How do I create plastic moulds

[css_jay99]

Hi guys,

Any idea whats bits and pieces I need to create plastic moulds?.

I am not interested in fiberglass stuff .......


cheers

css_jay99

[doodab]

Plastic moulds for jelly or chocolate or similar? Or tooling for plastic mouldings?

[css_jay99]

Plastic moulds for jelly or chocolate or similar? Or tooling for plastic mouldings?

tooling for plastic mouldings

e.g. also to creating moulds of existing objects

DIY/hobby related so not big money stuff

css_jay99

[TestMangler]

tooling for plastic mouldings

e.g. also to creating moulds of existing objects


css_jay99

A clue of what you're tring to do would be helpful. Is it to make a full scale model of a tank or to manufature your own Mr Potato Head ?

Making moulds of small objects is best done with fibreglass, which you're not interested in

Think of a boat in reverse. Wax coating, gel coat, resin, layers of resin/matt etc.

[TheFaQQer]

tooling for plastic mouldings

e.g. also to creating moulds of existing objects

DIY/hobby related so not big money stuff

css_jay99

Like this? NSFW

[doodab]

tooling for plastic mouldings

e.g. also to creating moulds of existing objects


css_jay99

It depends on the type of object & plastic. Vacuum forming you can do at home reasonably cheaply. For injection moulding you need to get tools made i.e. blocks of metal machined into the right shapes + there is usually a mechanical element involved to get the cores in and out so it's not something you can easily take on yourself. There are places that will do the whole tool manufacture + moulding job for a fee although you will still need CAD drawings of your part I expect.

You might do better to look at a 3D printer.

[css_jay99]

Like this? NSFW

good thing I hovered on that link first ! before I lost my job!

A clue of what you're tring to do would be helpful. Is it to make a full scale model of a tank or to manufature your own Mr Potato Head ?

Making moulds of small objects is best done with fibreglass, which you're not interested in

I was trying to build a few things e.g:-
1) A small tray the size of a keyboard
2) A cup holder a certain shape ...

basically the starting points will be :-
1) making a cast/mould of an existing object
either by (a) pressing an existing object against a putty like substance to make imprints that will then harden up
or (b) using my hand to fashion a putty like substance that will then harden up
2) Then pouring some form of material or liquid into that cast to harden up
3) Then pulling that hardened object out of the cast and then shaped with something like a dremel ......

I dont know much about fibre glass and I only objected to it assuming it was going to be something like laying down some sort of mesh and laboriously slapping glue over it ....which is kind of time consuming .....

[css_jay99]

Mmmm.

Injection moulding.

Think in the >£10k region for that sort of thing.

i am looking at simple £20 type solutions !

[doodab]

Yes, injection moulding is expensive as the tooling costs are very high.

I think you can probably do something with a rubber mould and then use that to cast resin.

Latex & Gelflex Moulding - Casting & Modelling - Model Shop - Fred Aldous

Casting Resin - Casting & Modelling - Model Shop - Fred Aldous

[gingerjedi]

Resin casting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia