[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":110},["ShallowReactive",2],{"content-\u002Fen\u002Flearn\u002Fblog\u002F170000-gaskets-in-three-months-how-silicone-3d-printing-saved-a-delivery":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"blocks":6,"body":93,"category":99,"date":9,"description":10,"extension":100,"image":101,"isDraft":84,"isMenu":84,"isOutfit":84,"isPage":84,"lang":102,"meta":103,"metaTitle":5,"navigation":38,"path":104,"seo":105,"stem":106,"translationKey":107,"type":108,"__hash__":109},"content\u002Fen\u002F6.learn\u002F1.blog\u002F170000-gaskets-in-three-months-how-silicone-3d-printing-saved-a-delivery.md","170,000 gaskets in three months: how silicone 3D printing saved a delivery?",[7,14,25,31,39,43,53,55,58,63,65,71,77,79,85],{"type":8,"title":5,"date":9,"description":10,"image":11},"BlogDefault","27\u002F10\u002F2026","A look back at a real-world case in which additive manufacturing prevented a supply shortage, and at how the OVERTIME feature supports the transition to serial production with Lynxter’s S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 silicone 3D printer.",{"src":12,"alt":13},"zoom_joint_couv_2.webp","Overtime silicone 3d printing",{"type":15,"colors":16,"subTitleGTAmerica":19,"subtitle":20,"nbZones":21,"paragraph":24},"Highlights",{"background":17,"front":18},"grey25","greyLynxter","","Key points",[22,23],"1","4","\u003Cul>\u003Cli>170,000 silicone gaskets produced in just three months, preventing a supply shortage and keeping deliveries on track.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Silicone 3D printing delivers €28,000 in savings compared with injection molding, with no mold investment and a reduced production lead time from five to three months.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>With the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002F3d-printers\u002Foptions\u002Fovertime\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">OVERTIME\u003C\u002Fa> option, the Lynxter S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 enables extended, uninterrupted print runs, delivering greater flexibility for serial production.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>",{"type":26,"video":27,"videoCaption":30},"CenterVideo",{"alt":28,"src":29},"Overtime silicone 3D printing","https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FRXzyCqyi474","Meet OVERTIME",{"type":32,"title":19,"subtitle":33,"paragraph":34,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19,"image":35,"imageCaption":36,"fatImage":38},"MidRight","The problem emerges just when everything seems ready","\u003Cp>It’s the scenario every manufacturer dreads. One of our customers had designed, validated and industrialized its packaging. Then a leak was discovered around the pouring cap of the container.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>A leak-proof gasket therefore had to be quickly integrated between the pouring cap and the container.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The circumstances made matters worse. Deliveries to mass retailers were at risk, and 10,000 parts were needed immediately, followed by 170,000 over the next four months. The company had no experience with the manufacturing process for this type of gasket. It was the middle of summer, and suppliers were unavailable at the end of July.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"alt":36,"src":37},"Leak-proof 3D printed gasket for an olive oil bottle","montage_bouteill_laval_en.webp",true,{"type":40,"title":19,"subtitle":41,"paragraph":42,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19},"TextLeft","Why conventional processes weren’t viable?","\u003Cp>There were two options, and neither could meet the urgent deadline.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Compression molding with a multi-cavity mold was the faster option. The tooling cost just €1,500, but each part cost €4.30 to make. Lead time was three weeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Injection molding was the cost-effective option for large-scale production. Each part cost just €0.16, but the mold required a €40,000 investment and three months to manufacture, far too long for an emergency batch.