What is the difference in performance between screen printing silicone and injection molding silicone?

What is the difference in performance between screen printing silicone and injection molding silicone?
Mechanical properties
Screen printing silicone: Mainly used for surface decoration and protection, the requirements for mechanical properties are relatively low. The cured screen printing silicone has a certain flexibility and elasticity, and can adapt to the bending and deformation of the substrate, but the strength and hardness are usually not too high.
Injection molding silicone: According to different application requirements, different mechanical properties can be obtained by adjusting the formula and processing technology. Generally speaking, injection molding silicone products need to have high strength, hardness and wear resistance to withstand external forces and friction during use. For example, injection molding silicone used to manufacture automotive parts or industrial supplies may need to have high tensile strength and tear strength.
Adhesion
Screen printing silicone: The focus is on good adhesion to the surface of the substrate to ensure the firmness and durability of the printed pattern. It needs to be able to adhere firmly to the surfaces of various materials, such as textiles, leather, paper, plastic, etc., have good peel strength, and is not easy to fall off or peel.
Injection molding silicone: It has high requirements for adhesion to the mold surface to ensure that the silicone can completely fill the mold during the injection molding process and fit closely to the mold surface, so as to obtain a good molding effect. At the same time, for some injection molding silicone products that need to be assembled or bonded with other parts, they also need to have a certain surface adhesion for subsequent processing and assembly.
Weather resistance and chemical stability
Silk screen silicone: It usually has good weather resistance and chemical stability, can resist the influence of natural factors such as ultraviolet rays, moisture, oxidation, and is not easy to fade, age or deteriorate. This allows silk screen silicone to maintain a good decorative effect on products used outdoors or for a long time. However, silk screen silicone with different formulas may vary in chemical resistance, and some chemicals may corrode or dissolve it.
Injection molding silicone: It also has excellent weather resistance and chemical stability, and can be used for a long time under various harsh environmental conditions. It has good tolerance to most chemicals and is not easily corroded by chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and salts. This makes injection molding silicone products widely used in industry, medical care, food and other fields.
Processing performance
Silk-screen silicone: The processing process is relatively simple and does not require complex equipment and processes. It is only necessary to mix the silicone with the corresponding curing agent or catalyst evenly, and then apply it by screen printing. However, during the printing process, attention should be paid to the selection of the screen, the control of parameters such as printing speed and pressure to ensure the printing quality. In addition, the curing time of screen-printed silicone is relatively long, especially the single-component silicone that is dried naturally, which may take several hours or even longer to fully cure.
Injection molding silicone: Processing requires the use of special injection molding equipment, and the control of process parameters is required to be high. Parameters such as temperature, pressure, and injection speed need to be precisely controlled to ensure that the silicone can evenly fill the mold and cure and shape in a short time. The curing speed of injection molding silicone is usually fast, which can achieve efficient mass production. However, the manufacturing cost of injection molds is high, and once the mold design is completed, the cost of changes and adjustments is also high.