How to make Professional silicone molds from 3D printed patterns
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- Beyond 3D Printing... www.bjbenterprises.com
How do you take your 3D printed parts to the next level? Using your 3D printed part as a Pattern to make silicone molds, you now have the ability to make production quality parts from a variety of high performance Polyurethane materials. Using simple methods developed over several decades in Rapid Prototyping, learn how to make a silicone mold that produces high quality parts.
For 40 years, BJB Enterprises, Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 Company, has been in the business of formulating and supplying quality liquid resin systems to a vast array of industries and with a myriad of applications in mind!
BJB offers a complete line-up of Castable Polyurethanes, Epoxy Systems, Silicone Casting Rubbers, Polyurethane Foam Systems, Aliphatic Water Clear Urethanes, Sprayable Polyurethanes, Pigments and Release. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I'd never seen this amount of quality in making a mold.. this is everything I dreamed of it to be... I always thought for making a part with this quality you would need steel molds which were cut by CNC machines. I never thought this is possible
Thank you. I went through several amateur, hack-job videos to find this one. Five years on and this still seems to be the best video on this DIY level of mold making and casting.
Darrin Brunner wow, thank you for your compliment. We’ve enjoyed helping out the mold making community and continue to create new videos.
when i first saw a video of bjb i understood that i wasnt going to find a better tutorial than this one, is unbelieaveable how they can produce such a high end cast , i saved one of their videos long time ago, and finally when i had the money to buy all the materials and tools, i went straight to look in my favorites , and thanks god it was still there.
Wow, that is a great testimonial. We are certainly glad to share our knowledge with new mold makers. We receive a lot of requests for help when other methods are not producing the results needed and so far our feedback has been very positive. Thank you!
I also added heat via a hair dryer mounted in the door of the pressure chamber. With 60 PSI of air pressure. I did not evacuate the resin. 30 years ago I was using Conap UC30 polyurethane resin. The results were excellent! Your procedure in right on!
Great Video. This is one of the best videos I ever watched. Thanks
Awesome video! Keep them coming!
Pressure pot is a must. There's smaller pressure pots that's affordable.
Love the vent tube idea used while making the mold. Gonna try on my next mold.
THIS WAS SO INFORMATIVE! Even when not using the same techniques, a lot of neat tips and principles learned here!
Thank you for the feedback! Glad it was helpful for you and taught some new tips, too!
Incredibly detailed. Thanks.
Wow... nicely done. This is something to aspire to!
one of the greatest videos .. thanx a lot
Ahmed Fangary Thank you sir!
Hi, quick question, does the primer mayerial adhere to the mould or leave any residue? And can the mould be cleaned after the process for casting food grade material for example? Best videos out there hands down thanks alot
This is awesome!
perfect and informative video, Thanks to BJB
Nice tutorial, I need to replace resin sand shell core used in sand casting with your product using silicon Mold method, the temp. of molten grey Cast iron is around 1200 deg Centigrade. Plz suggest. Thx
Nice job Troy ! (Herb from Fairview)
You rock again..... awesome work. I would use my cad program (Fusion 360) to make the placeholders and 3d-print them. Saves time and clean up. But great project.
what is the specification of the blue silicone thank
I have been watching silicon mold making vids on youtube for a few days trying to learn about the process for an upcoming project. This is by far the best video series on the subject. There appears to be a lot of misinformation out there..so glad I found these..thanks a lot. The only thing that I see as a major stumbling block for me is the use of a vacuum chamber. Is there a silicone mold product that doesn't require "de-air bubbling"???
+Suman Prescott it's called a degasser it's just a vacum chamber, it doesn't have to be done but it removes bubbles giving you a better mold that might if a bubble was in it cause deformation on the mold.
+Suman Prescott Thank you for the feedback! Yes, we made our videos to show how the process is done instead of just selling you a list of products. Degassing is a common but confusing subject, but we do our best to show the proper way and reasons WHY to do this extra step. Depending on the mold and application, you may or may not need to degas the silicone but you will find the results will be better if you do. You can watch our newest video for a simple mold and we do discuss your question as well: th-cam.com/video/dWVrCffgoDc/w-d-xo.html
Please what is name risen used it in casting
perfect way
wtf this is perfect!
