Resin mould&shape

fabrication _1pfabrication _2p

 

 

fabrication _3pfabrication _4p

 

 

fabrication _5p

Main steps to create a resin mould-resin object.

Drawing:
The object would contain a surface with texture, an extrussion or a pattern. It would  represent a mathematical shape as a interesting effect. Rhinoceros programme would convert it in a fast way.
*www.formx.es
*www.erwinhawer.com
*www.mathworld.wolfram.com

Mould/mold:
I would work with two shapes: a positive shape box and a negative shape object.

Machine milling:
The firts step would cheak materials you would engrave as well clear measurements for tools. In this way RhinoCAM would  simulate the exact milling motion before the machine would  start milling. A 12 mm lead and 3mm lead would be necessary to finish this mold. In other way, 14 hours would be necessary for milling before start.

Clean the box:
It would be an easy task using the air cleaner machine.

Lighting LEDs area:
I would  use a 12cm LEDs. It would be necessary to weld some parts as two metallic wires. In the same way I would  test the LEDs before using as well as I would  keep testing after every step you finish. I would  keep a battery in hand for necessary testings.

SmoothCast 327:
It would to use in several seals as would to dry in 2-4 hours.
*liquid vasilin
*gloves
*masks

Pour out the resin:
The resin would pour out the box. Now I would  wait for the right time to open it, 14h.

To clean the shape:
The negative shape would be the lighting shape.

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Grenade lamp

I designed and fabricated a lamp using molding and resin casting. I’m sharing my experiences here: this is a step by step documentation of whole process. Along the way I’ll point out what I did well and where I made a mistake. Enjoy.

If you’re not that familiar with the hole digital fabrication project, then I recommend reading Neil Gershenfeld’s article where he explain why it’s important and where it’s heading.

The best resource for more info on these techniques is the Guerrilla guide to CNC machining, mold making, and resin casting.

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Fabrication_Ex.02_Lamp_Sine Waves

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molded moon 2012 11 05

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Glowing Objects!

//work in progress:

Me lighting ¡Hola – This is our second fabrication assignment which is about creating a mold  for an objects that glows. My first round of the experiment wasn’t very successful, as the only thing that ended up glowing properly was probably me!  However, let me give you brief hints on how to avoid what went wrong, and what I would like to do for take 2.

I made a very simple object that has a lens shape and a magnifier effect on it, so it literally, it is a “lens within a lens”. . You can easily find the lens effect on Mathematica and then you have multiple ways to do it, using a python script, grasshopper, or simple extrusion surface commands After creating the object, step 1: is to work on the mold, which is basically a negative of the object volume, split into two halves (make sure you have a hole that reaches all the way to your void).

After the mold, step 2 is: you should prepare your object for machine milling, which starts by checking materials you will engrave, and exact measurements for tools. Communication to CNCs happens via G-codes, which could be generated using multiple tools. In our case we used RhinoCAM _which I am not interested in promoting how to use it_ the point is, you should be able to simulate the exact milling motion before you start milling.
Tip: It might help to run small test on the material before you actually start milling.
In my case, we used two leads a 12mm and a 3mm and it took nearly 20 hours. Tip: It helps to calculate the time required for milling before you start.
After milling, step 3 is to clean your object and work on the lights. I used simple LEDs connected in parallel and inserted then where the magnifier effect is. Tip: Test all your LEDs before using them, and keep testing after every step you finish. Just keep a battery in hand for quick testing. Now, step 4 is to get messy and work on the resin, in this case we used SmoothCast 327 which is supposed to dry in 2-4 hours. Before mixing, step 5 is to get your mold coated with anti adhesives, so that you can get your body out.

We used several seals in different layers , however the absolute superstar of the process was, liquid vasilin (thanks to Natasha!) :)

Follow the instructions on the package and start mixing. Tip: It helps to actually calculate how much you need before your start, and also to test a small sample. For allergic people like myself, make sure you put your gloves and masks (and glasses if needed on), otherwise the best case is that you will end up with headaches and rash!

After you pour the resin,  step 6 is to tight your formwork with clamps and wait for the right time to open it (4 hours in my case). Now take a deep breath in, and open your box... I had a bad surprise waiting for me: Apparently, the resin didn’t reach all the holes (because I stopped shaking the formwork once the resign started to flow outside it). Which ended up in the result you see. Now the final product looks more like a demonstration of a skin disease rather than a lens effect, but well, at least the lights still work :) .

Take 2: I just found an opensource Gcode generator that runs on blender and has a simulator for milling. So, lets make a simple object and test it to see if this stuff actually works. It will be better to have a detailed Linux based tutorial, and maybe test different materials _more ecological_ for resins.

Hasta Luego!

Posted in Fabrication, Moushira Elamrawy | Leave a comment