Need to make a mold

[ramius-ii]

Hi All!
I have been struggling with how to make a mold so I can cast about 200 of these. Any ideas?

Thanks Ed

[raalst]

Re: Need to make a mold

Why molding ? it seems that grating is awfully thin.
what material would you pour in the mold that can fill these tiny canals ?

I would suggest finding a grating about that size, cut
the grates to size and solder them on 200 pieces of sawed-off
square tube in an oven, like they do with electronics nowadays.
or maybe simply soldering with a torch might do the trick as well.

that grating seems available, a quick google gave me this one as an example :

http://www.modulor.de/shop/oxid.php/sid/37501946bcf786279ecfbaccc70e4804/cl/details/cnid/TCS/anid/TPMS/tpl/-/lang/1/listtype/list

otherwise, maybe etching it out of a plate of brass and then folding it into a box shape might be feasible
if you know someone who has an etching bath

[Guest]

Re: Need to make a mold

Etching sounds like the best solution, and shouldn't break the bank either. 3D printing wouldn't work very well for that type of shape, added to that, the cost would be eye-wateringly expensive.

Another possibility is having the grills laser cut from acrylic. However these will be considerably more fragile than etched brass.

Water jet cutting or CNC router could have the bits made from epoxy GRP.

[ramius-ii]

Re: Need to make a mold

Thanks guys and you are absolutely correct. The grills referenced on the link are .2mm thick or .007" which is the same as what I have. I could not think of a way to flood the canals with anything as no matter how I envisioned positioning the mold it would seem there would not be a way to avoid trapping air even under pressure. I have seem where others have made gun turrets and other complex shapes and thought maybe there was something I was missing. I have also not found a grill that is greater than .2mm in thickness!

Best, Ed