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>A second, more subtle problem compounded the first: the gasket’s final geometry had not yet been validated. Several iterations would probably be needed, and different product references might even require different geometries. Yet modifying an injection mold means weeks of additional lead time and thousands of euros. Investing in tooling for a part whose shape may still change is a gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":44,"title":19,"subtitle":45,"paragraph":46,"buttonTitle":47,"buttonLink":48,"image":49,"imageCaption":52,"fatImage":38},"MidLeft","The additive manufacturing approach","\u003Cp>This is where silicone 3D printing comes in. The principle is simple: no mold means no tooling to amortize and no waiting before production can begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The challenge was to find a machine capable of keeping up with demand, printing the right material to industrial quality standards and meeting the requirements of the food sector. The company therefore turned to Lynxter, which handled production as a service. The gaskets were manufactured on the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Flynxter.com\u002Fen\u002F3d-printers\u002Fspecialized\u002Fs300x-liq21-or-liq11-liquid\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11\u003C\u002Fa>, an industrial silicone 3D printer. It extrudes liquid silicone to produce gaskets, protective tooling and medical devices. For this project, the machine was equipped with the OVERTIME option, which enables long, consecutive print runs and large-scale production without interruption.\u003C\u002Fp>","Learn more about overtime","\u002Fen\u002F3d-printers\u002Foptions\u002Fovertime",{"alt":50,"src":51},"Overtime printing ","overtime (1).webp","The OVERTIME option printing silicone gaskets on the S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11",{"type":40,"title":19,"subtitle":19,"paragraph":54,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19},"\u003Cp>The workflow has four steps: iterate, validate, automate, produce.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>•\t\u003Cstrong>\u003Cu>Iterate\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Several designs are printed quickly, directly from the CAD file. A geometry change means creating a new file, not a new mold.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>•\t\u003Cstrong>\u003Cu>Validate\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The variants are tested on the actual product, allowing the final geometry to be confirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>•\t\u003Cstrong>\u003Cu>Automate\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Once the design is finalized, the production workflow is automated.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>•\t\u003Cstrong>\u003Cu>Produce\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Manufacturing begins immediately at Lynxter and runs 24\u002F7, a pace made possible by OVERTIME.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This short feedback loop gives the project its most valuable advantage: process adaptability. When the geometry has not yet been finalized, the process adapts to the part, not the other way around. Design changes, product-reference adjustments or volume changes along the way can be handled by updating the file and print parameters, without rebuilding tooling or restarting a manufacturing line. For a manufacturer that discovers a defect after industrialization, this makes it possible to correct the problem quickly without starting from scratch.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cu>The result\u003C\u002Fu>\u003C\u002Fstrong>: 170,000 gaskets produced by Lynxter in three months on the S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 silicone 3D printer equipped with OVERTIME. The silicone used, SIL-004, developed by Lynxter, is FDA-compliant—an essential requirement for food contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The outcome can be summed up in three phrases: no mold, no production delays, no supply shortage.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":40,"title":19,"subtitle":56,"paragraph":57,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19},"The figures: half the cost of injection molding","\u003Cp>The comparison is based on a requirement for 170,000 parts, with all three processes outsourced to a service provider. Our customer therefore did not invest in any machinery.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":59,"image":60,"imageCaption":19},"CenterImage",{"alt":61,"src":62},"KPI overtime","tableau_kpi_overtime_en.webp",{"type":40,"title":19,"subtitle":19,"paragraph":64,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19},"\u003Cp>Conventional molding is ruled out immediately: at €4.30 per part, the bill exceeds €700,000. Injection molding remains the benchmark for unit cost, at €0.16 compared with €0.23 for 3D printing. But once the €40,000 mold is included, the total rises to €67,000, compared with €39,000 for additive manufacturing. Despite its higher unit cost, silicone 3D printing is therefore competitive with injection molding at this volume, while remaining faster and more flexible.