MOLDING AND CASTING

GOALS FOR THE WEEK

    GROUP

  • Review the safety data sheets for each of your molding and casting materials
  • Make and compare test casts with each of them

    • INDIVIDUAL

  • Design a 3D mould 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.

Link to the group assignment: TEST

Molding and Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is typically poured into a mould, containing a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify.
The solidified part is known as casting, which is ejected or broken from the mold to complete the process.

CONCEPT

I decided to use sketchup and rhino to design the mold. Make sure to make the walls of the mold tapered so the end mill does not break while milling.






CREATING THE TOOLPATH WITH MODELA PLAYER 4

  1. Setting up the modelling form




    2. ROUGHING

  2. Creating new roughing tool


  3. Roughing parameters



    4. Set up a partial cutting area and make sure to use the same values for the Finish parameters as well.




    Rough cut toolpath simulation




    FINISHING

    1. Creating new finishing tool


    2. Finishing parameters



      3. Set up a partial cutting area and make sure to use the same values for the Finish parameters as well.




      Finishing cut toolpath simulation




MILLING ON WAX

  1. Stick the block of wax to the milling machine with some double sided tape.
  2. Make sure the endmill to be used is long enough to mill the block.
  3. I used 1/8 4F Flat endmill for the Roughing.
  4. Set the origins and the output for milling can be given directly from Modela Player.

  5. Change the endmill to a 1/8 4F ball for finishing.
  6. Set the Z axis again.

CASTING

I wanted to use food safe silicone for the mold, so I could make some chocolates later. So I used EASYL 940.

  1. Read the datasheet.

    2. Food-safe silicone Easyl 940-FDA DATASHEET

    TECHNICAL DATA:

  2. Measure the approximate volume needed for the mould.
  3. Add the desired volume of Part A and B of the silicone using a measuring scale.
  4. Mixing the two together well is very important for the result and always remember to wear gloves.
  5. A degassing chamber can be used to get rid of the air bubbles.
  6. Now start in a corner and pour the silicone in a thin line always making sure you are pouring over silicone.
  7. Tap the mold to get rid of any air bubbles.



  8. Let it cure for a few hours.


  9. Put the cured silicone mould into the oven for 4hours on 100 degrees.

CASTING THE CHOCOLATE


Design files download
Rhino file