Custom Silicone Ice Cube Tray Lid | Italian 2025 Project
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Product |
Rectangular Silicone Ice Cube Tray Sealing Lid |
|---|---|
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Order Quantity |
Initial Order: 42,000 pcs |
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Material |
Food-Grade Solid Silicone |
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Key Specs |
Hardness: Shore A50 Temperature Resistance: -40°C to 180°C |
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Certification |
FDA, LFGB Compliant, BPA-Free |
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Lead Time |
DFM Evaluation: 24 hrs |
Project details
An Italian brand specializing in refrigerator freezing, preservation, and storage products planned to develop a matching ice cube tray sealing lid. The client’s existing sample had a fine overall design, but two problems arose during actual use: the ice cube tray was easily scratched during assembly, and the lid warped and cracked at the corners once placed in the freezer.
Z.S.R conducted a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) assessment to address the issues with the customer’s existing samples, and optimized the sealing lip, corner structure, and positioning protrusions. The samples passed testing on the first attempt, demonstrating stable sealing performance.
Based on the DFM results, the project moved into mold making and sample production, followed by quality verification of the first batch before mass production.
Delivery data
Engineering DFM Assessment
Gradient Wave Flexible Lip
Z.S.R optimized the traditional straight single lip into a double-segment wave-shaped flexible sealing lip. The wall thickness at the lip root is 1.2 mm, thinning to 0.45 mm at the tip. Three micro-wave buffer structures are incorporated along the long side.
Under normal circumstances, silicone shrinks in freezing environments. A flat, hard lip cannot release the shrinkage stress, causing the corners of the lid to curl upwards and fail to provide a proper seal. The wavy, gradient flexible lip absorbs this shrinkage deformation, reducing overall stress and ensuring a stable seal even in freezing conditions.
Rounded Corners + Stress Relief Grooves
Engineers increased the corner radius of the lid from R1.5 mm to R4.2 mm and added 0.3 mm micro stress relief grooves to the inner side of the corners, dispersing the stress concentrated at the corners to the long side of the lid.
The four corners of the silicone ice cube tray lid are where the stress from thermal cycling is greatest. Enlarging the corners and using fine stress-relief grooves on the inner side disperses concentrated stress from a single point into surface stress, extending the lid’s lifespan.
Reduced Positioning Protrusion + 15° Guide Angle
The height of the positioning protrusion was reduced from 1.2 mm to 0.6 mm. A 15° guide angle was added to the sidewall of the protrusion, and a 0.02 mm micro-venting groove was added to the top.
High, vertical protrusions make venting difficult, leading to insufficient material during molding and scratching the ice cube tray during pressing. Lowering the protrusions and using angled guides solves the problem of insufficient material during molding, resulting in smooth assembly.
Mold Making, Sample Production & Quality Verification
Mold Processing
Z.S.R Group is equipped with 10 advanced CNC machining centers and 4 EDM machines for molding silicone ice cube tray lids.
Silicone Molding
Production is supported by 48 solid molding machines, 12 liquid molding machines, and 13 injection molding machines, enabling the rapid molding of 30,000 silicone ice cube tray lids within 20 days. Over 10 printing and spraying production lines also allow for printing logos or patterns on the silicone lids.
Secondary Vulcanization
After molding, the silicone ice cube tray lids undergo secondary vulcanization at 180°C for 2 hours.
The secondary curing process removes small-molecule volatiles, reduces odor, and ensures the lids meet food contact requirements.
Quality Inspection
|
Test |
Condition |
Acceptance Criteria |
Result |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Thermal Cycling Sealing Test |
-40°C freezing for 2 h → room temperature for 2 h, 50 cycles |
No edge warping, no air leakage, no significant frost penetration |
Pass |
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Corner Thermal Fatigue Test |
1,000 hot-cold cycles between -40°C and 100°C |
No cracks at four corners, no significant stress whitening |
Pass |
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Assembly Abrasion Test |
Repeated assembly and disassembly with matching plastic ice cube tray for 500 cycles |
No visible scratches on the plastic tray, no noticeable wear on locating protrusions |
Pass |
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Dimensional Inspection |
Vision measuring system inspection of sealing lip, outer dimensions and protrusion sizes |
Critical dimensions controlled within ±0.08 mm tolerance |
Pass |
|
Visual Inspection |
100% visual inspection of product surface |
No defects including bubbles, shrinkage voids, flash or weld lines |
Pass |
|
Food Contact Migration Test |
FDA and LFGB related testing |
Meets project food contact requirements |
Pass |
The production samples passed the specified thermal cycling sealing, corner thermal fatigue, assembly abrasion, dimensional, visual, and food contact migration inspections. In particular, no edge warping or air leakage was observed after 50 thermal cycling tests.
Related Product
Customer reviews & feedback
“We received the silicone ice cube tray lids and we are very satisfied! They fit perfectly on the ice cube trays, and we love their individual packaging!” The customer later collaborated with Z.S.R on silicone chocolate molds, placing an order for 45,000 units.
Custom Silicone Ice Cube Tray Lid
OEM & ODM solutions for brands, retailers, wholesalers, and Ecommerce sellers. Food-grade silicone ice cube tray lids with FDA/LFGB compliance.
Other Project
For industrial-scale production, ZSR Group also operates a dedicated silicone compression molding service for custom silicone parts.
