If you work with silicone products, you have probably noticed something changing in the market.
Liquid silicone rubber, or LSR, is no longer mainly discussed around baby products, kitchenware or basic molded components. In 2026, more attention is moving toward medical devices, electric vehicles, electronics, precision seals and technically demanding silicone parts.
One of the clearest signals came in June 2026, when Dow announced around US$100 million of investment in specialty silicones manufacturing and innovation through the end of 2027. Part of that investment includes additional LSR manufacturing capacity in the United States and China, with demand coming from mobility, electronics and healthcare applications.
For us at DX, this trend is interesting because it reflects something we have already been seeing from custom silicone projects: customers increasingly expect silicone components to do more than simply be soft, flexible or heat resistant.
They want tighter tolerances, more complicated structures, better bonding with other materials, cleaner production, more reliable quality control and a manufacturing process that can scale.
So, what exactly is changing in the silicone industry?
Let’s take a closer look.
LSR has always had some obvious advantages.
It offers excellent flexibility, temperature resistance, chemical stability and the ability to reproduce detailed geometries. Because it can be processed using automated liquid injection molding, it is also particularly attractive for high-volume manufacturing.
What is changing is where those advantages are being used.
Dow’s latest expansion specifically targets growing demand from mobility, electronics and healthcare. Its new LSR capacity in Carrollton, Kentucky and Zhangjiagang, China is expected to come online in 2027.
The upcoming LSR 2026 conference in Akron, Ohio, September 14–17, 2026, is also focusing on medical, automotive, electronics, consumer applications, new silicone chemistry and new processing technologies.
This tells us something important.
LSR is becoming less of a niche manufacturing option and more of an engineering material platform.
Instead of asking:
“Can this product be made from silicone?”
More customers are now asking:
“Which silicone material and molding process can give us the performance we need?”
That is a much more interesting question.
Electric vehicles and electronics are putting new demands on silicone components.
Think about applications such as:
These parts can look quite simple, but their performance requirements often are not.
A connector seal, for example, may need dimensional accuracy, low compression set, reliable sealing and easy assembly during mass production.
Material manufacturers are responding accordingly.
Dow currently markets specialized self-lubricating LSR materials for EV electrical connectors, gaskets, weather seals and O-rings. Some of these materials are specifically designed to improve injection processing and shorten manufacturing cycles.
Fluorosilicone LSR is another interesting development for applications exposed to fuels, oils and aggressive chemicals. It combines liquid injection molding possibilities with stronger resistance to these environments.
This does not mean every silicone component suddenly needs a high-end specialty material.
Quite the opposite.
One of the most important jobs of a silicone manufacturer is knowing when standard silicone is enough—and when the application genuinely requires something more specialized.
Over-specifying material simply increases cost.
Under-specifying it can create product failures later.
Another trend we continue to watch closely at DX is silicone overmolding.
Instead of producing silicone as an independent component, manufacturers can mold silicone directly onto another substrate such as:
plastic + silicone
metal + silicone
glass + silicone
or even
silicone + silicone
This allows product developers to combine rigid structural support with the sealing, cushioning, gripping or soft-touch properties of silicone.
At DX, our silicone overmolding projects can involve substrates such as PC, PEI, nylon, PPSU, glass, aluminum and steel. Depending on the design and materials, bonding can be achieved mechanically, chemically or with suitable adhesives.
Why is this becoming more valuable?
Because modern products increasingly need several functions in one component.
A single overmolded part might provide:
That can sometimes reduce the number of separate parts required in the final product.
For product designers, that is a big advantage.
But overmolding is also one of those processes where good engineering before tooling starts matters a lot.
Material compatibility, substrate geometry, undercuts, bonding area, venting, mold structure and tolerances all need to be considered together.
This is why sending only a 3D drawing to a supplier and asking for a mold price is not always enough.
A better material is useful only if it can be manufactured economically.
This is one reason LSR continues to attract attention.
Modern LSR systems can offer rapid heat curing, shorter molding cycles and efficient automated production. Dow, for example, highlights shorter cycle times and reduced production costs as important advantages of LSR processing.
Some newer formulations go further by reducing or eliminating post-curing requirements for certain applications.
WACKER’s ELASTOSIL eco LR 5040/40 A/B, for example, is designed with very low volatile content and does not require post-curing, while targeting certain food and baby-care regulatory requirements. WACKER also states that fossil-based raw materials attributed to the product are replaced using certified biomass under its system.
From a manufacturer’s point of view, this direction is important.
The future of silicone manufacturing is not simply:
better silicone.
It is:
better silicone + better process + less unnecessary processing.
For customers ordering hundreds of thousands or millions of components, even a small improvement in cycle time or secondary processing can eventually have a significant effect on cost.
Healthcare remains one of the most technically demanding markets for silicone.
Silicone materials designed for medical applications can be used in products such as seals, respiratory components, wearable-device interfaces and other patient-contact components.
Medical-grade LSR systems are available that have been tested against selected requirements such as ISO 10993 and USP Class VI, depending on the material and intended application. For example, WACKER’s SILPURAN 6000 series includes LSR materials developed specifically for medical use.
But material certification is only part of the story.
For medical and other high-requirement silicone products, buyers increasingly care about:
At DX, quality management is therefore not treated as something that happens only after molding.
Our quality system operates under ISO 9001, ISO 13485 and ISO 14001, supported by incoming-quality inspection, laboratory testing, QA inspection and production controls.
For customers developing medical or other precision silicone parts, this becomes increasingly important as projects move from prototypes to repeat mass production.
There is another part of the market that should not be ignored: raw-material cost.
In April 2026, Shin-Etsu Chemical announced a price increase of 10% or more across silicone products, effective for shipments from May 1, citing higher raw-material, energy, packaging and logistics costs.
That does not necessarily mean every silicone supplier or every silicone product will increase by the same amount.
But it is a reminder that purchasing silicone parts purely according to a unit-price comparison can be risky.
When we evaluate a project at DX, we prefer to look at the complete manufacturing equation:
Material + Product Design + Mold + Cycle Time + Labor + Secondary Operations + Quality Requirements + Production Volume
For example, compression molding can be very cost-effective for many small and medium-volume projects because tooling costs are relatively low and different colors can be produced in smaller batches. DX uses compression molding for a wide range of silicone products and parts.
For larger volumes or products requiring the advantages of liquid silicone rubber, LIM/LSR injection molding may make more sense.
There is no universally “best” silicone molding process.
There is only the process that makes the most sense for the product.
Maybe.
But we wouldn’t recommend choosing LSR simply because it is becoming popular.
Before selecting the manufacturing process, we normally look at questions such as:
What is the expected annual volume?
If the quantity is relatively low, compression molding may provide a more economical starting point.
How complicated is the geometry?
Fine features, thin sections and certain complex shapes may benefit from liquid injection molding.
What tolerances are required?
Precision silicone parts may require tighter control over tooling, material flow and molding parameters.
Does the silicone need to bond to another material?
If yes, the project may need silicone overmolding rather than conventional molding.
What certifications or material specifications are required?
Food-contact products, baby products, medical components, automotive parts and industrial seals may all require different materials and validation.
Will production eventually scale?
A prototype solution that works for 500 parts may not necessarily be the best manufacturing method for 500,000.
These decisions are easier to make early in product development than after tooling has already been completed.
From our perspective at DX, the biggest silicone industry trend in 2026 is not one single material or product.
It is the shift toward application-specific silicone manufacturing.
Customers want silicone products engineered around their real operating conditions.
That may mean:
a soft food-grade silicone component for a baby product,
a precision silicone gasket for an appliance,
an LSR seal for a high-volume application,
or an overmolded silicone component combining silicone with plastic or metal.
The manufacturing process needs to follow the application—not the other way around.
DX provides a one-stop custom silicone manufacturing service covering product development, mold design, in-house tooling, compression molding, liquid injection molding, silicone overmolding, extrusion, secondary operations and assembly. Our customization capabilities include material, color, dimensions, surface treatment, printing and packaging.
If you’re developing a new custom silicone product, silicone part, LSR component, gasket, seal or silicone overmolded part, send us your drawing, 3D model, sample or even your initial product idea.
The DX engineering team can help you evaluate the material, molding process, tooling structure and production approach before moving into mass production.
Contact DX to discuss your custom silicone project and find a manufacturing solution that fits both your product requirements and your target cost.
DX provides you with all-around silicone product customization services for valued customers like you.
