Face Scanning, Mold Design, 3D Printing and Casting Process
The group assignment was documented in detail on the lab page. In this personal page I include a short summary of the work: we reviewed the safety information for the molding and casting materials, made small test casts, and compared CNC milling, TPU printing, and resin printing as mold-making technologies.
| Material | Safety Focus |
|---|---|
| Silicone rubber | Use gloves and clean containers, mix the two components correctly, avoid contamination, and respect curing time. |
| Photopolymer resin | Use nitrile gloves, eye protection, ventilation, careful cleaning, and UV post-curing before handling the final part. |
| Plaster and wax | Avoid plaster dust inhalation, control heat when using wax/paraffin, and clean spills before they harden. |
| MDF and 3D printing materials | Use dust extraction for CNC milling, avoid hot printer parts, and work in a ventilated area. |
| Technology | Result |
|---|---|
| CNC milling | Best option for a rigid master mold; it requires dust extraction, machine setup, and PPE. |
| TPU printing | Useful for flexible molds and easier demolding; layer texture can transfer to the cast. |
| Resin printing | Best surface detail; it needs strict chemical handling, cleaning, drainage, and UV curing. |
The conclusion was that the best technique depends on the priority of the part. CNC milling is more stable for master molds, TPU helps with flexible demolding, and resin gives better surface detail but demands stricter chemical safety.
View Full Group Assignment PageDesign a mold according to the selected manufacturing process, produce it with a smooth surface finish, and use it to cast parts.
This project focuses on the complete process of molding and casting using a human face as the main model. The workflow starts with a digital scan of a person’s face, followed by 3D model correction, mold design, 3D printing, and finally casting using wax and paraffin.
The objective was to understand how digital fabrication tools can be combined with traditional molding and casting techniques to create a physical reproduction of a scanned face.
As the first step, the face of a person was scanned using a program called Creality. This software allows the physical face to be converted into a digital 3D model.
The scan captured the general shape of the face, but like most 3D scans, the model presented some imperfections, rough areas, and small geometry errors that needed to be corrected before producing the mold.
After obtaining the scanned model, the file was imported into Blender. In this software, the imperfections of the scanned face were corrected. The main purpose of this step was to clean the geometry, improve the surface, and prepare the model for mold creation.
Blender was used to adjust the shape, repair irregular areas, and improve the final appearance of the face. This step was important because any error in the digital model could appear later in the printed mold or in the final cast.
Once the face model was corrected, the next step was to design the molds in the same software, Blender. The mold was created around the face model, considering the shape, parting line, and the way in which the cast material would be poured.
The mold design had to be strong enough to keep the shape of the face and also allow the material to be removed after casting. For this reason, the design considered the mold parts and the container that would later hold them firmly during the casting process.
After finishing the mold design, the files were exported in STL format in order to prepare them for 3D printing.
The following images show the manufacturing process of the 3D printed molds using FLSUN printers. The Face mold was manufactured using TPU, a flexible material that helps with demolding without damaging the final piece. The Mold container was produced in PLA, providing a rigid and stable structure to support the mold during the casting process. All three parts were fabricated using FLSUN 3D printers.
The mold files were printed using a FLSUN 3D printer. The flexible mold parts were printed using TPU, a flexible material that is useful for demolding because it allows slight deformation without breaking the mold.
In addition, a rigid box or container was designed to hold the flexible mold parts firmly. This container was printed in PLA using the same FLSUN printer. The PLA container provides stability and prevents the TPU mold from moving during the pouring process.
| Printed Element | Material | Printer | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face mold | TPU | FLSUN | Flexible mold for demolding |
| Mold container | PLA | FLSUN | Rigid support for the mold |
Once the TPU molds and PLA container were ready, the casting process was carried out using candle wax and paraffin. These materials were melted and poured into the mold to reproduce the shape of the person’s face.
The container helped keep the molds stable during pouring. After the material cooled and solidified, the cast was removed carefully from the mold.
This process made it possible to obtain a physical reproduction of the scanned face using a combination of digital manufacturing and casting techniques.
For the fabrication process, a UV-curable resin material was selected due to its high surface quality, precision, and ability to capture fine details. The resin used provides a smooth finish and high dimensional accuracy, making it suitable for molding and casting applications. Additionally, the material offers good rigidity after curing, although the process requires careful handling because of the chemical components involved.
The printing process was carried out using the FLSUN 3D printer. First, the digital model was prepared and configured in the slicing software, where parameters such as layer height, exposure time, and support structures were adjusted. Then, the resin was poured into the printer tank, and the printing process began layer by layer until the final part was completed. After printing, the piece was cleaned, post-cured under UV light, and inspected to ensure proper quality and detail definition.
