8. Moulding and casting¶
This week, our goal was to create a 3D computer-aided design intended for casting as our final product. The design must feature curves that cannot be achieved with a 2D laser cutting machine. We plan to mill the design onto a machinable wax bar, then create a flexible mold from this, which will be used for casting our design.
What is Moulding ?
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Molding is a manufacturing process that shapes liquid or pliable raw materials using a rigid structure known as a mold or matrix. This mold may be created from a pattern or model of the final object. As the liquid material hardens inside the mold, it takes on its shape. A mold, which is a hollow block, is filled with materials like plastic, glass, metal, or ceramics. It serves as the counterpart to a cast.
What is Casting?
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Casting is a manufacturing process where liquid material is poured into a mold that has a hollow cavity matching the desired shape. Once the material solidifies, the resulting piece, known as a casting, is removed from the mold to complete the process. This method is commonly used to create complex shapes that would be challenging or cost-prohibitive to produce using other techniques.
Group project
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In our group, we were split into pairs, with each person researching materials in the fab lab. We focused on properties like the material names, mixing ratios, and the duration before hardening. For more details, you can visit the Group work .
Individual work¶
At the individual level, each member was tasked with creating a design based on specific parameters, including a length of 8 mm, 60 mm and a maximum width of 60mm. Following these guidelines, I designed my project using SolidWorks.
Now, proceed with the steps for manufacturing the design mold to achieve the final result.
I combined my design with Zahra’s using Tinkercad.
It was then uploaded using its STL format and placed into the designated program to generate the shape on the template.
In the first step, the design was loaded into the program.
In the second step, the following settings were configured.
Then, I moved on to the third step, which involved creating the tool path, where each design will have its own template for roughing and finishing.
In the penultimate step, a realistic simulation was performed to visualize the result.
In the final step, the settings were adjusted for drilling and to determine the center point.
final outcome following each step.
The weight of the silicone will be calculated by filling the mold with water and pouring it into the mold.
Then, the ratio was determined, which was 20:20.
Final result after pouring into the mold.
3D design model:
The process to file mold¶
After compleat the final steps, Now we go to use Resin .
The attached instructions were initially followed for review.
Resin
The mixture was then poured into the mold.
max
After 10 hours, the final result appeared.
