|
News
Silicon mold for small production
Introduction to Rapid Prototyping
SLA(Stereolithography)
RIM
|
|
The method uses cast silicone moulds, made as
follows: a master model (that typically
originates from stereolithography or selective
laser sintering) is carefully prepared, to
ensure a high quality finish to the surface and
the definition of the parting planes. Silicone
is cast around the master, partially under
vacuum in order to avoid air bubbles being
trapped in between master and silicone. After
curing, the mould is cut according to the
parting planes and the master is removed,
leaving a cavity to make copies. The flexibility
of the silicone allows limited undercuts, which
might avoid slides or additional parting planes.
Two-component polyurethanes are typically used
as copying material. This allows fast production
of high quality parts. Vacuum casting is a
copying technique typically used for the
production of small series (10 to 20) of
functional plastic prototypes.
|
|