Welcome your wonderful work magnificence
Hi, wondrous, your work is possible to learn like you
Hello BJB Enterprises, can you tell a bit more about getting course textured or satin touch finishes? I'm working on a gaming product that needs to be held for long time at a stretch
The finish of your pattern, glossy, matte, textured, etc... will be duplicated by the silicone mold. So, you must apply the desired finish to the pattern you are molding prior to making the mold. Applying a texture or satin touch finish depends on the paint system or paint technique. Whatever paint or coating you end up using on the pattern, you will want to run a small sample test to make sure the silicone is compatible. There are some common Spray Can paints (like Rustoleum) that cause curing issues with Platinum Based silicones.
Hello! thanks. Why douring the measuring of the weights on the scale he hits the plate? And what is the difference between using only silicone and using silincone and an hard material as plaster or resin as shell to contain the flexible shape of silicone?
On a mechanical scale, the plate will go down when the weight gets heavier so this is a trick to see if you are getting close to the to the desired weight. The difference between using only a silicone mold and using a silicone with rigid shell would be usually we use a shell when the mold is larger and we want to save silicone and weight because silicone molds can become heavy. On a large mold you can also save money because silicone is more expensive than plaster or resin.
Is the pressure vessel at 12:50 custom made? I’m trying to find something about that size for dye infusing wood veneer.
Check out R3 Manufacturing for pressure tanks: www.r3mfg.com/
i wonder if it be ok to use wax to then take that finished wax part and make a metal casting
Yes, this is often a method used in jewelry making.
Do you sell those ABS blocks and acrylic vent posts?
Yes, we are now selling a kit with these items included and you may also buy them separately. bjbenterprises.com/index.php/mold-making-kit/
Wow Awesome Job so Professional what size is your Vent Straws & Filler hole in mold
They are 1/4 inch (6.35mm) acrylic dowels and appropriate size straws. We sell them on our website: bjbenterprises.com/index.php/misc-products/mold-kit-accessories/
Can we achieve the same tolerance with this method as with injection molded part?
In many cases yes. Many of our talented customers use this method to produce dimensionally accurate parts in product development and short run production. Silicone molds have a lifespan compared to metal tools, but most mold makers account for this and count on the ability of a quality platinum silicone mold material to capture the correct geometry of the original pattern and then duplicate with a cast polyurethane. Depending on the part size and shape, some adjustments to the pattern size may be made to compensate for the shrinkage rate of the cast polyurethane chosen to make parts to ensure the best accuracy.
This is a very professional solution. Could you tell me please approximately how many times the mold can be reused.
Great question. There are several variables to silicone mold life, but we typically state about 20-25 as a conservative number, but up to 40-50 is possible or beyond. Much of it depends on the shape and geometry of the part, and whether there are undercuts, deep drafts, etc. Obviously the advantage to using silicone molds is the ease of construction compared to traditional rigid molds and the ability to cast parts with extremely high detail or undercuts. The other major factor is what type of mold release you are using and the required finish out of the mold. If you are looking to get very shiny parts out, then your mold life will be shorter than someone willing to paint or post process the cast parts after demold. Also, flexible polyurethanes tend to be easier on silicone molds than rigid cast polyurethanes. -BJB
Do you offer this type of mold fabrication as a service if a customer sends a model in?
I wonder how it was painted at 13:37. I mean, what kind of paint was used on what kind of resin?
AbeOnline The part was painted with a typical automotive two-part urethane paint. This means it is a catalyzed system and not from an aerosol can. It provides more durability and adhesion than many paints from a can.
Does anyone know if the FolkArt Enamel Gloss Finish Acrylic paint, or any acrylic paint, will work on plastic 3D printed models, (ABS Plastic)?
1. Wouldn't toothpicks make sufficient vents for this part?
2. Can silicone be cast around wax masters with wax ports and vents?
Tricknologyinc Hello, yes toothpicks could be used for vents. The benefit to these vents is that they remove easier without breaking in the silicone making the tool easier to keep clean. Also, the ability to use a straw for your risers will shield the silicone from the casting material, making the silicone surfaces in the vents less likely to dry out and stick to the casting material.
Yes you can also cast around wax masters and vents. I have not heard of any issues with Platinum Silicone curing against wax but it's always good to run a small test on new materials to be sure in case there is something unique about the wax you are using.
Is it possible to cast wax in silicon molds? I'm curious if it's possible.
Yes, silicone molds are used quite often for casting wax into. It allows you to produce fine, detailed parts and the flexibility of silicone makes demolding the cooled, delicate wax part easier than a rigid tool.
BJBEnterprises Thanks for answering. Jewelry had suddenly become more fun to make with this answer.
Why not 3dprint the plugs? Assuming that you have the 3d file for the part that would be easy right?
You could certainly 3D print the "hole plugs" as a quick way to make them. Nice suggestion!
Hello,
I tried following this tutorial to the letter, and found that my silicone mould is sweating and sticking to my part.
An AB test of moulding the PLA plastic with and without primer, led to the primer being the cause of the reaction of the silicone.
Is the filler primer you're using special in some way, in that it does not have the same solvents as cheaper filler primers?
You need to use an acrylic laquer, don’t use rustoleum satin paints.
Unfortunately many of the easy to get or cheaper primers are problematic with Platinum Based Silicones. It sounds like you experienced inhibition where the silicone was exposed to a solvent or paint base it didn't like. The SEM primer we use in many of our videos has been very reliable when it comes to silicone curing against it. We discuss more about Platinum Inhibition in our other intro mold making video: th-cam.com/video/iRj6xzNx7P4/w-d-xo.html
@@bjbenterprises Thank you so much for the quick response! I will try buying the SEM primer and see if it solves the issue.
When you're applying the primer layer, do you have any rules you follow on number of layers and drying between layers to ensure the primer is ready for moulding?
@@brianmackie4667 the main points would be to apply thin to medium coats (vs thick wet coat) and wait about 5-15 minutes between coats depending on the temperature. Typically we wait overnight before casting any silicone against that surface to ensure the primer is dry. In ideal conditions (hot and dry weather) you could potentially mold a platinum silicone over the fresh primer after waiting 3-4 hours to dry (we have tested that ourselves) but only if we were in a rush to get the mold made and the weather/temps were permitting. If it's cold and damp, we wait.
Brian Mackie another common thing many people do is spray an acrylic clear coat like Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear to seal the primer and pattern. It’s been a reliable paint that works well with Platinum Silicone.
What's to stop from using a 3D printed mold, finishing it, and pouring the resin into it?
In some cases that does work. However, there are a lot of advantages that silicone molds offer in terms of part quality, ease of demold, and range of geometry that a rigid tool does not give you. Here's a nice video that goes over some things to consider: th-cam.com/video/wAOemKxSXyk/w-d-xo.html
Nice way but a bit overkill for basic hobbyists
You would be surprised at how many of our DIY community have adapted these methods for doing small runs of parts. Having said that, we deal more in the product development, industrial, and short to medium run production industries. We don't really cater to hobbyists but we do have many smaller users that are trying to improve their mold making and casting methods.
1 tear after you have your waccum
You could have 3D printed it with break-away plugs.
True to some degree. However, when you break away the plugs you will be left with marks on the pattern. Depending on the location of the plugs and the severity of the marks, this may or may not present an aesthetic issue. Having said that, it is an interesting option when using 3D printing to your advantage. Thanks for the comment.
is there any possible way for you to make a video, showing ,making a two part mold , using a model car tire.. any help is appreciated
Thanks for the comment. That would be a great idea for a video. I will pass this along to the team. Be sure to check out our other tutorials, tons of tips and tricks to make high quality molds.