is it possible to print something in plastic and then make a sand mold for metal parts?
how strong would the metals be? say i tried to make a connecting rod for a car. would it have too weak of a stress tolerance?
well basically, can you take 3D printed plastics and make metal molds?
>2016
>not part of the milling machine master race
>>53775560
as much as i love the idea of milling for all the billets and bits i could use, i need something more compact since i'm an apartment fag. i was thinking i could make all the plastic pieces and then assemble them as one metal whole with a sand cast, but i'm worried about imperfects that the sand grain could cause. any info on this would be appreciated. i also looked into sintering and it's also lacking in precision for anything sub 100k. the best i've seen is the formlabs for its size.
really nobody? come on people. think about it like this. you could print a cast of stallman as a dildo. surely this should get someones attention?
>>53775374
Yes. It is.
As strong as the metal would be anyway.
Again, yes.
>>53776290
but how do you adhere the sand to the print so that it comes out as a solid mold? is there an epoxy resin that cures over time like cement?
>>53775374
Sure.
Make your print, then make a negative of it using another medium that is heat tolerant. The pour your metal.
>>53776317
Do you even sandcast, bro?
>>53776378
what's a good medium that is smooth as balls? something that would allow the metal to retain a smooth finish.
yup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWVVSZP3Au4
>>53776945
neat. i wonder how i'd get shit like holes to mold properly though.
>>53775374
>well basically, can you take 3D printed plastics and make metal molds?
yes, but you will get pits, flashing, likely collapsed sections of mold, etc.
And your part would be cast and therefore weak.
>2JZ FORGED INTERNALS!!!!!!1
not just ricer bullshit.
Plus, good luck melting steel at home. You'll probably be limited to Aluminum cans, maybe brass/copper.
/diy/ has had metalcasting/foundry threads in the past. It's /possible/ but you will be limited.
>>53777099
what if i did the casting in a kiln that's near its melting point so that it would gradually cool down instead of shock cooling? would it help?
Aluminum connecting rods are pretty standard. You can easily sand-cast a connecting rod, but you will never cast anything that won't require some machining.
>>53777182
the cooling will affect hardness/brittleness, but the grain structure is still going to be weak and prone to snapping.
You can do backyard metalcasting easily, kids in the 50s used to melt lead soldiers for fishing sinkers and vice versa. The problem is having something structurally sound. If the part will be put under force, casting is bad.
>>53777401
so is a forged billet of steel/aluminum/inconel/titanium in a 5 axis cnc the only way to approach making stress tolerant prototypes? damn...
Lost wax method.
That is all.
>>53777431
you could cast figurines and sculptures.
that's kinda cool.
>>53777431
Tolerances would be so shit on a 3d printed cast mould, also heat would cause the mould to bend and warp.
>>53777459
came here to post this
>>53777460
yeah but i wanted to show working proof of concepts for various components of a valveless clyinder head, or a Pulse detonation engine, like the chambers and valves. i was thinking i could use a form printer because it's accurate up to 25 microns, but if the stress tolerance is going to be shit for any type of casting, then that accuracy is pointless. but then i wouldn't be able to get that accurate with CNC. fuuuuuck what do i do?
>>53775374
what u need is a wax 3d printer anon
>>53777431
> milling titanium / steel on a cheap 5 axis
> cheap 5 axis
>>53779361
i don't get it. what does the cost have to do with milling titanium? are you saying it wouldn't be durable? because that has nothing do with cost. that's all in how you operate the mill. an expensive mill would equally crash on titanium if you don't properly set it up.
>>53779361
also "cheap" is broad. 10k is considered cheap with CNCs and you would most certaintly get a strong enough motor and bit to go through titanium. but again, it's a hard material to set a CAD up for. you would easily break your bit and the machine itself if you treat it like steel or aluminum.
>>53775374
Is there anything better than these formlab machines?
>>53780085
at their price, no.
>>53780421
what's the next step up from this prosumer shit then?
>>53775374
Depending on the resolution of your 3D printer, you can print the item, then use the lost wax method to make the mold.
>>53780435
50l+ industrial shit. what else?
with that said, you could get an ATOM 2.0, which is able to do a resolution of 50 microns while being an extrusion based setup, meaning you don't have to deal with super expensive and messy resins. it's not better in terms of detail, but it's bigger.
You could 3d print an item and then make a 2 piece plaster mold which can be reusable if you are careful and your part allowed it.
If you don't need ridiculous precision you could just make the part to form the mold out of wood with hand tools.
