Our technical service department receives many phone calls and e-mails daily.
Technical help is a free service offered by Smooth-On, Inc. to assist end-users of rubbers, plastics, foams and other materials in realizing their project objectives. Each Smooth-On technician has experience using materials and has been exposed to a variety of applications that qualifies him or her to offer technical support.
We find that people often have the wrong impression as to just what our responsibilities are in offering this service, and want to be very clear about what you should and should not expect from us.
Discussing your project objectives and then recommending a material or combination of materials that we think will help you meet your objectives is the best we can do in making a recommendation.
We can never guarantee or warranty that any Smooth-On product will work for your specific application for the simple reason that, in using these materials, there is a lot that can go wrong that is not material related. We have no control over the many processing variables associated with working with these materials such complexity of the project, aptitude of the user (experience and ability) and processing conditions such as environment.
Beginners especially have a high rate of "first time" failure due to inexperience with these materials and mold making/casting in general. Smooth-On is responsible for the quality of the material that you buy, not the experience level of the end-user. Because no two applications are quite the same, a small test application to determine suitability is recommended if material performance is in question. User shall determine suitability of the product for the intended application and assume all associated risks and liability.
We want you to be successful every time! If you are new to mold making and casting, your best defense against product failure is to read the technical bulletin for the product you are using and follow directions carefully.
You can also consult our ‘How to Make Molds and Castings' handbook, watch our Mold Making & Casting How-To videos Online or consult our extensive FAQ library.