Moulding and Casting

This assignment I milled a 3D mould, and cast parts from it.

  • Designing the mold: a little cone

    • I chose to make a little cone to understand the process.

    My initial process to molding and casting a little cone

    I used Rhinoceros 3D to make it

  • Fabrication strategy and processing it to G-Code

    • To do a better finishing I used two milling tools: end mill 6mm (to first step) and 1,5mm ( to finishing), and processed the stl (exported from Rhinoceros3D) to ArtCam.

    End mill 6mm (first step) and 1,5mm (second step)

    The Artcam process: end mill 6mm (first step) and 1,5mm (second step) G-codes .

    1. Block mold base dimensions 500mmx500mm

    2. Import Cone.stl from Rhinoceros3D

    3. Z axis parameters

    4. End mill 6mm final parameters

    5. End mill 1,5mm to finishing

    6. End mill 1,5mm final parameters

    7. Saving g-code (one to 6mm and other to 1,5mm )

    8. Sending to Mach3 CAM

  • Fabricating the mold

    • I used a CNC milling machine (TFX CNC 1.200 x 700mm) from a Rede Fab Lab Brasil´s partner: CNC Montion company.

    1. CNC Machine TFX CNC 1.200 x 700mm

    2.Fixing the Wasx block

    3. First step with end mill 6mm

    Molding - Fab academy 2017 from Alex Angelo on Vimeo
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    4. First step concluded (end mill - 6mm)

    5. Second step (end mill - 1,5mm)

    Molding and casting Fab academy 2017_ Finishing from Alex Angelo on Vimeo
    .

    6. Second step concluded (end mill - 1,5mm)

  • Making the silicone mold

    • 1. Silicone (100%) and catalyst (3%)

    According the supplier "the Blue Adhesive is a bi-component vulcanizable elastomers which after the addition of catalyst, results in an elastic and resistant product." The proportion recommended by the technical data sheets (TDS) document is 3% catalyst from weight silicone (100%).

    1. I used oil as 'mold release agent'

    2. Silicone (100%) and catalyst (3%)

    3. Mixing

    4. Pouring into the mold

    5. After 3 hours the result.

    6. The result.

  • Casting with silicone: first test

    • With the same process I mold a cone with silicone.

    The result.

  • Casting with epoxy resin: second test

    • The epoxy resin and the catalyst proportion is 2:1 [epoxy:catalyst], according to the supplier.

    1. I used liquid Vaseline as 'mold release agent'

    2. Epoxy resin (A) and catalyst (B) proportion 2:1

    3. Epoxy resin (A) proportion 2x

    4. Pouring

    5. Catalyst (B) proportion 1x

    6. Mixing

    7. Pouring into the mold

    8.The mold

    9. Tip from the supplier, heat the area to accelerate the reaction.

    10. Approximately 2 hours.

    10. The result.

    CONE_6MM.tap is the 6MM Cone G-code.

    CONE_1_5MM.tap is the 1,5MM Cone G-code.

  • Designing the mold: the flexible triangle [2013 assignment]

    • My initial process to molding and casting the flexible triangle

    I did the mold with the Laser cutter and acrylic (3mm thickness). With the laser cutter I cut the acrylic to do the positive mold, the acrylic was glued piece by piece. To get a better result I did some guides (three holes in every piece and two in the base) Here the laser cut files.

  • The positive/acrylic 3mm thickness

  • The negative/silicone rubber (negative)

    • I used Silicon Rubber and a catalyzer that together finished the mold in 3 hours. In the mold appeared cylinders that were the "pins guides" that I removed from positive.

  • The final object

    • I used the same silicon rubber + catalyzer and vaseline to release the object. In order to construct with two different materials, I placed inside the negative spring´s devices to test an "elastic" final object.

    Triangle.dxf is the .dxf file.

  • Conclusions

  • Milling the wax

    • Mill the wax was nice and it was possible ( to do the best result) only with two steps and then two miller cutters. I had difficult to fix the wax at the table ´s machine, I needed to work with a tool to press it.

  • Molding and casting

    • It is possible casting with silicone and epoxy with the same process, it was nice to make silicone cones!

    To release the object I used oil and vaseline, but vaseline was much better than oil.