Silicone grade chosen for the balance
Silicone spec'd for good detail retention and reasonable strip time. Not the finest-detail grade, not the fastest-strip grade — the balance point for this specific job.
Project record · Paving relief for public realm
A landscape architect's paving relief tooling.
A city public square had a bespoke paving relief specified by the landscape architect. Silicone tooling designed to fill, screed, strip and clean quickly across a run of several hundred slabs.
The brief
The brief in one paragraph.
A landscape architect's public square scheme included a bespoke paving relief across a large area — several hundred slabs, all carrying the same low-relief geometric pattern. The paving supplier had bid the job on the assumption that they could source suitable tooling; when they came to us, they had drawings but no tool.
The problem
The problem was fast turnover on a big run.
Paving programmes live off strip cycle time. A tool that takes five extra minutes to strip and clean after each pour adds up to days of lost yard capacity across several hundred slabs.
The bespoke relief was fine enough to need silicone for the detail. But silicone that's optimised for detail isn't always optimised for fast strip; those are slightly different silicone grades. The tool had to do both.
How we solved it
How we approached it.
Tool geometry designed for screeding
Slight draft on the tool sides so the paving supplier could screed cleanly. Corner detail rounded slightly to prevent air bubbles collecting.
Fast-strip release regime
Release agent and application method chosen for fast strip cycle. Two-minute demould rather than a five-minute demould, sustained across the run.
Batch production
Several hundred slabs cast to the tool over the following six weeks. Consistent quality throughout; strip times held to target.
The outcome
How it worked out.
The public square is laid and the paving supplier has been asked to quote a further phase using the same tool. Strip cycle held within target throughout the run; visual quality of the relief consistent from slab 1 to the final batch. The tool sits with the paving supplier against future orders.
Lessons
What we'd tell the next person with this problem.
For high-volume paving programmes, the silicone grade choice is a genuine trade-off between detail and cycle time. There's no single 'best' grade — the right grade is the one that's optimal for the specific balance your run needs. Ask the question at quote stage.
Related
Read another job.
Get in touch
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One photograph tells us what surface you're chasing, and one line about the mix tells us what silicone or polyurethane will survive it.
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