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8. Cast and Molding

This week I worked on designing a shape for keychain and magnet using Fusion 360 and create it using monoFab machine for casting wax, create mold using silicon rubber and use hard material for the final shape (such as soap and resin)

check group page for more information

Cast-Molding Design Tutorial – Parametric Magnet + Keychain batman

click here to download .STL file

Choose picture - Refrence

Material workspace dimensions

The real bed-work in depth of 1.5 cm, length of 14 cm and width of 6 cm

Sketch expected dimensions

Import Image to same plane

Scale and move

Organize

Create Shape

Create Construction line in the middle to use it as a mirror and start drawing the first point from the interaction

Half of the outline

Create Off-set

To create outline border

Trim extra

Connect lines

Mirror

Create Honey-Comb pattern

Youtube video link Visit tutorial

Create Pattern

Choose Polygon

Place on origin

Add constraint

Add construction Line + dimension

Check distance

Add parameter

Extrude 1 – Border outline

Extrude 2 – hex + filler bat

Extrude 3 – cut hex

Pattern - feature

Pattern-axis

Pattern-layout

Shape

Adjust

Inspect

No less than 1 mm

Keychain

Add Keyhole

Extrude

The design need to be flat

Scale

Check dimensions

Place the chain link to the bottom face add enough thickness and width to sustain forces, not break easily and easy to link.

Add chamfer

The objective is to create a design can be made by a laser cutter so adding chamfer minimium of 1mm is crucial.

Magnet

Sketch

Extrude

Create outer wall – 1mm

Export

Different machines use different file format.

How to use Machine ?

Use TinkerCad

Import

Positioning

Checking dimension and position object together to implement them in same real bed-work.

Create new STL file

Easier to import as one project.

SRP Player – Machine program

Import

Main Page

Finding Origin

For origin you should adjust axis to the center of the bed-work it different than CNC and Laser cutter machine as the origin is the corner

Surfacing

The wax surface area after melting is not straight therefore is important to use surfacing to ensure the depth of desired design is accurate

Drill-bit

Install the suitable drill-bit to enable the machine work and get best result

Start

Clear all other files and choose the desired surfacing file

Surfacing - Result

Type of milling

Choose your preference regarding to your selected design

Create tool path
Mold dimensions

To present the mold in the program

Create separate pockets

Fill important information of the side panel such as drill-bit of each processes because different drill-bit gives different final shape.

Result – Toolpath

Cutting
Separate each process

‘111’ batman and ‘222’ flower is for roughing processes (change drill-bit to 3/32 inch BN), ‘333’ batman and ‘444’ flower for finishing processes (change drill-bit to 1/32‘’ Ball).

Result

The mold is paper thin so while cleaning it easily get punctured, also if not punctured it will not carry pouring material such as water and silicon carbide.

## Estimate needed resin weight
### Add water

### Cleaning-Kit

### New platform

Using glue gun to connect the wax platform to straight surface that can handle weight easily without problems.

Pouring

Add 10 grams to water weight (89 grams + 10 grams == 100 grams of silicon rubber mixture). The recommended ratio is 50:50 ratio between green and clear silicon rubber.


Last update: January 8, 2025