Ezcorer Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 howdy yall! I was talking with a guy I work with about a mold I cut on my CNC mill at work. The mold was a tail for a cast swim bait, it turned out great! so I was wondering why not just print on my 3D printer! I did a few quick designs and printed them out. It works GREAT!! you can go from design to water in a day! I have attached a few pics, the aluminum tail mold and then one of a jig body (black mold) and the other (white mold) is a tail i am going to use on a crank bait I'm making. Let me know what yall think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Young Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) Looks good .I've wondered about something along the lines of the zoom swimmin chunk trailer for my personal use. Wouldn't have to be exact, but good thin twisty tails would be the imporntant part to me Edited April 30, 2017 by Les Young Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpssports Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 We're working with a guy that does 3D printing for prototype purposes only, then does the cnc machining. He can print a 3D model of the actual bait to see what it will look like, 3D print a prototype mold for injection tests, & then cut our production molds with a cnc. One of our new baits we are coming out is currently going through this process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Fishing Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 Which printing medium are you using? Wasn't sure which one would hold up best to the plastisol heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baitjunkys Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 3d printed molds have a shelf life, Unlike cnc aluminum molds. I myself thought about printing prototypes, for the time and even the cost I can just knock one out in aluminum and be done with it, Makes it easier for me to go to a 60 or 80 cavity production mold if I got all the feeds, speeds, toolpaths worked out anyhow. They have there place I guess. Just not for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted April 30, 2017 Report Share Posted April 30, 2017 I think 3D prototyping is the way of the future. It has come very far very fast, but the cost is prohibitive for most of us small guys. If you already have access to it, then it can be a great time saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 15 hours ago, Good Fishing said: Which printing medium are you using? Wasn't sure which one would hold up best to the plastisol heat. The molds are made out of PLA filament on a Prusa I3 mk2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2017 7 hours ago, Anglinarcher said: I think 3D prototyping is the way of the future. It has come very far very fast, but the cost is prohibitive for most of us small guys. If you already have access to it, then it can be a great time saver. Just 10 years ago they were called RAPID PROTOTYPING machines. now they are 3D printers. the cost of the machines has come down so has the cost of the parts that are made. The other thing driving price is what you want your prototype made out of. some of the machines I run at work cost $120,000 so yes the parts I makes are pricey but it is dimensionally acute. If you like to tinker you can get a printer for under $300 and the work fantastic. look around most libraries have printers now. if you can find one and need something PM me I'll get you what you need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 What I do; is make a 3D print of a master mold. I then pour silicone into the master to make a working mold. Also, by designing the master so that the mold is symmetrical, I only need one 3D master because of the symmetry. I pour 6 x silicone pieces to make 3 working 2-piece molds. This way, if I wanted to increase production, I simply pour more silicone. My problem is that the only silicone that I have sourced locally, is way too soft for my purpose, and cures too fast. I tried pouring a hard material, Bondo filler style, but the 3D print mating face was not accurate enough resulting in a warped, leaky working mold. Silicone takes care of this problem, if I could find something slower and harder, but the idea works. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 21 minutes ago, Vodkaman said: What I do; is make a 3D print of a master mold. I then pour silicone into the master to make a working mold. Also, by designing the master so that the mold is symmetrical, I only need one 3D master because of the symmetry. I pour 6 x silicone pieces to make 3 working 2-piece molds. This way, if I wanted to increase production, I simply pour more silicone. My problem is that the only silicone that I have sourced locally, is way too soft for my purpose, and cures too fast. I tried pouring a hard material, Bondo filler style, but the 3D print mating face was not accurate enough resulting in a warped, leaky working mold. Silicone takes care of this problem, if I could find something slower and harder, but the idea works. Dave Dave, Have you tried 100% silicone caulking? It cures more slowly. I usually put a thin coating of the caulking onto my masters with my finger to be sure it's in every detail. I spray that caulking with a mist of water, and then mix the rest with a drop of water to accelerate it when I fill the rest of the mold box, being careful not to hit the master. I still wait 48 hours to open the mold, even though the outer/water mixed part is set, because the pure silicone around the master cures more slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Mark - that is a good idea, though I suspect that the material will still be too soft. The lure in question (hardbait) is hollow bodied with thin walls. What tends to happen is that the silicone compresses and I lose the wall thickness. I should have allowed for the compression in the design of the mold, but to re-do the design and 3D print would be another $120 for a lure that I am not sure will even perform. the lure is a totally original concept, a bit like a softbait paddletail. It should swim in a zigzag fashion with the hinged tail waggling like crazy. The softbait version has been prototyped and swims as stated above. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 The stuff Mark is talking about is also called OOGOO (you can Google that) but it uses corn starch instead of water. works the same but sets up in about 15 minutes and is the consistency of creamy peanut butter. make small batches it sticks to its self great and you can get aubergine detail with the stuff. wylder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 $120! that seems extreme to me. what kind of printer was it done on? are you filling the mold with resin then dumping it out so you have a hollow body? I'm not sure I understand when you said the silicone compresses and you loose wall thickness. would making the walls of your mold help with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 This is a link for the oogoo mold making. The only thing is don't add the mineral spirits! the mold will shrink a lot once they have evaporated. http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-silicone-mold-from-common-household-materia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Wylder - I will check out what is available locally. Importing is out of the question. The printer is not mine. I have to subcon the work out to a business. I really need my own printer but again, limited to what is available locally. When the mold is lightly clamped, just enough to get a seal, I lose the wall thickness. Yes, the bait is designed for polyester resin. I cannot find micro-balloons and so I have to adapt. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 I am all for using what you have and doing what you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Wylder - I have looked for corn starch before and was unable to locate any. Tapioca powder might work for me if it is a reaction thing. Is the corn starch part of the reaction or just used as a filler? I guess that I have some experimenting to do; mix with water, white spirit, also I should have alcohol available in a couple of weeks, as I am building a still. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Wylder - I have done a little research, and this Oogoo idea looks very good. I just hope it works with the tapioca or rice flour. I will pick some up to try. Thanks. DAve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 On 4/30/2017 at 10:12 PM, Ezcorer said: Just 10 years ago they were called RAPID PROTOTYPING machines. now they are 3D printers. the cost of the machines has come down so has the cost of the parts that are made. The other thing driving price is what you want your prototype made out of. some of the machines I run at work cost $120,000 so yes the parts I makes are pricey but it is dimensionally acute. If you like to tinker you can get a printer for under $300 and the work fantastic. look around most libraries have printers now. if you can find one and need something PM me I'll get you what you need. Great offer, but the real cost is the CAD program to draw the design in and then code it into the printer. I found an inexpensive 3D printer locally that would have been great, but few of us have CAD experience or a suitable CAD program. I have extensive CAD experience, but still cannot afford my own program for the limited amount I would use the printer for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 c 17 minutes ago, Anglinarcher said: Great offer, but the real cost is the CAD program to draw the design in and then code it into the printer. I found an inexpensive 3D printer locally that would have been great, but few of us have CAD experience or a suitable CAD program. I have extensive CAD experience, but still cannot afford my own program for the limited amount I would use the printer for. check out fusion 360 or design spark mechanical, both are available for free (not just a trial download) and real close to solidworks functionality. wylder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Fishing Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 28 minutes ago, Ezcorer said: c check out fusion 360 or design spark mechanical, both are available for free (not just a trial download) and real close to solidworks functionality. wylder TinkerCAD is another open source option. We've just started using it, but so far it's been very user-friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 2 minutes ago, Good Fishing said: TinkerCAD is another open source option. We've just started using it, but so far it's been very user-friendly. Yes! TinkerCAD is great too. it looks like a kids program but it is very powerful. one of the only free programs that you can actually import and modify .STL's. wylder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baitjunkys Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Via cad v7 pro on ebay 35.00.... Open source stuff sucks imo... Fusion, cloud based, Not for me just yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Looks like fusion 360 IS a 30 day trial, but the others look promising. Funny, the fusion, by Autodesk, is closest to what I already know, so of course it is only a trial. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezcorer Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 6 minutes ago, Anglinarcher said: Looks like fusion 360 IS a 30 day trial, but the others look promising. Funny, the fusion, by Autodesk, is closest to what I already know, so of course it is only a trial. LOL I downloaded it ladt year and as long as I didn't make $10,000 a year (I wish) with it it was free..... they changed that I guess.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