.jpg)
In addition to the FLSUN printing process, the molds were also printed using a resin 3D printer. For this process, the file was prepared in Chitubox Basic.
In Chitubox Basic, the mold was configured for resin printing. The process included hollowing the model, placing supports, and preparing the correct print orientation. The printing format used for the resin printer was PWMO.
The resin molds were printed in an ANYCUBIC resin printer. The mold was positioned vertically to improve printing quality and allow proper support distribution.
The face model was also printed directly in resin using the ANYCUBIC resin printer. This allowed a more detailed physical version of the scanned face to be obtained.
Resin printing provides a smoother surface finish compared to FFF printing, which is useful when the project requires fine details and better visual quality.
A casting process using plaster was carried out to reproduce the facial mold obtained from the 3D printing stage. Plaster was selected because of its easy preparation, low cost, and ability to capture fine surface details after hardening.
During the process, the plaster mixture was prepared manually and poured carefully into the mold cavity. After the curing stage, the final piece was removed and inspected to verify the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of the cast.
As an additional molding technique, a silicone rubber mold was produced from the same scanned face model. Instead of printing the mold directly, the digital model was used to create a rigid base mold through CNC machining. This allowed the face geometry to be reproduced in a stronger master mold before pouring the silicone.
The base mold was generated from the same face scan used in the previous molding process. The geometry was prepared for CNC machining and milled into an MDF block. The objective was to create a positive face relief inside a rigid box that could later receive the silicone.
During machining, the CNC removed material around the face geometry and produced the cavity walls needed to contain the silicone. The photos show the machined surface after the operation.
Download CNC Face Base Mold STL
After machining, the MDF surface was cleaned and prepared. The surface was sanded to reduce rough machining marks, and the base was sealed to prevent the silicone from sticking strongly to the porous wood. This stage was important because an unsealed surface can absorb material, create bubbles, and make demolding difficult.
Once the base was sealed and prepared, silicone rubber was poured into the CNC-machined mold. The silicone was selected because it is flexible, captures surface detail, and allows easier demolding than a rigid material. Care was taken to fill the cavity slowly and avoid trapping air around the face geometry.
After pouring, the mold was left to cure. The curing stage allowed the silicone to become stable and flexible enough to be removed without damaging the face shape.
The final result was a flexible silicone negative mold and a rigid CNC-machined base mold. This workflow showed another way to combine digital fabrication and molding: first creating a precise rigid master with CNC machining, then using silicone to obtain a reusable flexible mold for future casting tests.
| Material | Use | Reason for Selection |
|---|---|---|
| Candle wax | Casting material | Easy to melt and useful for testing the mold. |
| Paraffin | Casting material | Allows the face shape to be reproduced after cooling. |
| PLA | Mold container | Provides rigidity and structural support. |
| Plaster | Casting and mold material | Provides a rigid structure and allows detailed reproduction after hardening. |
| Resin | Resin molds and face print | Provides better detail and smooth surface finish. |
| TPU | Flexible mold | Allows easier demolding due to its flexibility. |
| MDF | CNC-machined base mold | Provides a rigid master mold for the silicone rubber casting process. |
| Silicone rubber | Flexible negative mold | Captures surface details and allows easier demolding after curing. |
| Wood sealer and catalyst | Surface sealing | Reduces material absorption and improves demolding from the MDF base. |
Safety was an important part of the molding, casting, and resin printing process. Each machine and material had to be used carefully in order to avoid accidents, equipment damage, or failed prints.
.jpg)
The project successfully combined 3D scanning, digital modeling, mold design, 3D printing, and casting. The use of TPU allowed the creation of flexible molds, while PLA provided a rigid structure to hold the molds during casting.
The resin printing process also made it possible to obtain molds and a face model with better surface detail. The casting with candle wax and paraffin demonstrated that the mold could reproduce the shape of the scanned face.
Candle wax/paraffin mold of the scanned face
Resin mold of the scanned face
Plaster mold of the scanned face
This molding and casting project demonstrated how digital fabrication tools can be used to transform a real human face into a physical object. The process started with face scanning, continued with model correction and mold design in Blender, and ended with 3D printing and casting.
The use of different materials such as TPU, PLA, resin, candle wax, and paraffin allowed comparison between flexible molds, rigid containers, resin molds, and casting materials. This experience helped to understand the importance of material selection, mold design, surface finish, printer configuration, and safety protocols.