Technical Assistance Policy

Our staff receives many phone calls and e-mails daily.

Technical help is a free service offered by Reynolds Advanced Materials to assist end-users of rubbers, plastics, foams and other materials in realizing their project objectives. Each Reynolds 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 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. Reynolds Advanced Materials 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.

What Do I Do If I Suspect That I Received Defective Material?

The incidence of material actually being defective is very low due to the extensive quality control measures taken by manufacturers we represent. It is extremely rare that a material makes it past their quality control laboratories and into the hands of end users. People often believe that material that did not work as expected is defective. User error, material incompatibility, cure inhibition and other non-material related variables are usually the cause.

What You Can Do To Verify If A Material Is Performing Normally:

1. Make sure you have fresh / new material. Material that is beyond shelf life or has been opened may not perform properly.
2. Re-read the technical bulletin. Make sure you know the correct mix ratio, working time, etc. for the material. Make sure the material is at room temperature (73°F / 23°C) and you are in a low humidity environment (less than 50% RH). Pre-mix both Parts A & B individually as directed by the technical bulletin.
3. Carefully measure, mix and dispense at least 100 grams total of material into a new, clean plastic cup and allow material to fully cure as directed by the technical bulletin. If the material cures in the cup, but is not curing against your model, in the mold or against a surface, the problem is not the material.

If material is partially cured in the cup, repeat test making sure that the material is at room temperature and you mix as directed by the technical bulletin. Partially cured material is often a symptom of a cold environment and/or insufficient mixing.

If, after testing, you suspect that a material is defective. . .

You can contact the Reynolds location from which you purchased the material by phone or e-mail.

Information Needed: provide the name of the product, the size container, when you purchased it, where you purchased it and the lot numbers provided on the product labels or outside of the box indicating “Lot #.” Part of the trouble shooting process may include asking you to e-mail images of your project to us, send us your cured material or send us the unused portion of the unit in question for us to test. We will do our best to make you successful with our materials.

After receiving your information, what does Reynolds Advanced Materials do?

We will contact the manufacturer to begin an investigation that includes checking to see if there have been other customer complaints about the lot numbers that you provided. We may put you in direct contact with the manufacturer to further the investigation. The manufacturer may test retained material stored at Smooth-On for a period of 1 year after a batch of material is made and shipped. If confirmed to be defective, we make every effort to trace shipments and contact recipients who may have received this material. We will then make arrangements to replace the material.

Packaging Problems & Issues

Product received that is damaged in transit, exhibiting leaking, etc., needs to be reported within three business days of receipt of material to the Reynolds location that you bought the material from. Refer to our Returns Policy for more information on this process.