Fab Academy 2013

A Journey through digital fabrication
by Vanessa Montezuma

• HOME
• FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION
• Principales and Practices / Project Management
• COmputer Aided Design
• Computer Controlled Cutting
• Electronics Production
• 3D Scanning and Printing
• Electronics Design
• Computer Controlled Machining
• Embedded programming
• Molding and Casting
• Imput Devices
• Composites
• Output Devices
• Networking and Communications
• Mechanical Design & Machine Design
• Interface and Application Programming
• Aplications and Implications
• Invention, Intellectual Property and Income
• Project Development

Link to class: Composites

This week assignment is to design and make a 3D mold, and produce a fiber composite part in it. We had more liberty to make the mold this week, so I tried to make one of a wood native scuplture I had at home, and seeing if I could make a reinterpretation of it with bamboo and wood fibers combined with resin.

I made a mold based on gesso bandages you can buy on farmacies. Its made for making the casts when people broke an arm or leg, but can also be used when you want to make a mold of your face or a sculpture made of ceramic. What the innovation would be in this case is that instead of making the "positive" of the mold also in gesso, I wanted to use resin and natural fibers.

Step one: Making the mold

To make a mold out of gesso bandages you need to have some recipient with water to moisture the bandages. Also, you need something to protect the thing you're going to make a mold out of. Normally people use vaseline, but I didn't had vaseline at the time, so I use hand cream, which worked the same. After filling with cream the part you're going to use, you just need to put on the bandages. For a better result the bandages need to be put in both ways: horizontal and vertical. It gives the mold structure. The advantage of usind gesso bandages is that it has a quickly dry period. In about an hour or so you can de-mold pretty easy.
Since the sculpture has two faces, I made two molds, so I could test out different types of fibers.

Step two: Making the composite

I wanted to test out the mixing of bamboo and wood fibers with the resin, preparing myself for the final assignment, in which I intend to use also some kind of composite to improve the 'wings' of the bamboo bird. To prepare the mold to receive the resin I had to soak it on wax. Then I used fiberglass to make a first layer that would hold the resin, and then added bamboo fibers and wood fibers. After an hour or so, the resin was solid, so I took a peak at my work. The resin heats a lot when in the process of drying, so I decided to leave the mold until is completely cold.