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>That’s a saving of €28,000, with a return on investment in under a year. And the benefit is not just financial: lead time is three months instead of five, in a situation where every week of delay matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":32,"title":19,"subtitle":66,"paragraph":67,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19,"image":68,"imageCaption":70,"fatImage":38},"The longstanding bottleneck: silicone curing time","\u003Cp>Printing 170,000 parts continuously sounds straightforward on paper. Doing it on a machine is another matter. Since its early days, silicone 3D printing has faced a physical constraint: after around fifteen hours, the material begins to crosslink inside the printhead. After a certain amount of time, printing must stop so the system can be purged and restarted. This limited print duration restricted part size, the number of parts per build plate and, in turn, production throughput.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>OVERTIME removes this limitation. This patented option for Lynxter’s S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 printers was used to produce the gaskets. It takes the form of an add-on module fitted to the S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11. Its principle is to extend printing time by increasing autonomy by up to 36 times, without compromising material performance.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"alt":28,"src":69},"overtime (4).webp","A build plate of silicone gaskets printed for our customer",{"type":44,"title":19,"subtitle":72,"paragraph":73,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19,"image":74,"imageCaption":19,"fatImage":38},"OVERTIME: produce as many parts as the production run requires","\u003Cp>Users can produce more parts per batch, reduce time constraints and simplify production planning. More parts can be printed on the same build plate, with fewer constraints related to silicone crosslinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This extended autonomy also makes it possible to produce larger parts, complex thin-walled geometries at higher resolution, and any component requiring long print times. For Lynxter, this enhanced autonomy brings MEX – LIQ technology closer to the industrial standards of filament extrusion (FFF, FDM).\u003C\u002Fp>",{"alt":75,"src":76},"joints imprimés en silicone avec Overtime","overtime_low_bis.webp",{"type":40,"title":19,"subtitle":19,"paragraph":78,"buttonTitle":19,"buttonLink":19},"\u003Cp>Technically, the S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 equipped with OVERTIME is compatible with several silicones: SIL-001, SIL-002 and SIL-004, as well as the COPSIL-0550, COPSIL-1050, COPSIL-2550 and COPSIL-4050 ranges. It is available with nozzle diameters from 0.40 mm to 1.00 mm. Some earlier versions of the S300X require a printhead modification, which Lynxter offers.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>This was exactly what our customer’s project needed. To produce 170,000 sealing gaskets within a short timeframe, while the geometry could still change, the ability to print for long periods without intervention and without compromising the material was just as important as eliminating the mold. Fitted to Lynxter’s silicone 3D printer, OVERTIME made it possible to deliver this volume over three months. Lynxter’s target applications extend well beyond packaging and include sealing components, protective and masking tooling, and silicone medical devices.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>By bringing the autonomy of the S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 closer to industrial standards, this option expands the range of applications in which eliminating tooling changes both the cost equation and the timeline. For manufacturers, the key benefits remain the same: modify a design without going back to the mold stage, start production without delay, and adjust volumes to match demand. And, as our customer’s experience shows, this can be done without owning a machine, by using Lynxter’s manufacturing service, or by investing in an S300X – LIQ21 | LIQ11 with OVERTIME when production volumes justify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>",{"type":80,"colors":81,"title":83,"quote":84,"author":19,"titleSize":38},"CenterText",{"background":82,"front":18},"primary","make it smarter",false,{"type":86,"buttonTitle":87,"buttonLink":88,"image":89,"title":92},"Contact","contact us","contact",{"alt":90,"src":91},"team Lynxter","lynxter_team_2026.webp","More information about the technology",{"type":94,"value":95,"toc":96},"minimark",[],{"title":19,"searchDepth":97,"depth":97,"links":98},2,[],"News","md",{"src":12,"alt":13},"en",{},"\u002Fen\u002Flearn\u002Fblog\u002F170000-gaskets-in-three-months-how-silicone-3d-printing-saved-a-delivery",{"title":5,"description":10},"en\u002F6.learn\u002F1.blog\u002F170000-gaskets-in-three-months-how-silicone-3d-printing-saved-a-delivery","prodovertime","NewsArticle","p0GEVLLrJZXN1NzrBvoiq9KnKP4TvQ0iZ8E2EJ8QuYU",1793032476367]