MarBuc
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Posts posted by MarBuc
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Just thought of a 3rd option where a PLA mold is split into parts not printed separately but held together by thin PVA layers. Unmolding = 1) dissolve PVA "seals" between PLA parts; 2) carefully remove the PLA mold pieces.
Does this sound doable? Regarding e.g. adherence of PVA on PLA?
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Hi gr5,
Thanks for the mold release tip, as well as your feedback regarding PLA. The part we want to print is quite intricate and I still need to figure out how to unmold it.
- Option 1 = unmolding by disassembly of the mold. This raises a few geometric issues regarding the design of the mold. Also, a mold split into pieces can lead to silicon leakage at junctions (according to previous posts in this thread)... So this looks a bit tricky.
- Option 2 = unmolding by destruction of the mold. Mold destruction should not harm the part so "breakaway" might not be well suited. Soluble PVA looks like a good candidate, however the question of resolution must be clarified...
As I understand (I have 0 hands on experience so far) : PVA is water soluble, while PLA is not... which would require me to solve the issues in option 1.
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Yes, the piece will be quite small (10x10x10 cm max). I have no idea which nozzle will be used... We are experimenting a lot of things at this point, (resolution, molding, medical grade silicon, ...) and we are quite new to 3D printing! So please expect lots of trials and errors. :-) I'll keep the community posted.
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We will be using an Ultimaker S5 with a 20 micron resolution so hopefully the finish will be clean. I'll let you know how this molding strategy works out...
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Ok :-) One more thing. Do you happen to have a picture of the silicone part that was produced by your client? Just to have an idea of the level of detail. Thanks!
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Dear wuzley and Brulti,
Thank you very much for your input. I still haven't had the opportunity to try this technique... We should receive our printer in a couple of weeks and I will keep the community posted on our progress.
Cheers
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Dear Geert,
Thanks a million for your comprehensive answer!! I will look into the leads that you mention.
The topic looks tricky... I will post here once I have some results! Wish me luck.
Cheers 😉
M
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Dear all,
Do any of you have experience with using PVA or Breakaway material to print molds for injecting silicone?
I need to generate quite intricate silicone parts by injecting silicon in a mold, and there are 2 options to make the unmolding possible:
- Split the mold into separate "unmoldable" parts, then assemble the complete mold, inject, wait, unmold in the correct order.
- Print the mold in one shot, inject, wait, break away mold.
Any advice, comments or sharing of experience would be of great help!
Thank you all in advance :-)
Marek
Using PVA or Breakaway as a mold for silicon
in Materials & profiles
Posted
Thanks Geert,
That's a lot of interesting info!! Thanks a million. As soon as I get any result (good or bad :-)) I will post it here. I think end of September or October, as soon as the lab is set-up.
Now, the part about the use of a sex toy to remove the bubbles will definitely be a topic of conversation at tonight's family dinner. 😄
Cheers!