December 2023
December 2023
Alex Taylor
I was really proud of the turnaround time for this project. From concept to physical part took less than two weeks! The project involved using four 3D-printed segments glued together to create a mold. One of the most exciting aspects was the need to reuse the mold. It had to withstand the de-molding of the first half to produce the second half. (So far, about half of my molds sustain some degree of damage during de-molding.) Despite some surface blemishes, the project was a success. More on the imperfections below.
Lessons Learned (and Re-learned)
Even under vacuum, cloth struggles with sharp corners and vertices.
Avoid adding excess resin to the part.
Be diligent while filling and fairing any voids.
Any surface inconsistencies can trap polish and wax—a larger headache than anticipated.
Fig 1. If the cloth ever bridges the gap of a tight corner in the mold surface, the excess resin will flow to that space. This was an issue with this project, the workaround was to sand a fillet into each of the edges of the star.