I've seen similar setups work well in practice—especially the rigid outer shell approach. It seems like a practical workaround without complicating the silicone mold itself. Definitely worth experimenting with if you're nearing your pressure limits...
I've had decent luck with rigid shells too, especially when I was pushing the limits on some detailed decorative pieces. But honestly, injection molding has saved me a ton of headaches when consistency mattered. Had a project last year where casting was just too finicky—air bubbles kept popping up no matter what I tried. Switched to injection and it was night and day. Still, casting's flexibility is hard to beat for smaller runs or prototypes... guess it depends on your priorities.
Interesting points, but from a budget standpoint, injection molding can be a tough pill to swallow upfront. The tooling costs alone can make your eyes water, especially if you're just testing the waters or doing smaller batches. I've found casting to be way more forgiving on my wallet for initial prototypes or limited runs. Sure, bubbles and imperfections can drive you nuts, but have you tried vacuum chambers or pressure pots? I picked up a cheap vacuum setup secondhand last year, and honestly, it made a huge difference in bubble reduction without breaking the bank.
Injection molding definitely shines when you scale up though—no argument there. But if you're still experimenting or tweaking your design, casting gives you that wiggle room without committing thousands upfront. I guess it boils down to how much consistency matters versus how deep your pockets are...
"casting gives you that wiggle room without committing thousands upfront."
Couldn't agree more. When I was prototyping some custom drawer pulls for my kitchen cabinets, injection molding was definitely out of my league budget-wise. Ended up casting them myself using silicone molds and resin—sure, had a few bubbles at first, but like you mentioned, a cheap pressure pot setup made a huge difference. Plus, the flexibility to tweak designs on the fly was priceless...
Interesting approach with the resin casting—I've done something similar when mocking up custom fixtures for a small development project. Injection molding's great once you're locked into a design, but the upfront tooling costs are no joke. One thing I noticed though, resin parts sometimes struggled with durability outdoors. Did you run into any issues with strength or weather resistance on your drawer pulls? Curious how they held up over time...
