Practical buying guides
Guides for better part decisions.
Clear, plain-English guides to help you compare materials, processes and production choices before you commit to a design or manufacturing route.
In this section
What these guides cover
This section brings together practical guidance on the questions that come up most often when developing rubber, silicone and overmoulded parts. It covers material choice, moulding routes, post-processing, colour, hardness, scaling up and preparing a design for production.
If you already know the issue you need to explore, choose the page that matches it. If you are weighing up several options, start with materials or process comparisons, then move on to design, tooling and production topics.

Compression, injection or LSR — which route fits your part?
Explore
Overmoulding: when it saves you a step, and when it doesn't
ExploreSilicone, rubber and TPE — what each is good for
Explore
Designing a part for volume from the start
Explore
Post-processing silicone — what happens after the press opens
Explore
Colour matching and batch consistency
Explore
Moving from prototype tooling to production
Explore
Choosing a Shore hardness
Explore
Tolerances in moulded parts
Explore
Choosing silicone for medical device components
Explore
Scaling a silicone part to volume
Explore
When to switch from HCR to LSR
ExploreIf you are not sure where to start, get in touch and we can point you to the most relevant guide for your part.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Products, 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.
- Part of TCI GroupFive specialist brands, one engineering team. Visit TCI Group.



Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare
