The assignment for this week is design and make a 3D mold (~ft2), and produce a fiber composite part in it.
It was recommended to make some simple mold design.Using solidworks I created a simple shape.We all from fablab kochi used a soft wooden block which is taken from a constuction site.Since its dimensions are limited I had to take account it during desigining.The mold design is saved in .stl format.
We got a large soft wood block, so I cut a piece using scroll saw.Also two ends of the wood blocks are cut in a way that it can be screwed on the shopbot's sacrificial plywood layer.
Imported the stl file in vcarve (File->Import->Import component/3D model).I adjusted the orientaion,set the zero plane on top and centered the object.
Then I selected the tool paths,rough machining and finish machining.Also the tool was selected, speed and feed rate kept default.There was an error showing 'model thickness exceeds material thickness', it is rectified by changing the thickness of the material.The toolpath generated rough and finish, combined both together and saved it into a gcode file.
Then the machining starts.
We decided to make our own vaccum bag using vaccum bag film and sealent tape which was availabe in our lab.The resin along with hardner and woven rovin cloth were purchased from a local shop.Also we 3D printed a nozzle to attach at the vaccum cleaner.