV stable urethane, which could be molded into skin textures and used for outdoor displays.  The material also needed to be easily tint-able to produce a broad pallet of UV stable colors.  The problem was resolved with the development of a tint-able UV stable in-mold barrier coating used in conjunction with an existing product, InstaGel 50.  To make the part, we first brush or spray apply flesh colored barrier coating into a silicone rubber mold and allow to fully dry.  Second we apply a layer of our InstaGel 50 mold making material over the barrier coating and allow overnight curing or force cure at   140° F for 3 hours.  The InstaGel 50 thickens when the A and B components are mixed, allowing for heavy product application in-mold without sagging.  Using this production methodology we can produce a skin thickness of ¼” with one material application. Reinforcing materials such as fiberglass or Kevlar cloth can be pressed into layers of the InstaGel 50 to further enhance the strength and durability of the rubber skin.  To support the rubber skin surface we developed SpeedFlex 300, a flexible open-cell, pour-able, urethane foam to back-up or fill the finished parts. SpeedFlex 300 fills and bonds the rubber skin to internal armatures.