Individual assignment:
Design a mold around the stock and tooling that you'll be using,
mill it (rough cut + (at least) three-axis finish cut),
and use it to cast parts
Group assignment:
Review the safety data sheets for each of your molding and casting materials,
then make and compare test casts with each of them
Design
In this week I decided to make a candle holder.I made the design on Fusion 360.Here are the steps:
I started with a simple sketch:
Then used Trim command:
Extrud command :
I made many offset to the shape then extrud also I drew a circle and did extrud cut command:
The base:
Then I made the molding box, the pouring opening and the grooves in the 2 halfes of box :
Tips :
There are limitations to milling the mold that should be taken in consideration before designing for example:
1) You have to know the depth of the tool to make the depth of the box adequate.
2)You should know the thickness of the tool to consider it while making the design: I made this mistake so the pc couldn't read some details
in the design and ignored it while milling like the grooves and the spacing between the design and the molding box.
3) I made an internal curve which is not right because the milling machine couldn't make it.
Then I exported it as STL and started the toolpath on the PC.
Tool Path
I started by importing the file ,then choosing which face to be milled.
After that I began setting the process to be done ,I skipped the surfacing process and went directly to roughing not to take much time also it is
done automaticaly in the roughing phase.
Then I chose the tool ,if it is not in the options you can set it up :
And:
I set up the scan lines for roughing:
Then I have to adjust the tool position:
After that I did simulation of the process and estimated the time of it:
I sent it to the milling machine:
Milling
I installed the tools. Those are the used tools:
I did many trials ,as the tips mentioned before were the result of the many mistakes I did, but fortunately I made it .
After roughing I changed the process to finishing and I changed the tool.
and Finally:
Casting Silicon
I mixed Silicon ruber with the hardner in a ratio close to 100:1 and poured it.
I waited for a day then it came out :
Tips
1)You have to mix the silicon with the hardner in a way that no bubles occures.
2) The mix is so dense ,so when you poure it you should make sure it reached all the grooves in the mold
,and you have to take it in consideration while designing.
Casting Resin
I put the two halfes together and fix it with a tape.
I started to make the mix of the resin with the hardner in a ratio 2:1.
I poured it in the silicon mold.
Tips
1)While mixing you have to be carefull of making bubles, so take it slow.
2)When you put the two halfes you have to make sure they are aligned and there is no shifting.
I waited for 4 houres then :...
